7 Steps for an Effective Personal Development Plan

How is success achieved? Many of us have ideas and plans that don’t come to fruition. One reason ideas founder is that no plan is generated to put them in motion. If you’re thinking about developing some aspect of your life such as dealing with stress, getting married, or communicating better, it’s important to have a plan of action.

Creating a personal development plan is something anyone can do for themselves. As you put your plan together, knowing yourself will play a huge role in the process. There’s no use having goals that don’t appeal to you, and there’s no use in creating a development plan that requires resources you don’t possess and have no way to acquire. In other words, a development plan should be realistic and tailored to your unique needs and situation.

Steps in Creating Your Development Plan

As you consider steps in your personal development plan, one of the most important things you can do is determine your goals. There’s so much that can get in the way of making things happen that the best chance you have is to pursue a goal that matters to you and one that will make the most difference in your life. Some of the steps to consider in putting your plan together include the following:

Choose your goal and write it down

Open your favorite note-taking app or take a clean sheet of paper and write down the goals that you’d consider worth pursuing. You can note today’s date and then put down seven to ten goals that you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months.

As you write these goals down, write them in the present tense. That gives you a sense of immediacy as well as a clearer view of what matters to you. Hence, you can write: “I own my own home,” “I complete my degree,” “I earn a living wage,” or “I am married.”

Of these goals, ask yourself this key question – if the Lord grants it, and you could accomplish any one goal on your list within 24 hours, which of them would you consider as having the greatest positive impact on your life? The goal that stands out is likely the goal that you’re most invested in. That may be the one that meets a significant felt need. That will be the goal you pursue.

Set a deadline

Goals are great, but you have to keep yourself accountable. It’s possible to have the same goal reappear on your to-do list or New Year’s resolutions for years without getting anything done. Once you identify your goal, set a reasonable deadline for when it ought to be accomplished. You can keep checking in to ensure that you’re on track with meeting your goal.

List what needs to happen

When you’ve set your deadline, you can make a list of the things that need to happen to help you achieve your goal. If you’re planning to get a degree, then your list could include things like finding out what credits you need, which classes you still need to take, choosing and applying to a school, getting your funding in place, and starting the journey.

Take care with this stage of the process. It can be helpful to talk to someone who’s done the thing you seek to accomplish. They can give you pointers on what it’ll take to get where you want to be. Gathering information is important because you need to prepare yourself for what you’re in for. However, don’t fall into the trap of gathering information endlessly. It could be another form of procrastination.

Organize your list into a checklist

It’s one thing to simply list everything you need to do, and another to have a clear plan and trajectory in mind. Arranging everything that needs to be done into a checklist helps you gain clarity on the process you’ll need to undergo to achieve your goal.

This checklist also has the function of being another way to motivate yourself to keep going. As you complete each task, crossing it off your list can be a huge boost of confidence and encouragement to keep going. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones can help you minimize the possibility of feeling daunted by your audacious goal. It’s easier to start if you’re starting small.

These four steps will help you create and set up your plan for success. However, planning everything is simply the first phase. To make any changes or accomplish your goals, plans have to be turned into actions, thoughts, and ideas into tangible realities.

Implementing Your Personal Development Plan

 

You’ve set your deadline, decided on a goal that means something to you, you’re motivated, and you made an organized list of the things you need to do to accomplish your goal. The next stage of any plan is putting it into action. Many plans falter at this stage. You could have a fear of failing, for example, which makes the task daunting.

The second phase of your development plan has three steps to it, all to do with implementation.

Act

You know what is on your checklist and what needs doing. Do it. You can start small because it’s easier to get going if it’s not an enormous task. Just get started with your checklist and make whatever progress you can. Do something every day to help you meet your goals and stay consistent as you pursue those goals. Seek accountability so that you stay on the course and find encouragement.

Recalibrate

As you go on with your journey, you may find that there may be some unanticipated obstacles or challenges. Perhaps your goal requires more resources than anticipated, or maybe it’ll take a bit longer than planned. You should be willing and able to reassess, recalibrate, and then reinitiate your development plan where needed. That flexibility and ability to adapt will be a huge help to you on your journey.

You’ve got to keep moving

Once you get going, keep pressing forward despite challenges that come your way. In the movie Rocky Balboa, the titular character says these profound words to his son:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! – Rocky Balboa

You’ll face many challenges as you try to accomplish your goals. Some of these may come from your old habits such as procrastination, lack of self-confidence, or not working as hard as you can. At other times, you’ll be flying straight into the wind because the world around you will present challenges of its own. Some people might be relentlessly critical of you, while others might actively attempt to sabotage you. Keep moving toward your goal.

Setting and accomplishing your personal development goals can be a complicated endeavor. If you have a good plan and take steps to follow that plan, making allowances for unforeseen obstacles or challenges, you can accomplish those goals. With consistent action and accountability, you can become the person the Lord called you to be.

Getting the Help You Need to Be Successful

You may find that developing a personal development plan and implementing it is just too difficult or overwhelming. You may give way to discouragement, thinking others find it easier, or that you are not enough. These issues may be the first thing you need to explore before you can make progress on your goal.

Often discouragement, procrastination, or self-defeating thoughts are rooted in long-held beliefs, dating as far back as childhood. Sometimes they are a result of trauma or disability. A counselor can help you work through these issues and also help you craft an effective personal development plan. Contact our offices today if you would like that help. We have appointments available with trained counselors who are willing to journey with you.