We all know how important it is to make realistic and achievable goals. Some of us may even know that we become much more likely to achieve our goals when we put a specific date that we want to achieve them by. This article focuses on the next phase of goal setting:
How to Put Together and Action an Effective Plan to Achieve Your Goals
1. Break it down into manageable pieces
If your goal is to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks, the first question you should ask is:
“How many lbs do I need to lose within the first week?”
Once you have decided, the next question is:
“What daily tasks do I need to implement in order to achieve this?”
2. Make a list of realistic daily activities
The daily activities should be planned on a 7 day basis to achieve your goal. This could include:
– Planning each meal for the next 7 days
– When you will do your activities like attending the gym or walking the dog
– When to do your food shopping and what foods to buy
Planning is only effective in the pursuit of achieving your goals if you are able to ACTION your plan!
You could have a great plan all laid out, but if it is stuck in your head and never made a reality then it serves no purpose. Here are a few tips how to make a plan actionable.
i) Write it down – the act of actually writing something down and seeing it before you makes it so much more real and much more likely you will follow it through
ii) Stick it up – make sure it is somewhere you can see it every day like on your fridge or the back of your bedroom door. This reinforces the need to action your plan
iii) Make it manageable and realistic – if the plan is nowhere near achievable then you will never believe it can be done. In this case there is little possibility that you will even try. That’s why we break it down into 7 days at a time. This gives the highest probability that the goal will be achieved.
Once you have set effective goals, planned how to carry them out, actioned the plan and achieved the goals, you are ready to “Record and Reward”!!
Now you are able to write down your goals and reward yourself for achieving them, maintaining your healthy lifestyle will prove a lot easier. When something becomes easy to do, it is easy to maintain.