Once you've set your goals, it's really important to break them down into a manageable action plan to avoid procrastination or overwhelm.

Think about it a bit like a building block approach. Start by thinking about your overall goal as the big goalpost you’re heading for. Next we need to break down the big goal into smaller bite-sized chunks which makes it easier to move towards and focus in on. Finally, our bite-sized chunks are broken down into several possible actions each that get you through that chunk. The bite-sized chunks will usually follow a logical order as one step leads you into the next. Likewise, the actions then progress logically. So effectively, you are creating a cookie trail straight to your goal.

A further benefit of this approach is that it serves to ensure that you are moving in the right direction as it’s possible to take action but be way off track from the goal. It’s the difference between ‘just doing something’ and ‘taking specific action’.

It’s well worth the time to really plan out the approach with each of your goals. You will find this breakdown much easier to get through and more helpful towards staying focused. Usually, I find there are between 3 – 8 bite-sized chunks for each goal. Begin by brainstorming all the key things that you think you need to get through to get to your goalpost, then put them in their most logical order. Next, brainstorm the possible actions that you could take that would see you move through each chunk and onto the next.

So for instance, if your goal was to retrain towards a new career, one of your chunks may be to ‘gather information’ and the possible actions may include to ‘enquire into different course offerings at the local University / speak to a career counsellor / do some internet research…etc”. Notice how each step seems to be a subset of the previous one. Also, that the bite-sized chunk offers a variety of possible actions within it. The purpose of this is to open up the many possibilities available to you to move through that step, giving you several ways to win. 

About the author

I'm a professionally trained and credentialed coach with over 1200 client hours. I have a strong corporate background (previously a Brand Manager with Unilever in Sydney), and am passionate about working with executives to make work-life more productive and enjoyable. I hold an M.Com in Marketing and HR, am a mentor and trainer of coaches, and have achieved the PCC credential through the International Coach Federation.