Self-development
I have read over 1,000 books on self-development and personal growth! And you know what...?! I didn’t find a clear, understandable and step-by-step plan for self-development in any of them! To say that I am very outraged is to say nothing! There are so many personal growth gurus around the world, but no one has yet shown how to do it “from” to “to” so that a person can unleash his creative potential and fully realize himself in life!
Therefore, I had to create my own individual self-development plan!
Self-development where to start plan
A self-development plan is a step-by-step order of actions that determines the path to achieving a set goal. Thus, it turns out that in order to form stages of work on yourself, you need to decide what you want to achieve.
What's the best way to do this? First of all, it is important to understand what is not satisfying in life at the moment. Maybe your health leaves much to be desired - you need to switch to a healthy lifestyle, undergo an examination, or nothing is working out in your personal life - find the reason, you may need the help of a psychologist, or you can do some soul-searching on your own to eliminate the causes of failure, etc.
But don’t focus on one area of problems, but analyze all the components as a whole. To do this, use the “Wheel of Life Balance” model. It allows you to clearly see the gaps that require priority correction.
Based on your self-analysis, you need to formulate the goals you want to achieve.
In this case, it is important to take into account the time factor and distinguish between short-term (for example, reading a book) and long-term (for example, getting a higher education).
Thus, to make a plan for self-development you need:
- Identify areas of life that require adjustment.
- Set goals in accordance with which the further course of action is determined.
Another factor to consider is who the plan is being developed for. For men and women, both the goals and the procedure for working on oneself will be somewhat different.
Self-development where to start plan for a woman
As I already noted in the article “Self-development and self-improvement where to start,” different areas of life will be priorities for men and women. Most representatives of the fair sex are focused on creating a family and relationships with the opposite sex, therefore, when analyzing the “Wheel of Life Balance” model, it is worth paying attention to these areas.
Based on the results obtained, formulate goals, distributing them over time of implementation. For clarity, create a table by placing this information in the appropriate columns. Achieving priority goals will motivate you to pursue longer-term goals.
Next, for each goal, determine a specific course of action. For example, if the goal is to lose 20 kg, switch to proper nutrition, play sports, drink 2 liters of water daily, etc. Allow a time period for each action.
Self-development where to start plan for a man
For a man, other areas of life are already a priority, therefore, the compiled algorithm of actions will reflect other criteria. But the principle of forming a personal self-development plan point by point is the same as for women:
- Identify areas of life that require adjustment.
- Distribute tasks into the short and long term.
- For each selected goal, create your own course of action.
For example, if you want to move up your career ladder, decide whether it is possible to realize this under existing conditions, and if so, what needs to be done for this (get additional education, achieve high performance at work, demonstrate to management the qualities that allow you to take a higher position and etc.).
When developing one area, do not forget about the others, everything must be balanced. But in some cases, adjusting one area of life automatically improves others.
For example, self-education promotes personal growth and can affect your career and material well-being.
Where to start self-development for a girl plan
A young ambitious person wants to embrace everything at once, achieve all goals at the same time and harmonize all areas of life. But it’s still worth focusing on those aspects that are most lagging at the moment:
- Choose several goals that differ in time frames.
- For each task, create an action plan, tracking the results obtained.
- Distribute the resulting stages over time, fixing the short-term ones first, and the long-term ones at the end of the list. It is more convenient to carry out daily tasks separately (jogging in the morning, reading books, working out, eating right, etc.).
- Start acting immediately, without missing out on the opportunity to become better today.
Drawing up a schedule of actions to achieve a goal is a purely individual process, so the strategy for its formation must be applied based on your own desires, capabilities and priorities. For example, you can develop a ready-made personal development plan for a year, or for several months.
Self-development where to start plan for a teenager
Drawing up a plan for self-development and self-education of a teenager has its own characteristics, since at this stage of life, activities are aimed more at self-education, the development of creative abilities, etc. Therefore, the plan will reflect precisely these components. But despite this, you should not forget about relationships with loved ones, friends, personal growth and other areas of life. Everything must be balanced to achieve a harmonious personality development.
Useful tips
Some useful tips on how to achieve results in a shorter time.
The most common mistake newbies make is immersing themselves in the world of motivational literature . Most of these books contain virtually no useful information. While reading it, it lifts your spirits, but does not affect your life in any way. You need to focus on action, not on reading motivational books.
After thinking about desires in each area of life, there may be a lot of thoughts and a lack of understanding of what to do. The secret is simple - you need to take one step every day towards success in every area of life. No more is necessary as it can lead to clutter in your thoughts.
