Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Plan for your day
• Method 2 of 3: Make a plan for your life
• Part one: Determining the roles you play
• Part Two: Set Goals and Build Your Plan
• Method 3 of 3: Solve a problem through a plan
• Part One: Specify the Problem
• Part Two: Finding Solutions and Making a Plan
• Tips

You need a plan in many situations, for example if you need to solve a problem, or if you are trying to get your life on track, or if you want to structure your day. It may seem like a daunting task to create a plan, but with a little effort, the right tools, and a little creativity, it's not difficult at all and you can start achieving your goals.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Plan for your day

1. Sit down with a sheet of paper. That could be a diary, a notebook, or a text document on your computer - whatever you like. Make a list of the things you want to get done that day, including any appointments and meetings. What are your goals for this day? Do you need to schedule some time to exercise and relax? Which tasks do you absolutely have to get done?
2. Draw up a timetable. What time do you have to finish your first assignment, project or activity of the day? Make a list of each activity, starting with the first and going through all hours of the day. Plan all activities around fixed agreements. Everyone's schedule for the day will be different, but a basic schedule could look something like this:
   • 9:00 am to 10:00 am: Go to the office, check e-mail, answer e-mail
   • 10:00 to 11:30: Appointment with Henk and Greet
   • 11:30 am to 12:30 pm: Project # 1
   • 12:30 to 13:15: Lunch (eat healthy!)
   • 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm: Assess project # 1, go to Bert and discuss project # 1
   • 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM: Project # 2
   • 16:00 to 17:00: Start project # 3 and get everything ready for tomorrow
   • 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Go from the office to the gym
   • 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm: Shopping on the way home
   • 19:00 to 20:30: Prepare food and relax
   • 8:30 pm: Go to the movies with Susan
3. Check how productive you have been every hour. It is important to take a step back regularly and consider what you have really accomplished. Did you do everything you planned to do? Then you can give yourself some rest - close your eyes and relax for a moment. This way, you can start the next activity on your schedule with fresh courage.
4. Consider the day. When the day is over, you can honestly judge whether everything worked out what you planned to do. Did you get everything finished? Where did it go wrong? What worked and what didn't? What were you distracted by and how can you prevent that in the future?

Method 2 of 3: Make a plan for your life

Part one: Determining the roles you play

1. Determine which roles you are currently playing. Every day we play different roles (from student to son, from artist to motorcyclist). Think about the roles you are currently playing in your life.
   • These roles can include: traveler, student, daughter, writer, draftsman, employee, glassblower, walker, grandchild, thinker, etc.
2. Think about the roles you want to play in the future. Many of these roles can overlap with current roles. These roles are the words you want to use to describe yourself at the end of your life. Check out the roles you are currently playing. Do you get unnecessary stress from a role? Then that is probably not a role you should continue to play. List the roles by priority. This exercise can help you determine what really matters to you in life. Keep in mind that the list can always be changed - because you keep changing too.
   • Your list could look like this: mother, daughter, wife, traveler, glassblower, mentor, volunteer, walker, etc.
3. Determine the reasons behind the roles you want to play. A role is a good way to define yourself, but the reason behind it is what gives it meaning. Maybe you want to volunteer because you see the problems in the world and you want to contribute to making the world a little better. Maybe you want to be a father because you want to give your children the perfect childhood.
   • One way to help you define the purpose of your role is to envision your own funeral (a little morbid maybe, but it really works). Who will there be? What do you want to be said about you? How do you want to be remembered?

Part Two: Set Goals and Build Your Plan

1. Think about the broad goals you want to achieve in your life. How do you want to develop yourself? What do you want to achieve in your life? Think of it as a "bucket list" - the things you want to do before you die. These are the goals you really want to achieve - not the goals you sometimes get thinks that you have to reach them.It can help to come up with categories for the goals so that you can visualize them more easily. Examples of categories can be:
   • Career; To travel; Social (family / friends); Health; Finance: Knowledge / Intellect; Spirituality
   • Examples of goals (in order of the above categories) could be: writing a book; have seen all continents; get married and start a family; Lose 10 kilos; earn enough money to allow my children to study; read a lot of books; learn more about Buddhism.
2. Determine when you want to achieve certain goals. Now that you've listed some vague goals, it's time to get more specific. You can do this by setting a date by which it must be successful for certain goals. Here are some examples that are a bit more precise than the goals of the previous step:
   • Send manuscripts to 30 publishers in June 2016
   • Travel to South America in 2016 and Asia in 2017
   • Weighing 70 pounds in January 2016.
3. Assess reality and where you are now. That means you have to be honest with yourself to judge your current life. Based on the goals you have set, you can evaluate where you are now, in relation to those goals. For instance:
   • Your goal is to publish a book and send the manuscript to publishers by June 2016. At this point, you have the manuscript half finished, and you are not sure if it is all right.
4. Consider how you can achieve the goals. What steps do you need to take to reach your goal? Determine the steps you need to take and write down these steps. Let's continue with the same example for a moment:
   • From now until June 2016 you should: A. Reread the first half of the book. B. Finishing the book. C. Improve certain aspects that you do not like. D. Check for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. E. Have some critical friends read and give feedback. F. Investigate suitable publishers. G. Send your manuscript.
5. Write down the steps required to achieve all goals. You can do this in any format you like - handwritten, on the computer, with paint, etc. Congratulations, you've just created a life plan!
6. Review and adjust the plan. Your life changes and your goals change too. What you thought was important when you were 12 you probably don't care anymore when you are 22 or 42. It does not matter if you change your life plan, it is even a good thing to do, because it indicates that you are aware of the changes that are taking place in your life.

