Plan Your Action... Then Put Action to Your Plan!

By Paul J. Meyer and Kevin Rhea

Every day, every week, and every month will take you closer to your goals IF you are planning your action and then putting action to your plan. These three steps will help you reach your goals:

Step One: MONTHLY PLANNING
-- Reserve one hour at the end of each month to plan for the coming month. (This can be a quick review if you plan in 90-day cycles.)
-- Survey your goals for the year/quarter and your progress on them.
-- Break goals and projects down into steps you can accomplish each week.
-- Designate specific due dates for completing these interim steps.
-- If what you plan will take several months, divide it into steps so that you can accomplish a little each month.

Step Two: WEEKLY PLANNING
-- Set aside half an hour every Friday afternoon or Monday morning to plan for the upcoming week.
-- Look over the goals you've set for the week, and consider any additional tasks that you need to accomplish.
-- Divide tasks planned into steps, and choose a day to work on each step.
-- Make note of previously scheduled meetings and appointments.
-- Be sure that your weekly routine includes activities that are directly related to your goals.

Step Three: DAILY PLANNING
-- At the beginning of each day, review your progress on yesterday's work, and note any pending items.
-- Spend a few minutes deciding what tasks to work on today.
-- Order the day's tasks by priority level with "must do" items first.
-- If possible, schedule items that will require more concentration for the time of day that you work best.
-- Leave roughly 20 percent of your time unscheduled to make room for new items, delays, etc.
-- If appropriate, start with your top-priority item and work on it as long as you can or until it's completed. Once you've tackled your #1 job, move on to the next highest priority on your list.

When you put daily action to your plan, your goals will quickly come to pass!