Every Goal Needs a Plan: Tips to Get Started

The age-old rule for success is to have a goal and a plan and work the plan. While some might dismiss the concept as outdated, the basic tenets still hold. If you want to succeed, you need to know what you’re working for, know how to approach it, and then be willing to work on the plan.

In short, every goal needs a plan.

But how do you get started?

“Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” – Margaret Thatcher

Every Goal Needs a Plan

This is no time for winging it, hoping for a good outcome. Without a plan, there’s too much opportunity for distraction, going off-course, and winding up with a much less satisfactory result.

Tips to Get Started

Plans, of course, come in all sorts of variations.

·??????? There are tiered plans.

·??????? Certain plans have stages of completion that must be met before proceeding.

·??????? Some are heavily dependent on research.

·??????? Financial concerns are a significant concern in some plans.

·??????? Others require preliminary outlines.

·??????? Then there are emotionally driven plans.

·??????? And some plans are adaptations of other approaches.

There are as many kinds of plans as goals.

The fact that it’s your goal makes the plan you decide upon unique.

How to Tailor Your Plan for Success

To increase the likelihood of success, adopt the mindset that having a plan helps drive up your chances. This also may make the idea more palatable. This is especially true for those who reject structure as alien to creativity.

It’s anything but.

When there’s a plan in place, that frees up creativity because there’s no need to concentrate on determining what comes next. It’s all there in the plan.

Make Your Plan Flexible

Just as plans are necessary for every goal, flexibility in carrying out the plan is also mandatory. Suppose an excellent suggestion someone makes could improve the chances of success. Would you automatically dismiss the idea because it doesn’t fit the original plan?

To see how ridiculous this might be, think of a man driving to a destination using a planned route. The road abruptly ends due to a road closure. He cannot continue along this road and must be flexible enough to adjust his planned route to consider the unexpected obstacle. If he drives around the road barriers, he risks putting himself and others in danger. However, with an alternate route in mind, he can still arrive at his destination, albeit a little later, but much safer.

Many goals don’t carry life-and-death risks but inherently have risks.

·??????? The plan could fail.

·??????? Someone could stop it at any time.

·??????? Circumstances could change to make the plan unworkable, unacceptable, or undesirable.

That’s why it’s always wise to have options and approaches if the original plan runs into issues.

Work on the Plan

No matter what, a plan – any plan – demands action. You must be willing to put in the work required to succeed.

·??????? Create the goal.

·??????? Devise the plan.

·??????? Work on the plan.

Remember that crafting a plan to achieve a goal is worthwhile if you consider it desirable. The only way to success isn’t through shortcuts but through careful planning and execution.