How to fulfill the plan for the year: an algorithm for success from Lifehacker readers

We make a plan for the year, but we do not fulfill it. Lists are forgotten, we hammer into tasks. We asked you how to deal with this. How to fulfill all the tasks set for yourself? How to fulfill, in the end, the plan for the year? As a result, we got a great selection of tips. The algorithm for performing the tasks has been found!

I have read all of your comments. I discussed almost every advice there, in the comments, with the author of the advice. And this was important, since it was not from the first comment that it was clear what the person was suggesting. For example, Alex Epov was such a person. He really gave very useful advice with quite vivid examples from life. I would also like to acknowledge advice from one of our authors. It. So where did we come to.

I wrote down each of your tips on a piece of paper in the form of keywords. You may not think that there are so few tips. Each piece of paper has two tips, plus two more tips on the other side. In my inference article, I will try to cover each one. And in the end, this should lead to an algorithm that will allow you to perform all the tasks set for yourself. And also make your dreams come true. After all, a dream remains a dream until you turn it into a task or goal.

What should be your goals

Before you can fulfill your goals, you need to work on them. A huge mistake can be the stage of drawing up goals for the year. You may set yourself the wrong goals. Goals that are needed not by you, but by your colleagues, friends, family. But not at all for you.

The first requirement for your goals: these should be those goals that you want to set for yourself. Imagine yourself at the moment when you have achieved your goal. How do you feel? What did it bring you? If you are happy with the result, then yes, this goal really deserves to be an item on your to-do list for the year.

A very good analogy was given by one of the readers. Imagine that you are a drug addict. And your goal is dose. No, I am not propagandizing in any way. Now imagine that you have withdrawal symptoms.

The addict has a purpose. Every cell of his body remembers this goal and longs for it. And when withdrawal begins, the dose becomes the addict's only goal in life. He does not sit still, he shows incredible miracles of ingenuity. And yet he finds 3-4 thousand dollars a month for a dose. This is 5-6 times more than the average salary of a resident of Ukraine.

Wonders? It's just that one has a goal that is always in front of his eyes and does not allow him to sit quietly for a minute. And there is a specific image that will be if it does not achieve the goal. And the second has a blurred image of what is desired and a blurred image of what will happen if the goal is not achieved.

And the second requirement for your goals: they must be SMART. Or, in our opinion, you should use the VODKA principle. We have written in great detail about this method. The essence of this method is to match your goals with five parameters.

The goals should be:

important and inspiring;
limited in time;
daring but achievable;
specific;
measurable.

Someone may have problems with goals. If you cannot find the goal, then our article will help you find the goal of your whole life in just half an hour.

Work on the plan

So, you have decided on what goals you should have. And they created their own big plan. Now let's make it more practical. You should definitely break down large tasks into smaller ones. And those, in turn, into even smaller ones. Thus, you should have clear, easy and doable tasks.

Another important aspect is the time it takes to complete a task or achieve a goal. For example, your plan for the year is "Learn English to C1." This does not mean that you should achieve this goal by the end of the year. You need to complete it in as little time as possible.

Your goals may change throughout the year. Something may lose relevance. Something may stop being important to you. Or maybe a villainous fate will interfere with your plans. That's why you need to constantly update your goals.

It's fair to say that not everyone likes long lists of goals. Some people think it is better to keep a short list. It's up to you how to do it right. You can try one option first, then another.

We carry out the plan

The next stage is the achievement of goals. And then there is a problem with motivation. In order to complete tasks, you must really want to. You want to reach your goal. You have already imagined your feelings when you get your way. And it was cool! You just have to take a couple of steps towards your dream.

Enjoy the process. It should be really fun for you to do something that brings you closer to your dream. And when it is difficult for you, you can repeat, like a mantra, the most important phrase of your life: "I can do everything, I will achieve everything, I will get what I want." Or maybe you have a different phrase?

Most importantly, do not start to get upset and whine. You're not a weakling. You mustn't whine, you must push! Or, as our reader said, "do not whine, but fuck!".

The practical side of the plan

A little about the practical side of performing tasks. A lot of people liked the Pomodoro system. In short, you need to devote a certain period of time exclusively to the task. Without being distracted by absolutely nothing. To do this, you need to use a timer.

Environment is a very important aspect for completing tasks. Many are completely unable to do business in the same room in which they sleep. Some are very productive in the cafe. For example, Hemingway rented a hotel room in order to create in a relaxed atmosphere.

I suggest writing your plan in the comments to this article (if it is not very secret) and then report on the implementation … This, by the way, can also positively affect the implementation of the plan.