Regularity is the main condition for success . Therefore, it is extremely important to move towards your goal every day. At first it will seem like you are moving very slowly, but after a few months you will be amazed at how your life has changed.
Make a self-development plan
Having decided on your goals, the question arises of how to create a self-development plan. How to think through the actions correctly, what they should be? How to create a course of action to achieve your goals? Let’s try to figure out what exactly the steps may be on the path to professional or personal self-development, and we’ll also touch on other areas.
Personal self-development plan
There are 4 levels of life that you should focus your actions on to achieve harmonious balance:
- physical;
- social;
- intellectual;
- spiritual.
Based on this, create an algorithm for the steps of personal self-development:
- At the physical level, formulate a plan, taking into account nutrition, principles of a healthy lifestyle, physical training, breathing exercises, wakefulness and rest patterns, etc.
- The social level of self-development concerns such aspects as interaction with society, with loved ones, friends, and work colleagues.
- The intellectual level affects not only mental abilities and mental operations, it also includes the ability to control one’s emotions, purposefulness of development, the ability to see the essence of life and one’s true nature. Training, education and improving existing skills play an important role.
- The spiritual level touches on issues of awareness of one’s purpose, mental organization, and knowledge of the world around us.
Thus, a ready-made algorithm of actions should reflect these components of your life.
Creative self-development plan
Creativity is an integral part of every person's life. Some people devote time and attention to it, while others have completely different goals and objectives as a priority. But a person should have everything in balance, so you shouldn’t completely miss this area of life.
When drawing up a plan for your self-development, it is important to first understand what you have the ability to do. Some like to sew, some like to embroider, some like to design, etc. Based on your own priorities, formulate an action plan. Try to pay attention to your favorite activity not occasionally, but systematically. Improve your knowledge and skills, add something new, invent your own. Creativity has a fruitful effect on the development of mental operations.
Individual plan for professional self-development
The goal of professional development is not only and not so much to conquer the top of the career ladder. Yes, this is a confirmation of success, but the goal is to achieve a high level of professionalism in one’s activities.
Therefore, when you draw up a professional self-development plan, it should not include a listing of desired positions, but should write what needs to be done to get this promotion.
Some areas of activity require an increase in the level of knowledge, and some require professional skills. You need to make a plan depending on the specifics of the job. If additional training is required, set a goal to complete it; if more practice is needed, strive to increase your productivity.
In addition, do not forget about such components as relationships with colleagues and subordinates. A healthy microclimate in a team is the key to successful self-realization.
Recommendations for setting goals for the year
- Check each goal using the algorithm for setting an individual goal. Read: How to correctly create a SMART goal.
- Create goals that are independent of each other.
Last year, I set as many as 3 dependent goals. 1. Promote the site. ↳2. Earn money from it. ↳3. Hire 4 people for the team. The first goal was not achieved, and automatically dependent goals were not completed. - Distribute the load.
Last year, I wrote sports goals that were difficult for me - all with a load on my arms.Do 200 push-ups.
- Iron cross on rings.
- Learn to play tennis.
- Get used to walking on your hands
I just learned to play tennis. The rest were not completed.
Goal: do 200 push-ups. My old record is 108, but I reached 101 times. If I bet 120 times, I would have achieved it. I was afraid of complexity and put it off. And if it worked, I would finish it up to 150-200 times.
Three years ago I returned from training. In a wave of delight, without thinking, I entered as many as 7 goals - all difficult. He didn’t even take a step towards them.
Self-education and self-development plan
Thus, we found out that goals can be reflected in terms of professional and personal self-development. But there is one more important point that needs to be taken into account when drawing up an algorithm for your actions - this is the time factor. That is, as I already said, goals should be distributed in the short and long term. Consequently, a plan can be formed for each stage.
Summer plans for self-development
On the eve of summer and the holiday period, you can create a separate schedule for this period. It’s convenient to include goals and actions that you can implement during your vacation. Perhaps this will be a trip to places of power, communication with a spiritual mentor, additional training, attending courses, learning something new on vacation (diving, surfing, swimming).
Brief self-development plan
One of the options for working on yourself is drawing up a short individual self-development plan. It can cover one or two areas of life, and contain actions in relation to one, but quite important goal. For example, further self-development is not feasible without normalizing health. And the main goal for the near future is recovery or rehabilitation after illness or injury.
Self-development plan for every day
When forming an algorithm of actions to improve and achieve harmony, some manipulations will have to be turned into a daily ritual:
- proper nutrition;
- getting up at a certain time;
- sleep 6-7 hours;
- jogging in the morning;
- workout;
- drinking 2 liters of water;
- walks in the open air;
- walking to work and back;
- and etc.
