Why I'm Embracing The 5 Year Plan
A few things have changed here on the blog in recent months. One big change, which I decided on at the end of 2018, was to stop writing my ‘Monthly Goals’ blog post. While I enjoyed brainstorming and writing them, I realized that my brain and monthly goal setting are not really compatible. And this has been a huge revelation in my life! I’ve never been one to keep to my New Years Resolutions, and yet I’ve always felt like a self-motivated and very goal-oriented person. What was off was the time frame in which I set those goals. This realization came while reading Anna Newton’s new book, An Edited Life. She laid it all out in simple terms and I, feeling very inspired, decided to sit down with pen and paper and really get my bearings straight. So far this new approach has brought me a lot of clarity, and more importantly, some real motivation in working towards those big goals! So I wanted to share some things I’ve been doing to keep myself on track.
Thinking Big Picture
One tip Anna gives is to start with the big picture, aka what you want your life to look like in 5 years time, and work backwards. And I know that sounds like a long time from now, but think about where you were 5 year ago and it might not seem so far away. So this is the time to ask yourself what part of your life are you most focused on changing in the next few years. For some it may be financial or career changes and for others it might be changes related to your health/wellness or relationships. Personally, the 5 year plan was especially useful when thinking about my career goals. Okay so now that I’ve got that pretty picture in my mind, it’s time to work out the steps to getting there.
Breaking it Up
If you’re starting to run circles in your brain thinking about all of the small tasks that make up 5 years, stop and take a deep breath. Now we need to create a theme for each year with one overarching goal that will lead you a little closer to your 5 year plan. These could take the form of establishing a budget, researching a big purchase, planning a trip. These themes might become more and more general as you move towards year 5, and that’s totally alright. It’s better to have an overarching sense of the direction you want to move in each year that will ultimately lead towards your larger goal.
Getting Into the Nitty Gritty
Now that you have your yearly goal, break that down into bullet points that serve as action items. Don’t worry about making these too specific at this point. If your yearly goal is to save money then your action items may include budgeting, diversifying your income, working towards a raise or changing jobs. I think it works best to have 3-4 of these action items so as not to overwhelm yourself. And if your list is longer initially, there may be some points that can be grouped together or simplified further.
Scheduling It In
So now for the final step, it’s time to assess your bullet points and assign each one a measurable task that can be done either daily, weekly or monthly. This for me, has been the most important step because instead of having a general goal for the whole year, like a New Years Resolution, I now have something to check off my to-do list every day or week. This allows you to check in with your goals more frequently. If you drop the ball one week, you just pick it back up the next, rather than waiting a whole 7 months to start anew. And lastly, as Anna frequently mentions in her book, you should write these tasks into your agenda or phone calendar so that you’re constantly reminded to do them, just like all your other meetings and appointments.
Coat: Stradivarius (Similar) | Sweater: Uniqlo | Jeans: Zara | Shoes: Vans | Bag: Mango (Similar) | Earrings: Stradivarius (Similar) | Sunglasses: H&M (similar)
So there you have it, the simple and straight forward way to start dreaming big and following through! I hear this saying all the time, “Done is better than perfect",” and it really rings true when thinking about big goals. A 5 year plan is definitely not going to be for everyone, but if you ever struggle to follow up or track your progress when it comes to goals, then it might be something to consider. Having the big picture in mind has really helped to motivate me every day because suddenly, all these seemingly boring tasks hold the weight of my big dreams, so everything becomes a bit more meaningful! Let me know your thoughts on the 5 year plan. Is it for you? Check out Anna’s blog, The Anna Edit for more in-depth reading on the topic and her book An Edited Life for tons of useful tips for organizing your life.
