Let’s consider the requirements for a successful plan in more
detail.
PLANS MUST BE WRITTEN
Writing your plan makes the result more real in your mind and im-
poses a degree of rigor and thinking it through like nothing else
does. Having it written enables you to make the changes that will be
necessary in an organized manner. Having the plan in written form
also facilitates checking it for completeness, making improvements,
communicating steps to others in a timely manner, and, most im-
portant, detecting as early as possible the effect of any changes on
future steps. Using a computer is convenient because the plan is
then easy to modify.
PLANS MUST BE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Your plan must begin now. (Well, tomorrow morning may be soon
enough.) If your plan does not take you from your current situation
to your desired result, then it is most likely a dream that will not
come true. Do not delay starting for any of the million or so reasons
why it seems better to wait until you have:
- More money saved
- Paid your bills
- Raised your self-esteem
- Gotten married, divorced, whatever
There is magic to beginning. The boldness becomes energizing
and self-fulfilling. If you are not willing to begin immediately, you
are procrastinating. Right here at the beginning of the planning
process is the time to deal with your priorities. Either your goal mat-
ters to you or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t matter enough to begin to take
action, then you are much better off forgetting about it for now and
putting your time and energy into some other goal that matters
more to you. This does not make you a bad person or lazy.
Nevertheless, it will be no easier for you to deal with your own
resistance, self-limiting patterns, upsets, or other emotional con-
flicts next week. It only seems so. There is no time like the present.
Make up your mind now. Choosing is not complicated. Thus, it is
better for your peace of mind to discard a goal for now than to in-
sist that you should do it, while at the same time taking no action.
Your plan must take you all the way to the end. If, for example,
your goal is to buy a new car and pay cash for it, then the final step
Five Requirements for a Successful Plan 255