Planning Long-Term will help you Breakthrough a Plateau

Do you think acting is enough for success? Acting without intent is a distraction and it will delay your goals! You act with intention by #planning.

How to plan long-term in 3 simple steps:

Thomas Aquinas says: The final cause is the first in your mind.

How I read it:

1. The best way to get things done is to remind yourself of what drives you.

2. You need to relate the task to an outcome.

This is called planning. But...

Why plan?

Planning is the difference between being productive instead of busy. I’m sure you’ve been there: doing a lot but accomplishing a little. I sure have…

Without a plan, you might be working on tasks with little impact. Hence the lack of progress. The military geniuses (and even the not-so) have long understood this. To achieve a complex outcome, you need a clear vision of the desired end state and a well-designed plan to get there.

A long-term objective it’s called a Vision, and is anything from 3-20 years.

Over 20 years is more of a Life Purpose.

These don’t need a detailed plan. But a general understanding of what high-level steps you should take to get there. 

I can help you develop the Vision and a plan for your long-term goals. This can be done in one session for each step. If interested, please reach out by DM.

Short-term goals are achieved in less than one year, and it's where you make your money. You will turn your dreams into reality by taking that next step with intention.

You won't reach your destination if you don’t take your next small step.

But you can only do so much on any given day, week, or month. 

If you go in the wrong direction, you might delay or even miss out on your goals. 

That’s why having a plan is a must!

A good plan will save your most precious resource: time. And a lot of money in the process. Consider the cost of delaying that promotion three to four years.

We’re talking tens of thousands, maybe more.

Preparing might be the most intelligent investment you will ever make.

How to Plan Long-Term

This is how you Plan Strategically in three simple steps:

1. Define the outcome

2. Create a roadmap

3. Reassess

Defining the outcome

1. Define clear measures for success. You do this by defining SMART goals:

(Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-bound)

2. Define clear measures for failure.

Understand that failure is not necessarily a lack of success.

Measures of failure are red flags to warn you if you go in a different direction, and you must define this in advance.

Why have a measure for failure?

I’m not a fan of burning all the boats to ensure you take the island, it can come with an unacceptable cost. Lives, for example. It might be best to live and fight another day. This is up to you, exit strategies are just insurance policies.

When meeting exit criteria, you remind yourself to revisit your strategic intent. You will likely need to change your Vision or your roadmap fundamentally. 

It’s a safeguard against our insanity, preventing us from repeating actions that are not supporting the desired outcome.

It’s easy to get down in the weeds and forget to act strategically. Having a well-defined exit strategy is critical for long-term success.

Clear Roadmap

This doesn’t mean having a complete step-by-step guide toward your goal. Its complexity will depend on your desired outcome and the amount of planning resources and/or ability.

Roadmaps & personal life:

My experience tells me it's not worth it to have very detailed long-term plans.

Best to have a broad idea of the sequence and direction you’re going into, with a clear understanding of the next steps.

Reassessing your plan

This should be done regularly. Generally yearly or whenever your assumptions fundamentally change… Shouldn’t take days either; you can do it in a single session or two.

Ask yourself:

Am I advancing? Keep it up, or adjust slightly for efficiency.

Are my exit criteria showing up? STOP! Reassess your outcome and plan. Change them fundamentally, or consider pivoting to another project.

Short-term Planning

You can use this method for short-term goals with the following caveats:

> Your roadmap will be much more detailed,

> Your roadmap should have several ways to get to the outcome,

> You might need help from experts on specific areas of your plan.

In review

1. Create a Vision for your goals. Bring your Vision to mind daily.

2. Know where you are headed by having a roadmap, and act daily on the next thing that matters. 

3. Measure both success and failure. Adapt as appropriate.

If this helps you, please share it with your friends.

Or let me know by DM how it helped you!