Learn how to achieve goals by creating a solid action plan. Accomplishing and achieving goals can become a lifelong habit with these personal productivity tips.
If you want to accomplish your goals, you need to create a step by step action plan to achieve your goals. Please don’t make the mistake of creating goals without making an action plan to achieve them. Wanting something does not a plan make.
Use this list of goal-setting productivity tips to set up a step-by-step plan to accomplish your goals. We have even included a few quotes about achieving goals to keep you motivated!
Related: SMART Goal Setting
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How to Create an Action Plan for Achieving Goals
Before you can create an action plan for goals, you need to set them. Click on the link to get started with goal setting and learning how to set SMART goals. If you have your first three goals ready to go… Follow the step by step plan to achieve your goals below!
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1. Use a Goal Setting Worksheet and Goal Planner
Create or purchase a goal planner to help you stay on track in order to reach your goals! I like to use our master goal list goal setting worksheet, a goal planning journal like those listed below, our weekly routine planner to help me figure out how to fit achieving my goals into my daily rhythm, and a large monthly whiteboard wall calendar
.
2. Start with one goal
One goal is sure to have risen to the top as your number one priority since you created your master goal list. If not, allow yourself a few more days to contemplate which one holds the most meaning and importance for you at this time in your life.
Starting with one of your goals allows you to narrow your focus enough to achieve it. It’s better to start with one goal and complete it than to start with 3 and not complete any.
If you feel confident in your plan, come back, and do this process with another goal that you would like to achieve. Just make sure it is a SMART plan. If not, stick with one goal at a time until you have begun to master achieving goals.
3. Create an Action Plan to Achieve Your Goals
A goal action plan consists of action steps that you need to take to reach your goal. To create a plan to achieve your goals, start by listing the steps to accomplish your goal.
If you want to make an action plan to meet a goal, you must first know what it takes to reach this goal. It’s time to do some research. Your research may involve looking online, going to the library, or speaking with people who have prior experience with the end goal.
Once you know the steps that it will take to achieve your goal, create a basic outline of the steps that it will take to accomplish your goal before moving on to the next step in achieving your goals.
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3. Break Down Goal Action Plan into Manageable Baby Steps
Break the steps to achieve your goal down into the smallest steps possible. Each step should have only one action associated with it. If there is more than one action to take for each step, continue to break it down until there is only one thing to do for each one action step.
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4. Create Monthly List of Goal Action Steps
Create a monthly list of actions that you will complete each month to reach your goal. Follow the step by step directions below to create a monthly goal action plan.
How to Create a Monthly List of Action Steps to Achieve Your Goal
- Organize the action steps you made in step #3 above by priority.
- Place the most important step first, followed by the next most important step, and so on.
- Write goal action steps down in your monthly goal calendar
or weekly planner to stay on track to achieve your goals. Check off each goal action step as you accomplish it.
or 5. Set a Due Date
Setting a due date is necessary to keep your goals SMART. The steps you need to take and the time you will have to dedicate toward reaching your goals will help you determine how long it should take you to accomplish it.
After completing these tasks, you should have a pretty good idea of how long it might take to accomplish your goal. Make the due date an attainable one based on all factors needed for its completion, so you don’t lose faith and give up.
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6. Set Interim Goals
Interim goals or deadlines are due dates created for some of the action steps you need to reach your goal. Setting interim deadlines can help keep your plan SMART by assisting you in measuring your progress toward reaching your goal.
For example, if your goal is to lose 25 pounds in 6 months, an interim goal would be to loose 3-5 pounds in a month. If your goal is to start a business and earn a full-time income in 2 years, the interim goal might be a part-time income after 1 year.
7. Post Your Plan
Post your action plan somewhere you will refer to daily. Focus on completing the goal action tasks each day, week, and month to make your goal, or dream, a reality.
I like to use a large wall calendar
with wet-erase markers
for this purpose. Keeping my goals and the action steps needed to complete them in my face helps me stay on track to accomplish them. Maybe it can help you too!
We prefer to use wet-erase markers
over dry erase markers
on our whiteboards and laminated weekly planning sheets because they don’t rub off when you are writing with them, and all you need is a wet cloth to wipe it clean. Give them a try!
8. Don’t Take a Detour to Procrastination Station, Eat That Frog!
!Procrastination station is working on another task that you need to accomplish instead of completing the necessary action steps to achieve your high priority goals. Procrastination station, can fool you into thinking that you are being productive. Unfortunately, any form of or procrastination, no matter how productive, will steal your focus and keep you from reaching your goals.
There is not enough time in our day to day lives to complete everything on our to-do list, and there never will be. Successful people don’t try to do everything. They learn to focus on getting the most important tasks done first. “They eat their frogs.”
There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re done with the worst thing you’ll have to do all day.
Eat That Frog
Use these tips to organize each day so you can zero in on the most critical tasks needed to reach your goals and accomplish them efficiently and effectively. Whatever you do, don’t take a detour to procrastination station. Instead, Eat That Frog
by completing your goal action steps first.
9. Complete a Monthly Goal Review
If you want to achieve your goals, it’s a good idea to revaluate your plan regularly. Complete a monthly goal review to see if you need to rework any actions or due dates at the end of each month.
Don’t give up on achieving your goals just because you fall behind in completing them. Instead, rework them each month to keep yourself on track to accomplish your goals.
Create an Action Plan for Achieving Goals
Create an action plan for achieving goals today! Setting goals, creating an action plan, and sticking to it is a surefire way to attain your goals and live the life of your dreams.
Simply follow the steps listed above and you will be well on your way to achieving your goals. Don’t wait… do it today!
Next, turn your goals into affirmations. Just click on the link to find out why and how to turn your goals into affirmations!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
thanks a lot. i will try this plan
You’re welcome Youg. So glad you found this information useful 🙂
Great article, you are right about interim goals. I break all of my goals down into mini goals (interim goals), and have a date due to have the mini goals accomplished. I find this works very well. Thank you for your article
You’re welcome, Douglas. Thanks for the vote of approval 🙂