What Good is Planning if You Don’t Do Anything?

If you’re like me, you’re probably in some state of disbelief that the first half of this year seems to have evaporated. Have you taken time to look at the goals you set or plans that you made to see how you’re progressing?

So many people set goals, make plans, declare their intentions….and then nothing happens. OK, maybe I exaggerate: very little happens. It’s great to plan, but planning is nothing without execution.

I think one of the challenges is the need to break down a large initiative into smaller chunks. People tend to leave the big goals on the side while they work on the small stuff that is more tactical and less important.

If your goals are complex, you might want to think about creating a storyboard. This is what is done in film and TV where a sequence of drawings is plotted out to provide a visual progression of a show. If you’re a visual person, this can be a great way to scope out a goal.

Aside from making larger goals more manageable, consider these tips:

Revisit your goals for the year and determine if they still make sense. If they don’t, change them so that they are more realistic for what you want to accomplish.

Set a timetable for achievement. If you don’t have a deadline, you’re less likely to achieve it. Map out a larger goal on a timeline and set the deadlines for the small pieces that comprise the bigger goal.

Have the right “why”. If you don’t have the right motivation to achieve a particular goal, it will be much harder to achieve.

That’s it for now, short and sweet. Make it easier and it will happen!

I wish you a great holiday weekend and a fabulous second half of the year.

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