9.7 Prepare an action plan
An action plan can help you to identify what you want to achieve in the long term, and think through the steps you need to take in the short term to achieve this. This can make it easier to help you realise your goals. Your action plan could include these elements.
- My goal.
- What do I need to do to achieve it?
- How can I achieve it?
- What resources will I need?
- When must I take action?
An action plan can be just a list of things to do, a chart giving deadlines, a diagram showing how the various parts of your plan interact, or a set of sticky notes on a sheet of card that you move around when each task is done. If you break down the overall task into a series of smaller targets, you can chart your progress in more detail. It’s useful to have a way of recording your progress as well as a list of any sources of help that you need.