What’s the plan without execution? We tend to be a bit hasty sometimes in designing a plan, however not always persistent in following it. A plan without execution is just a list of action points. It’s fancy. it sounds good, however taking action is what becomes the biggest constraint when we start following the plan.
Soon, we start looking for excuses to the problems. Perhaps you’ve worked long hours, had to visit your parents, had to walk the dog or take the kids to school. We’re all human and following a plan can seem a hard task, however a direction is needed in order to achieve. Where are you heading if you don’t have a clear direction? Following a plan is like embarking a journey and reading the directions that can direct you towards you end goal.
Of course, we steer away from our plan from time to time, but at least having one in the first place, gives us a clear sense of direction. Trying to achieve something with no clear intentions or a plan, can be a difficult journey as you might not even know where to start, which will affect your action-taking.
In this article, I will share five different ways how you can follow your plan more effectively:
Don’t Rush
When you take too many things at once, it can be very easy to lose motivation and drive. Our brains are lazy, it’s something we must accept. Teaching yourself how to do something you haven’t done before can be a big challenge. Instead, I have always taken the approach of treating my brain as an infant. Just like teaching a baby how to walk, you must teach your brain how to follow the directions in your path. That’s where the plan comes in.
Multi-tasking can be a tempting way to kill two birds with one stone, however it doesn’t always work out. By multitasking, you can risk of being overwhelmed by too many different things, which can cause anxiety. If you want to multitask, you can group your tasks together. Try aiming at those that are similar, for example if your goal is to improve you fitness levels and you also need to educate yourself every day for sel-improvement, then you can even listen to an audiobook while walking. That’s how you can group two similar tasks together.
Make New Habits
If your goal is to become fit and healthy and you like drinking on weekends with your buddies, perhaps you need to revisit that habit. When you do, you will often hear ‘oh one beer won’t do much for you’, trust me I have seen it many times. It can be hard to resist the peer pressure during those times, but if you find yourself tempted, just ask yourself ‘Am I trying to change my life or not?’. The reason why people can’t change because they find it hard to change their own habits.
Because habits define us, they can also define the direction we’re heading towards. Smoking, alcohol, gambling and other addictions can lead to some dark places, so you must start breaking these negative habits and adopt new habits, briging a new perspective in your life. Even a small habit of waking up early in the morning can make a great impact.
Be Specific
When following a plan, you need to specify what you’re actually trying to achieve. If your goal is to lose or gain weight, then the goal is not really clear. What amount weight loss or weight gain would satisfy you? How much are you actually trying to lose or gain?
I’ve seen this over and over again. Especially during new year’s resolutions, at the beginning of January. People set goals that are unrealistic and unspecific. A goal of ‘I want to get rich this year’ is not specific. What do you define as rich? How rich is rich? What exactly do you want to get or earn? A simple question, yet so general and unspecific.
General and non-specific goals can be frustrating, because they might actually happen without you realising it. If your goal is to become rich, so earning £1 extra than last year will make you richer than last year – the goal is achieve, but in your mind that was perhaps a completely different picture. That is why you must specify what exactly you want to achieve.
What Is Blocking You?
It is important to consider what is blocking you from following your plan? Can it be your career? Friends? Family? Relationships? Perhaps you surround yourself with people who are dragging you down, instead of lifting them up.
It’s important to minimise what’s blocking you, of course without sacrificing your health and wellbeing. So, if you think that you family is blocking you from following a plan, perhaps it’s time to speak to them about it and how important that is to you.
Identify what’s blocking you from following the plan, identify the external factors, observe your environment and take action.
Make It Engaging
I’ve notice that a lot of people are too harsh on themselves while following a plan. Instead of taking it serious, think of it as it was a game. After every little achievement, you have to reward yourself. The reward depends on you, however if you don’t get the taste the rewards, you won’t push yourself to succeed. Every win deserves a reward, regardless of how little the victory is. We are wired for dopamine, we crave dopamine and we can get it from rewarding ourselves for our achievements.
Have fun, enjoy it. It’s a journey that will teach you a lot about yourself. Just like in life, you’re not trying to come to an end the quickest way possible. You must take your time and do everything you can while you’re on your way.
~Mantas