Planning to successfully achieve our goals

Apparently it was Benjamin Franklin who said ”ïf you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

I am thinking about this statement in the context of the resolutions that I made for 2025. Strong intentions were articulated and desires were expressed. I even created SMART goals for the two resolutions I felt most invested in. I know what I want to achieve to in 2025 and I have well-articulated goals.
 
So? Now what? This is where old Benjamin has a point – how do we get from here to there? Just muddling along every day is not going to do it. No, we need a plan: a list of things that we need to do to that will result in achieving our SMART goals. In the same manner as a SMART goal focusses the mind on the end result, a plan focusses our attention on the steps that will get us to the result.
 
And........it’s easy – use the following points to assist you:
 Create a timeline with a starting point and end point – you can draw a simple line on a piece or paper or use use some software that visualizes a timeline;

• Put your goal date at the end of the line and “Today” at the start
• Think of everything that you will do between today and your goal date to successfully achieve your goal and plot these tasks in sequence starting from Today to the Goal Date
• Now link realistic and practical dates to each of the actions that you identified
• Finally, think of a small reward for yourself for successfully achieving each task and include it in your plan. Remember, you only get the reward if you complete the task on time!

 
Below is an example of how a plan can be visualized:

And there you have it – your plan to follow to successfully achieve your goal! A detailed plan helps you to easily see when what the interim steps are and when you are getting behind. Keep it in a place that where you will see it every day!
 
Here’s to successfully achieving our goals in 2025!