Aug 31 2009

Action Plans – First Action, Make a Plan!

Posted by admin in Action Plan, Blog, MindMapping, Mindmapping Programs, Motivation, Planning
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I need a plan.

I always need a plan. But I’m not very good at planning. I love to make lists and they sure start out organized, but then one train of thought leads to another, and then I start trying to categorize & prioritize, add deadlines & goals, and so on so forth until it ends up being one UN-organized document to add to my mounting stack of unorganized documents.

My problem also lies with the crucial second step after Step One: Make a Plan… and that’s Step Two: Follow Your Plan.

I’ve yet to finish writing a succinct, intelligible, motivating, nor insanely logical Action Plan, never mind actually following through on one!

To get myself through the days, weeks, months, I write *most* appointments in my calendar and I write smaller “To Do” lists of things I actually MUST do and leave them within eyes view. (Usually right near my keyboard…lol)

Certain things on the list get done and crossed out, while others keep re-appearing on new lists. Some don’t make it to the next list and are abandoned, for better or for worse.

And the lucky tasks that actually get DONE are not necessarily done in order, nor do I even LOOK at the list until later to see what I’ve done. It’s a checklist, not a PLAN.

So, what I do have is a drawer full of notebooks, stacks of loose papers/notes in random places in my room and desk, and countless Notepad txt and Word docs cluttering my computer… (my life!)

What can I do?

Let’s start with what I can’t or WON’T do which is:

- Start a new notebook. Ha! Been there, done that before.
- Start a new list/document/Word file/etc. No way, Jose.
- Abandon all of it, torch the papers & notebooks, destroy the machines.

(Ok, well that last one may be my final option if I don’t figure this all out…)

What else have I tried?? (You ask, perhaps?)

- Online Mindmapping software (look for that in another blog entry)
- Writing a business plan
- Listening to self-help & time management audio tapes (Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins) and applying some, though not all of their methods; reading similar books, online articles, etc.
- Hiring an assistant

Have any of these worked? Hmm. I feel like if I found the RIGHT online Mindmapping software that has EVERY thing I need, perhaps. I’ve never been able to finish a business plan. The tapes have little gems of advice that I retain here and there. I really like Stephen Covey’s “Quadrants” of tasks thing (another blog, another time…) and Tony is pretty darn motivational, but vague. Not much actual direction, more like “Pump your head up” kinda pep talks. And having an assistant, well, I think that if I had enough funding that I could have her full-time the way I need then it would probably help a lot. But, managing a staff just gives you one more thing to manage in your life and what I’m searching for is a way to manage MYSELF.

SO.

Now what? As I sit here now, contemplating my situation after having put it out there, my immediate thought is that my coffee cup is empty and I could use a re-fill.

***after 12 minutes, quick bite & coffee re-filled**

Let’s start with research. That’s what I do.

I typed in “Life Planning” and got StartUpNation’s 10 Steps to Opening for Business

Step One – Create Life Plan
Ok. Good start.“Quality rating of your life on a scale of 1 through 100, with 100 being the best possible life.”Oh no. I’m already a bit turned off. I hate having to “rate things” especially with such a large scale 1-100. Even worse are those “Agree, Somewhat Agree, Disagree Wholeheartedly, yadda yadda” ones, ugh! Next step, (of Step One) writing your Manifesto. Oy.

Looking at the left menu of their 10 Steps… Choosing a Business Model, Create a Business Plan, Select a Business Structure, etc… well, looks worth a perusal but I need something more interactive that’ll do more for me than this.

(To be continue…)