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Setting goals, project planning. How to make a plan that will succeed.

The key word is SCIENCE. I don't mean science. I mean

                • Specificity

                • Control

                • Influence

                • End-vision

                • Now action

                • Creative freedom

                • Excellence,

A quick explanation.

Specificity means setting goals that are clearly defined and specific. I could have plan, for example, to be a big star, but that's so blurry that I wouldn't know what to do. So I decide to plan to get on a TV show. Now I had a much more specific set of actions and a concrete idea of what was required. More specific is better, but don't straightjacket yourself. Be flexible. Nonetheless, in your general goal-setting and your step-by-step project planning, be specific in what you want and what you need to do. Always break big tasks into specific actions you need to take.

Control and Influence. Stephen Covey talks about knowing what you control, what you can influence, and what you can't even influence. In my example, I control what I submit to casting directors in terms of headshot, cover letter, etc... But I do not control what they think of them, and whether they will hire me. I only can influence it by putting my best foot forward. And there are some things - the lottery, for example - that in practical terms, I have no influence over whatsoever. So spend your precious energy on those things you can CONTROL, and that will increase your influence.

End-vision. This is a biggie. There is a hypnotic technique for self-improvement called "remembering the future." In it, the person get's into a meditative trance (or whatever state does it for them) and visualizes a specific moment AFTER he has succeeded in achieveing his goals. Then, he plans backward and sees the various steps along the way. This is a key technique - Tony Robbins describes it well. Start your plan by stating your specific goal, and then ask what you did right before it, and before that, and so forth. Keep note of what are your actions, and what are the hoped for influenced results.

Now action. One of the reasons so many dreams remain unfulfilled is because we are daunted by the size of the project. Time management is a challenge for all of us. For that reason, you must choose specific steps and actions to do. Each step should be small enough to do in a reasonable amount of time. Then, when you're through, put it away until tomorrow, when the next step is up. It's like making mini-projects. This discpline is crucial to complete projects that you start. Without it, odds are you'll not get there.

Creative freedom and Excellence. You should be excited by each step in your project planning. So use your imagination and think of creative stuff to do, not "I will memorize every name beginning with G in the phone book." Try, "I will lose 47 (specific) pounds within a year," or "I will learn how to read music," or "I will learn how to save a life." Also, always ask regarding each step of the way, "Is this the BEST way to proceed?" Strive for excellence when choosing and setting goals, not just "pretty good."

Here's a general step-by-step action plan on setting goals and project planning:

(For the more specific plans, choose from: How to Plan a Business, Personal Grwth Planning, Creative Project Planning )

    1. Envision the fulfilled goal SPECIFICALLY.

      What, specifically will mark the fulfillment of your goal, the completion of your project? Give a description, write it in as flowery a way as possible. See in your minds eye a very real, living example of your goal.

    2. What preceded it - was it something you did or a result of something you did?

      Remember, we're working backwards, defining how the goal was achieved. Ask yourself what had to happen immediately prior to this for it to come into being. It may have been a result of a previous action, or it may have been a direct action. These are the two types of steps - results and actions. One action may bring on a string of results, each being a different step.

    3. Write what preceded that, and so forth, until you are at the starting point.

      When dealing with results, remember the control/influence dynamic. Be careful that your results be the most likely consequence of the specific action. You may need to alter the plan if, as you go about doing it, the results are different from what you envisioned. That's why it's crucial to label results as independent steps, and give them a lot of thought.

    4. Make sure you label your actions as actions and the results as results.

      This is important for another reason as well. Often, the results we expect don't pan out, especially if it's in an area we only influence. Those are danger and opportunity moments. The danger is you'll get discouraged and abandon the plan altogether. The opportunity is to "grow with the punches" and refine the plan in an even better way.

    5. Ask yourself if the results are reasonable to expect from the actions, and adjust as necessary.

      Keep in mind the control/influence dynamic. Do the actions properly influence or control the results, or are they not plausible?

    6. Ask yourself about each step if it is the best way, or is there a better alternative.

      Give this time, because the more your barin has been engaged in a project, the more it has developed ideas. You may hit upon that stroke of genius as you review your first draft.

    7. Begin the first action right away, within 24 hours of writing the plan.

      As we say in bowling, get the ball rolling if you want to knock down the pins. I can't stress enough the importance of just getting started. That alone creates momentum, and that, in turn, makes your project planning turn into project fulfillment very smoothly.