How to Stick to Your Plan

8 Shares

So you have a plan?

Perhaps its to go on a major overseas holiday or you are planning on leaving your current job and changing careers?

The implementation date for your plan could be a long way off, so how do you stay focused and avoid frustration in the meantime?

Make sure you have a plan in the first place

Don’t say to yourself, I will leave this job soon and start my own business. I can pretty much guarantee that will not be enough to motivate you into action.

If leaving your job is the goal, set a solid plan to make it happen. Be specific.

No wishy-washy, I might do this, I might do that. Don’t assume because you think about it occasionally (or even a lot for that matter) that will be enough to make it happen. It won’t.

Related post – Are You All Talk and No Action?

Break the plan down into smaller steps

Whatever your goal is break it down into smaller manageable steps. Set actions each with its own deadline.

I actually love the planning part of a holiday. I read and research (in a fun way) as much as I possibly can about my destination. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t over plan my holiday, I leave a lot of room for spontaneity.

Enjoying the planning process, however makes the saving and waiting aspects more bearable. Planning also reminds you what you have to look forward to, which is a great motivator for staying on track.

Prepare for the leap

Whatever you plan is, I am sure there are things you can be doing right now to make it a more pleasant transition. If you are starting your own business, well lets face it you have a lot to do. Don’t leave it till you leave your job to start working on your business. Invest in this preparation time wisely.

That was one of the mistakes I made with taking my six months leave. I was not as established with my writing as I could have been. Starting from scratch meant everything took longer than I expected it to.

Reach out early to people who can help

Start networking and building contacts, relationships and clients right from the beginning.

Don’t wait until its ‘launch’ day so to speak. You will already need to have those contacts in place well before the day you take the leap.

Keep your plans to yourself if need be

As much as you might like to climb up onto the rooftop and shout out your plans, in some cases, like leaving your current employer or changing industries all together, you may need to keep your plans to yourself. At least for a while.

Confide in your most trusted friends instead.

Related post – Should You Keep Your Goals to Yourself?

Understand there will be days you might want to give up

Understand right from the get go that there may be days you want to give up. There will be days when you are sick and exhausted (or both) and it just all seems too hard.

Remember that this feeling will pass.

I am the worse patient when I am sick. I fall into a heap and don’t do anything. I get pessimistic. I throw myself a pity-party with an invitation for one. Then I start to feel better, get over it and get back to work.

Accept some days may feel like you are not making progress

Make the most of the times when you feel you are progressing in leaps and bounds. Revel in those moments. When these times occur, funnel all of your energy and enthusiasm into being as productive and profitable as possible.

A hard time to stay on the path however is when you are working incredibly hard, really putting the effort in and you feel like you are not making any progress.

‘Why do I bother?’ you might ask yourself. Hang in there. This is the most dangerous time when many people simply abandon their dreams. Don’t be one of them. Stay strong.

Enjoy the countdown

Revel in the time already passed. Think of your glass being half full and not empty.

If your waiting time is six months and you are two months in – focus on and celebrate the passing of two months, not on the four still to go.

Accept that there may be setbacks

As you may have already guessed – I do have a plan. Its in motion as we speak but I will have to tell you more about that at a later stage….

And yes, I have already hit a snag. Two of the apartments in my block have been told they have termites. At this stage I don’t know how bad the situation is or what damage has been done. I do know termites are never good. I would love to say I was calm when I found out but that would be a huge fib. I was totally stressed. My savings plan, which has involved significant sacrifices and compromises of late, has completely been sabotaged by this news. An expensive termite treatment was not part of my plan!

I soon realized stressing about something I had no control over was not going to help me.

In fact, last week it seemed to be affecting my health. I had quite a few other things happening at the same time, so it simply wasn’t just about the termites. In short it is best to be prepared for a setback.

Don’t wish your life away

I realized the other day I was wishing for the end of the year recently so I could put my plan into action.

I was literally just wishing months of my life away. Just like that. A piece of my life discarded.

You might be keen to get started on your new life but don’t wish your current one away. You only get the one. Instead enjoy the ride!

Stick to your plan. See it all the way through to the end. Amazing things can happen when you do.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends via social media. Your support is always appreciated!