Quick planning exercise for non-planners
Having a really good year doesn’t normally happen by accident. There is often a moment of insight or some new thoughts that helps us onto a fresh path.
I’m not really that excited about planning. I don’t just sit and decide a strategy for the year ahead. I know others that do, and i know some get a kick out of planning. But not me. So recently when I was shown this exercise. I was pleasantly surprised. It got me asking helpful questions and in the end I came up with a simple plan that I’m inspired about. It was Painless!
Take a moment to collect your thoughts about the most significant things you have or hope for in your life in the year ahead. This might even be the ten minutes that change the course of the year!
Step 1
You don't need a pen or paper, you can complete the exercise on screen below.
If you're using pen and paper, start by drawing a sail boat and then draw four lines to divide the page.
Step 2
Above the sails write a personal goals or an important relationship. You can type into the box below. Type or write it doesn’t matter, the key is to collect your thoughts as you commit a few moments to something that deserves your attention.
If you have multiple goals choose one before you continue.
Step 3
Left of the sail boat, put the word 'go'.
In the Go section write three things that will get you to your goal. Often your first thoughts are best. What actions will fill your sails and get you moving towards your goal?
Step 4
Right of the sail boat, put the word 'stop'
Under Stop write a list of things that will hamper you in reaching your destination. These are the obstacles along the way and the issues and distactions that take attention away from sailing forward. What will prevent you from reaching your goal?
With those steps done we get to the important bit. You should now have a short list of the key things that will both help and hinder you in your journey towards your goal.
Step 5
Examine these factors again and ask yourself what's most likely to have an affect your journey towards the goal. From either the Go or Stop list, what will make the biggest effect on you. Which one has the most impact?
At the bottom of the sailboat, If the most impactful factor is a go factor, write down a 'strategy' to increase the likelihood. If the most impactful factor will stop you, then write down your strategy to reduce its impact on your life.
Hopefully, with each of these steps completed so far, you have noticed something significant or had some helpful thoughts about your life. I often find myself thinking about what I want to change or new things I'd like to do. It's much easier to make them happen when you work through the details on paper. If I gain one new insight about myself or the factors affecting my spiritual health then an exercise like this has been well worth the time. Often a clear strategy to overcome the major obstacle is enough to get moving towards a personal goal.
Step 6
The next step is really important. It's easy to lose track or simply forget in a week or two. The best approach is to create a tangible next step. Often this is accountability: simply explaining what you've decided. Or it may be scheduling a time to take that next step.