In the planning process there are two basic steps you have to undertake to ensure success in achieving your goals:
- Planning your tasks.
- Visualizing yourself completing the tasks.
Planning
It is essential that you daily plan what you are going to do, prioritising your tasks unless you do this you will end up doing whatever takes your fancy and you will never complete what is important in accomplishing your goals.
Create a daily task list
Set aside time each day for this – I usually do this in the evening but it is up to you when you do it. The main thing is just do it! You will find that you use your time more effectively – remember to control the time available to you not let time control you
Visualizing
There are two important benefits in utilising visualisation – a very powerful technique:
- It is the most effective way to break a goal down into tasks. Visualizing yourself doing the task will make it easier to break a goal down into its component tasks, unless you do this it is likely that you will miss some important sub-tasks.
It is important once you have broken the task into its component tasks that you assign a deadline for each stage, working back from the completion date you have assigned to the goal.This creates structure for completing your goal and ensures you start and complete each task early enough.
Visualising yourself doing the task will assist you identifying additional resources you may need e.g. additional training, additional assistance
- Visualising the tasks in your mind prepares you for action. Athletes make heavy use of visualization before competitions. For example, a runner will imagine herself running the race – see the track, see each curve. There are many studies that show visualization improves performance. For procrastinators, it’s a powerful way to get yourself going.
Action points;
Plan your work
Work your plan
