Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail Part 2

When I posted Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail Part 1, about two weeks ago, I had another post planned out in my head. That post was going to include how clever I was to plan my NaBloPoMo in advance. I used a calendar from Calendars That Work and plotted out all my topics. Ok, not ALL the topics and not one for every day...

And there en-lies the problem!

Life just up and got in the way. Between sickness in the home, searching for and buying a house, on top of a sudden influx of actual work to do at the jobby job, my lack of planning for NaBloPoMo really kicked me in the backside. I didn't actually complete the plan. I didn't plan for contingencies like sick kids or sick me or deadlines piling up.

That's what I get for being smug! 

As we stare down the countdown app which currently reads "8" days, and January 1st hot on the heels of Christmas, I find myself setting some lofty goals. I had some pretty good ones last year, and I've crossed all but one off the list! I didn't even really have a plan when I set those goals. That may explain why that last one is still on there.

I have goals for my own health and fitness, reading goals, and business goals. What will determine whether or not I achieve them? What is the difference between crossing one off the list and checking them all off completely? You guessed it...it's whether I: 

Plan, Schedule, Plan Some More

Plan: This involves taking each of my goals and breaking them into mini goals. For example, take the amount of weight I want to lose over the next 12 months and break it down into monthly and weekly goals. 

Schedule: I can vow to exercise more and eat healthier, but unless I get my workouts on the calendar and plan some healthy meals ahead of time, life is guaranteed to come up again and get in the way. I will put my workouts on my calendar and stick to them like I would a meeting with my boss, a doctor's appointment, or a date with my husband! 

Plan Some More: Once I've got my goals figured out, broken down, and scheduled, I also need to review it all now and frequently. I'll check my progress and make sure I'm on track. These check-ins will go on the calendar as well, or they won't happen. 12 months will slip right by and I'll weigh the same and not have read any more or gotten any scrap-booking done! 

There you have it. That is my strategy for 2014. What about you? Do you have goals? Do you have a plan in place to make sure you'll get there?