Exercise 5: Create an Organized Plan of Action

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
Coach John Wooden

Achieve any goal, task, objective, project, job description or serious activity with phenomenal effectiveness whether in your personal life or in your professional life. At home or at work you have completed the most important task to being a highly effective human being. Being clear on your goals, values and your life’s mission is fundamental to being the most that you can be and performing at high levels. Michael Gerber author of The E-Myth affirms that knowing who you are and what your life is about is foundational to success as a manager or as an entrepreneur. Gerber claims he can not even truly help you without first establishing your primary aim. “To reinvent your organization you begin with yourself, you must ask; What do I want? Which is not an organizational question but a life defining question, the creating of your primary aim.” (The E-Myth Manager) Really how else could it be possible to effectively manage your time, or make wise decisions? In fact how else could you possibly be a truly effective human being? You simply could not unless it didn’t matter where you ended up. This is why Gerber and I are so adamant about primary aim, about having your life’s goals defined. Now with what you have done and what you are going to learn you will be an effective, efficient and productive human being.

Gather all this information and organize it in a separate file or sheet of paper for each goal and then create a “To Do” list for the accomplishment of that particular goal.

• List each goal at the top of a clean sheet of paper or file in computer and date it.
• Define the goal clearly.
• Write the date when you expect to achieve the goal.
• List the obstacles in order of priority.
• Create your “to do” list. List all the action steps in order of priority.
• Keep all information gathered in its own file folder and label it with that goal or category. (see Getting Organized in next section for some filing systems)

Your task management or “To Do” list is the key to effectiveness and productivity with your goals and any task for that matter. Do not under estimate the power of a prioritized “To Do” list. This list used effectively it is one of the most powerful pieces of the plan. This is where time management is maximized and high levels of productivity are achieved.