It has become the universal refrain: time is passing by so quickly. Days are speeding by, and it difficult to recall what you did on which day. Similarly, and with so much going on in our lives, it is easy to lose our focus and not give the matters we say are important the attention they deserve. To counteract that, we ought to ensure that we are clear on our priorities and goals, and thereafter, be intentional in order to achieve them.

The start of a new year is an excellent time to revisit your goals and plans. Although there are those among us who don’t believe in New Year Resolutions, because they rarely succeed at them, setting goals is an crucial ingredient in taking control of your life and your future -regardless of when it is done. However, many of us approach such an exercise with little or no structure in mind. As a result, we rarely complete it, or if we do, we may not have documented the process enough, in order to ensure that we remember clearly the goals we had set and why, and to be able to track our progress and keep us accountable.

An incredibly useful tool that can be prepared at any time is a Life Plan. All too often, and if you are not careful, it easy to get fully occupied, or even overwhelmed by the routine and minutiae of everyday living, and as a result, not feel in control of your life. A Life Plan can help if you are feeling stuck, or lack direction, or could do with a blueprint to help you live your best life.

 

What Is A Life Plan?

A Life Plan is a document you create to provide a roadmap for your life. Through the process of developing your Life Plan, you identify your priorities, and devise plans to achieve your goals. However, once your Life Plan is complete, it should not be abandoned in a drawer to collect dust. Instead, it ought to become a living document that you can adjust as your life as circumstances change.

Typically, a Life Plan is a long-term plan, and as such, it has the lifespan of several years – arguably no less than three years, but could be remain effective for at least a decade. As a living document, it should be a resource to which you continually refer, and prudently update. Ultimately, its role is to remind you what your priorities and goals are, and to help you keep them in focus.

Although a Life Plan is a document, how it is designed truly depends on its owner. It could be multipage, text-based document, or a simple table or spreadsheet, or even a flowchart or mind map. Regardless of the layout, it is critical that it captures enough information so that your future self can still understand and identify with your intentions, which would have prepared years prior.

 

What Art The Key Parts Of A Life Plan?

Preparation of a Life Plan can range from a relatively straightforward process, to complicated affair, as there is considerable scope for customisation to suit the needs of the owner. However, there are three crucial elements that tend to be common to all Life Plans:

• Identifying your life priorities
• Setting your vision and/or goals for each life priority; and
• Creating action plans for each life priority.

Although these three components of a Life Plan appear relatively simple, is important to emphasise two things. First, to prepare a well-considered Life Plan takes time. To do it well, it should not be rushed. Second, it frequently requires a lot of introspection and self-awareness by the author, in order to hone in on their vision for each life priority, and to set realistic goals and devise achievable action plans that take into account their circumstances.

Further, and by nature of what a Life Plan is, it is not an exercise that someone else can do for you. You, as its owner, also need to be its author, as no one else can truly determine your vision or goals in life, and the situations and context in which you are operating that will influence how you go about achieving your goals.

Many templates and guidelines are available online, and we at J2G have also created our own guidelines, How to Create a Life Plan: To get the life you want, which you will receive as a free gift when you join our online community, Conversations.

 

How To Use A Life Plan?

Once you have completed your Life Plan, congratulations! Although it would have been a process to prepare it, the journey to implement it is only just beginning. However, successful execution requires commitment, intention and regular tracking.

Although a Life Plan is a multi-year blueprint, it is recommended that you identify (mini-)goals you would like to achieve in a particular year. Thereafter, these mini-goals can be broken down into specific tasks and activities that would need to be completed within the year, which can be scheduled accordingly.

In tandem with setting and working towards mini-goals, regular reviews of your Life Plan ought to be scheduled. Depending on the annual goals you have set, the reviews could be done monthly, quarterly, or even semi-annually. However, the key is to keep your Life Plan top of mind, and ensure that every opportunity is taken to incorporate Life Plan-related tasks and activities into your daily life.

 

 

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