Make a Career Action Plan

Are you overwhelmed by everything you need to do to reach your career goals? Are you frustrated at the progress you’re (not) making towards your dreams? Overwhelm and frustration are a leading cause of resistance to acting on your goals. You don’t know *what* to do first, so you never even start.

?Sound familiar?

The best remedy for overcoming overwhelm and resistance is to make a career action plan.

A career action plan is a step-by-step deconstruction of the work you need to do to reach your career goal. An action plan ensures that you know exactly what to do, so you never get overwhelmed or have trouble figuring out what’s next.

?Here’s a short guide to show you how to make one.

?1.) Define the goal

Make sure to describe it in clear, specific terms. Don’t use generic terms such as “Get online course A done.” Write something such as “Finish online course A by date X with 75% or better completion score.”

?2.) Write down all the steps to getting there.

Break it down into small, achievable steps. Each step should ideally involve only one action.

?3.) Prioritize the steps and give them deadlines.

Which step needs to be done first? Which ones must you start early because they take a while to complete? When do you need to complete each step so you can complete the entire project on time? What are the dependencies (in your control or outside your control)?

4.) Set milestones

Milestones occur when you reach a significant part of your goal. Identify at least two or three. Every time you reach one, celebrate! It means you’ve come a long way towards reaching your goals.

?5.) Identify and acquire resources

What do you need to get to complete your action plan? Identify everything you need now so there won’t be any surprises later. Resources include people, places and things.

?6.) Make your action plan visible

Copy it down into a visual and easily accessible format. Make it easy to read with clear markers. Keep it somewhere you can see it constantly as a visual reminder of your intentions.

7.) Monitor and evaluate

Monitor your action plan as you implement it. You might find some bugs that need to be worked out. That’s normal, especially when you’re new to action plans. Evaluate your successes and failures and decide what to do differently for your next action plan.

This simple process will help you create a plan for reaching your career goals that won’t overwhelm or frustrate you. Follow this process, and you’ll have a much easier time dealing with the complexity of making your career dreams come true!