Method 3 of 3: Solve a problem through a plan

Part One: Specify the Problem

1. Determine what the problem really is. Sometimes it is difficult to draw up a plan because you do not know exactly what the problem really is. Often one problem causes several smaller problems. You have to get to the root of the problem - the real problem that needs to be solved.
   • Your mother doesn't let you go camping with a friend in four weeks. That is certainly a problem, but you have to try to determine the root of the problem. Your mom doesn't let you go camping because you got a 4 for math. So the problem is basically that math isn't going well. That is the problem you should focus on.
   EXPERT TIP

   Try to determine what solution you are really pursuing in solving the problem. What is the goal you want to achieve by solving the problem? Maybe you hope to solve more than just the main goal. Keep your focus on achieving the most important goal and the rest will come naturally.

   • The goal is that you end up with at least a 7 on average for mathematics. In addition, you hope that your mother will still allow you to go camping.
2. Determine what actions are causing the problem. What habits have you developed that underlie the problem? Take your time to consider the actions related to the problem.
   • The problem is that you have a 4 for math. Look at what you're doing to cause that problem: for example, you talk too much in class or you haven't done your homework because you go to soccer practice two nights a week.
3. See if there are other factors that are partly causing the problem. Much of the problem may be due to your actions, but there may also be forces that you cannot directly control. Try to determine what these factors are.
   • You have a 4 for math, and that needs to change. Besides the fact that you talk too much with classmates during class, the problem can be caused by not understanding the material. And you may not know how to change that.

Part Two: Finding Solutions and Making a Plan

1. Determine possible solutions to your problem. You can write down these solutions, or you can apply brainstorming techniques to them. Whatever you do, you should try to find solutions for your own wrongdoing, as well as for external factors.
   • Solutions for Talking in Class: A. Force yourself to sit in a different place from your friends. B. Tell your friends that you are getting bad grades and that you need to focus on class. C. If the spots are fixed, ask your teacher if you can sit somewhere else or else you won't be able to keep your attention.
   • Solutions for Not Doing Your Homework Due to Football: A. Do your homework during lunch break or during a free hour so you can do less in the evening. B. Keep yourself on a tight schedule - after training, eat and then do homework right away. Reward yourself with an hour of TV after your homework is completed.
   • Solutions for not understanding the curriculum. A. Ask a classmate to help you (but only if you are no longer distracted by that classmate). B. Ask your teacher for help - go to your teacher at the end of the class and ask if you can meet because you are having difficulty with the material. C. Take tutoring.
2. Draw up your plan. Now that you know what the problem is and you have some possible solutions in place, you can choose the best solutions and start writing a plan. By writing down the plan you can visualize it better. Post the plan somewhere you will see it often, for example next to the mirror where you always look in the morning to do your hair good. You don't need all the solutions you've come up with, but you can keep unused solutions on hand for when things don't go quite right.
   • The plan for getting higher grades in math might look like this:
   • Plan to ramp up the average in 4 weeks:
     • Talking to Sophie about not having to talk to her anymore during class (if she keeps talking: change places).
     • Do homework during the break on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can go to the training and then when I come back I don't have to do much more.
     • Tutoring at school every Monday and Wednesday.
   • Goal: after four weeks my grade should have gone up to at least 7.
3. After a week, evaluate how you're doing. Did you do everything you planned on the first week? If not, where did it go wrong? By recognizing what went wrong, you can do better the following week.
4. Stay motivated. The only way to be successful is to stay motivated. If you can work better while you are motivated, you can schedule a reward (although solving the problem may be rewarding enough). If at any point you deviate from your plan, don't let it happen again. Don't reduce your effort halfway because you think the end is in sight - stick to your plan.
   • If you find out what you're doing isn't working, adjust the plan. Swap a solution that you have now included in your plan with another solution from your list.

Tips

• Tick ​​off a goal on your list if it is successful, then you can see the progress better.
• As you work out your plan, you can try to figure out what could go wrong and get ahead of it.
• Congratulate yourself on your plan and be enthusiastic about your goals. Try to imagine what your life will be like when you reach your goals.
• Remember, making a plan is the beginning - now the real work begins. The plan is the starting point.
• Use common sense: Don't show your courtship how they fit into your daily schedule.