Many people find it difficult to stick to the plan they established. They make plans, talk about them, preach about them, and yet, their executions fall through. There are many reasons that contribute to their failures which will vary from one person to another.
The good news is that if you are one of these people, it is not too late. There are tips and techniques you can use to help you make plans and stick to them. This article has 7 tips that will help you stick with the plan and boost your performance.
With these tips (if followed properly) you will see an immediate change in your execution. You will find it easy to approach any plan regardless of its complexity and execute it with ease.
Without further ado, the following are 7 clever and easy tips to help you stick to the plan.
1. Write your plan down
A plan written down cannot be forgotten or ignored. This is why I made this point the first one on the list.
Writing down a plan makes it easy to remember and saves details of it. I used to memorize my plans and then forget half of it in a matter of weeks. What followed was nothing other than just a dream or a thought.
Without writing my plans down, I never made them my priorities. As a result, they were easy to forget.
What I learned over the years is that when you write your plan down on paper, it becomes visually representable. That is you can easily visualize yourself achieving it. This feeling encourages you to work on the plan and keeps you going when things are tough.
In addition, writing down a plan preserves information and details you have in place. You cannot lose what is written down. You can only add to it which is an improvement.
2. Put your plan where you can see it everyday
One simple and yet powerful tip to stick to the plan is to put it where you can see it daily. Seeing your goal and its plan daily reminds you of what it is you are chasing and how to achieve it.
As a result, you stop worrying about your goal and start working on its plan. Your brain registers the plan and makes it clear for you. You become aware of your plan and your brain keeps its update even when you are not aware of these activities.
Seeing your plan every day reminds you of what you have done and what is left. As a result, you can easily track your progress.
Having your plan where you can see daily makes it impossible to forget. When you stop seeing your plan, your brain creates an excuse for you to forget about it. Once its existence fades from your memory, you rarely work on it.
This is why in order to stick to the plan, you need to put it where you can see it every single day.
3. Make your plan a challenge
One of the best ways to stick to the plan is to be serious about it. That is you must make your plan a priority and do whatever it takes to achieve it.
This mentality is very difficult to achieve for many people. It is easy to assume that you can do it which is different than actually doing it. Having the discipline to push through hardship requires strong mental aptitude, desire, and the motivation to succeed.
Not everyone excels in these areas. If you must stick to the plan but lack the motivation or discipline, make it a challenge.
Changing a plan into a competition could be the motivation you have been looking for. Tell yourself that you must do it and stick to your words. You will be amazed by how fast and easily you will execute your plan.
4. Stick to the plan by Setting up a reminder
Are you one of those people who forget things very easily? If that is the case, you will need to set up reminders every single day. For example, if there is a particular part of the plan you must execute today, tomorrow, or next week, remind yourself multiple times ahead of time.
You can either have one reminder on your email and/or phone. Having multiple reminders on many devices could be helpful for people who are irresponsible. Think of this as one of those friends who tell you that they are not going away until you give them what they want. These reminders will keep popping up until you act.
Unless of course, you disable them which violates the purpose of setting them up in the first place. You can also set up reminders days ahead to make sure that you are preparing yourself subconsciously before you start a particular task in your plan.
If you have friends or family members who are better than you in planning and following up with plans, have them work with you. They will keep you grounded, remind you of potential upcoming tasks, and make sure that you execute them.
5. Stick to the plan by establishing a timeline
Having a timeline is very important in your life regardless of whether you want to stick to the plan or not. A timeline is a reminder that your time is limited, and therefore, you must work as hard and smart as possible in order to succeed.
Your brain will tend to keep you where you are the most comfortable and stable mentally without pressure. Your subconscious is designed to protect you. This is why it keeps you away from the danger of all kinds. That state is known as your comfort zone.
Have you been in a room where they asked someone who knows the answer to raise their hands and answer the question and you did not raise yours even if you knew the answer? Your brain thought that you were going to be embarrassed or people will laugh at your look, etc. which would have put you in an uncomfortable state. So, your brain chose to protect you by telling you not to raise your hand.
The problem with the comfort zone is that you never learn anything or become better in this state.
The only way to beat this state is to face danger head-on.
When you establish a deadline for your plan, you get to a point where you run out of time. You work hard and still run out of time and this makes you uncomfortable.
Since succeeding is very important for you in this case, your brain will learn that a comfort zone is no longer an option.
As a result, your brain will go to worth and figure out answers. That is you will come up with new ways to get the job done in the little time you have left.
Getting the job done is what will keep you comfortable. Once this message is ingrained in your brain, you will not find it difficult to come up with solutions and meet your deadline.
So, if you want to stick to the plan, make sure that you have a definite timeline for it and work hard to beat it.
6. Track your progress
Another important tip to stick to the plan is to track your progress. You need to know how good you are doing based on the timeline you have and the tasks at hand.
If you are doing good, you keep going. On the other hand, if you are not doing good, you reevaluate your methods and make adjustments where they are needed.
Everything is about a mental game. Your motivation level increases when you know you are getting close to finishing life. Also, your mental stabilities increase when you know that all necessary adjustments have been made to keep you on the right track.
Executing your plans without tracking your progress is like walking without knowing where you are going and how long it will take. You will never know how fast or slow you must go. In addition, you will never know when you have arrived.
So, if you want to stick to the plan, start tracking your progress.
7. Stick to the plan by celebrating small wins
Another crucial step when it comes to sticking to your plan is to celebrate small wins. Your plan is probably in place to help you achieve a huge goal that will take many years to accomplish.
Think of this as getting a college degree which in this case is your goal. It will take 4 years minimum to get the degree. What you can do is to make a plan that will help you pass required courses each year or each semester.
This means that every time you pass, it will be a milestone or a small win. You will never have to worry about it anymore and that is worth a celebration.
The purpose of celebrating small wins is to appreciate the work you have done and boost your morale for the challenges ahead.
Always celebrate small wins if you are serious about plans and want to achieve your goals.