It is better to reflect such manipulations in a separate action plan for self-development. Thus, a daily plan for self-development must contain these points without fail. Additionally, include goals for other areas of life.
Weekly self-development plan
If you are planning your activities for the week, then it is very convenient to draw up a self-development plan in the form of a ready-made table:
This option is more effective because it reflects both daily tasks and longer-term ones. A visual representation allows you to adjust the time of rest and activity. You can immediately see what events are planned for the week, so it’s easier to follow them and celebrate the results.
Self-development plan for several months
When forming a monthly plan, it is important to reflect the final goals that must be achieved during this period. And record detailed actions for their implementation in weekly and daily activity algorithms. This can be a monthly plan not only for self-development, but also for self-education. For example, learn how to design patterns, read English, lose 5 kg, etc.
An example in the form of a table of a self-development plan for a month:
Self-development plan for the year
An annual self-development plan is a vision of your ideal life in 12 months. It reflects the ultimate goals for each area of life that you want to realize during this period. For example, in the personal sphere - to give birth to a child, in work - to take the position of chief specialist, etc.
A personal self-development plan for a year allows you to see the final result that needs to be achieved for a harmonious and balanced life. And formulate how to do this in short-term algorithms, for example, for every month, week.
Goals for 5 years
A person’s self-development plan for 5 years is a fairly long-term project that allows you to reflect how you want to see yourself in the future. But it is possible that priorities will change during this time, so it is more effective to formulate tasks for a shorter period.
Basic principles of life planning
At the first stage, we make a draft list of goals. It’s convenient to start collecting goals and taking a closer look at them in December. You can test them to see if they suit you; if it’s vocals, go for a trial lesson.
But even before starting to draw up a plan, it is useful to accept the principles so that moving according to the plan will be a joy:
- The rocking principle: “No pain, no growth.” Controlled stress makes us stronger. It pays to work hard this year, knowing that next year we will get additional opportunities.
- Life is long. A goal achieved with pleasure in a month is better than grinding your teeth in 2 weeks. You should take it at a calm pace, not a sprint. It is more effective to set “pace” goals rather than overachievement goals.
- Constant growth. Most of my life is filled with people, ideas, work that were not even in my dreams 5 years ago. I dreamed at the beginning of the year, got excited, and by the end I was surprised.
- No extra effort. I am against hellish achievements, I am for habit and system. Running 5 km every day is easier than running a half marathon every 4 days.
Error self-development plan
In order for your plan to work, try to follow the rules when developing it:
- Choose the right time to compile it. You should not do this hastily or in a bad mood or tired.
- Make both annual and weekly plans to see your final goals and a detailed algorithm of actions.
- Consider your options. There is no point in including diving training in your tasks if you don’t even have a vacation in the next six months.
- Balance your resources and performance. Today you are full of strength and energy, but tomorrow you don’t want to do anything; fluctuations in physical and emotional activity affect the process of realizing your desires.
- Make a plan for the sole purpose of executing it, and not for fun or because it is fashionable.
- Don't be afraid of failure.
- Adapt actions to real-world conditions.
- Consider the possibility of deviations from the plan and adjust it accordingly.
- Reflect the algorithm of actions and goals clearly (in the form of a table, graph, abstract, etc.).
- Create goals that inspire you to achieve them.
- Don't miss scheduled events.
- Believe in yourself and your success!
- Track your progress.
- Look for support, not only among close people, but also in interest groups.
Do not perceive the compiled algorithm of actions as the enslavement of your will; the plan should not burden your life, but, on the contrary, stimulate and inspire development.
Commitment to personal growth
The desire for personal growth shows people’s readiness for a new step in life, a transition to a higher level of development. Thanks to this, many begin to cultivate special qualities in themselves, as well as increase their level of self-efficacy. All this will be a great help in achieving higher life results.
Those who are truly not afraid to move on, more and more revealing their potential and hidden abilities, are the ones who achieve success!
Self-development plan example
You can create an algorithm of actions using an example or develop it yourself according to your desires and priorities. You can take the sample as a basis and adjust some points to suit yourself.
Example of a daily self-development plan:
An example of a self-development plan for a year:
As you can see for yourself, there is nothing difficult in self-development when a goal is set and a plan is developed. The main thing is to initially set goals for the long term, and then gradually distribute options for achieving them. If you have questions, write in the comments, I will help you develop your own self-development program.
