For many years now, I have annually written out and implemented a Life Plan. Over the past 4 years, I have lived it out. Writing and living out a life plan is one of the best investments you can make.
To get where you want to go in life, and to live life the way you want to live it, you have to make a plan to get there. So, if you have been wondering how to create the life of your dreams, or how to make a life plan that really gets you where you want to go, keep reading!
A good life plan definition is simply, “A plan to bring about what you want to achieve in your life.”
It’s pretty straightforward!
As for why life planning is important, there are infinite possibilities of things to do and ways to live your life. If you want to be living your best life, the life of your dreams, you have to decide what that best life looks like and then chart a course to get there! A life plan lets you do just that.
Writing a life plan involves:
- Assessing where you are in life
- Identifying what is important to you
- Writing out a vision for who you want to be
- Creating specific action plans in place to carry out your vision.
1: Assess where you are in Life
Begin your life plan by assessing where you are in life right now. A great way to do this is to consider each of the following areas and give yourself a score for each area. How satisfied are you with each of these life priorities? Take a few minutes and rate yourself in each area on a scale of 1-10. (Remember, you are rating your level of satisfaction)
- Purpose: Knowing and living your Purpose
- Prosperity: Creating the Income to Support Your Goals and Purpose
- Nutrition: Creating a physical foundation for energy, clarity & health
- Exercise: Body Movement for health, joy and freedom
- Personal Growth: Exploration of Self-Awareness, Belief and Potential
- Self-Love & Self-Care: Nurturing, Honouring & Nourishing Self
- Relationships: Building Healthy Connections with Self & Others
- Slowing Down: Creating stillness and space to hear your own wisdom
- Spirituality: Having a Daily Practice that Supports your Intentions
- Fun: Bringing joy, lightness and humour into life
2: Choose 4-5 life priorities that you would like to focus on
From the above priorities, which are the most important for you to focus on this year? I recommend choosing 4 areas but if you must, you may choose 5. Now give each priority its own page in a document. (If you have 4 life priorities, you will have 4 pages in your document. After this stage, you will have one word (i.e. marriage, finances etc.) written at the top of each page. The rest of the page will be blank.
3: Write a Vision Statement for each Priority
In step three, you will define exactly who you want to be in each life priority. What do you hope to see when you look into your future? As you write your vision statement make sure to Write in the Present Tense.
‘MY LIFE LIST’ POSTER, DESENIO
OAK PICTURE FRAME, DESENIO
CHALK PEN, DESENIO
4: Create Specific Measurable Action Plans for each Priority
Here, it is time to get practical:
- How are you going to live out the vision statement that you just wrote?
- What are you going to do in order to be?
- What kinds of things will you do daily, weekly, monthly, etc. in order to move toward living out your vision?
I recommend creating 3-5 action steps for each priority. REMEMBER: These action steps should be specific and measurable.
5: Begin to Live out Your Life Plan
Record your action plans in your calendar as commitments. Remember they are your life priorities. Start implementing them this week.
6: Stay on Course with a Weekly Review
Read your life plan weekly to assess where you are. I plan an hour weekly on Friday mornings for my weekly review. Doing this on Fridays allows me to plan all of my key priorities for the next week. Make sure to record your weekly review in your calendar as an appointment.
WEEKLY PLANNER POSTER, DESENIO
7: Establish Accountability
It is much easier to write a plan than it is to actually live it out. Your weekly review will help you stay on track, but I also suggest that you find a partner who will hold you accountable in these areas of your life.
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[…] Create a plan: Develop a plan of action to bridge the gap between your current self and your future self. Break down your goals into smaller, actionable steps that you can take every day. Identify specific habits you can develop or let go of to move closer to your desired future self. CHECK OUT: Do You Have a Life Plan? […]