Written by: Agnese Rudzate, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The stress of constantly feeling overwhelmed when building your empire can become debilitating, affecting your health, relationships, and more. By consciously managing your money and time, setting clear goals, and planning your future, you will reduce stress, accomplish more, and love your life more than ever before. And this is my goal for writing this article.
Ease and flow starts with proper planning - this is how you get your affairs in order. But organizing your life for success doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming.
Planning is freeing simply because it shows you steps to take to get where you want to go faster and much more effortlessly. With a plan in hand, you don't have to think about what to do every time you get sidetracked, because the guidelines are already set, all you have to do is follow the map.
A 5-year plan is overwhelming, and you don’t have to have one. I don’t. And it turns out to be quite handy especially at times of uncertainty. It’s great to keep the big vision in mind; however, planning 5 years ahead can turn out to be a waste of time. When setting goals that are too far away, it can become unreachable and dis-motivate us because they don't necessarily correspond to what you are doing right this moment.
I’m a big advocate of simple; therefore, a 1-year plan seems like a perfect time period for very realistic and reachable goals. I have prepared a plan :) for you to make this process as structures as possible to reach those envisioned goals faster.
1. Set your 1-year goal. Imagine your future self one year from now. She is opening a bottle of champagne and celebrating…. (fill the gap)! Looking back, she can see clearly what has brought her to this celebration moment.
NOTE: Reaching a goal is a huge win and should always be celebrated. But every small win that has led you to the big win should be celebrated as well. A small win is still a great achievement, and it only brings you closer to your goal. By not celebrating ourselves, our wins, we can lose that excitement and motivation that is what can make us feel as though we are not succeeding, when in fact, we have achieved so much already!
2. Set your quarterly goals. Now let’s move backward and set some serious milestones along your journey of 1 year. If you divide your year by quarters, what would you want to be able to celebrate as your achievements? What is that reachable and measurable 3-month goal that, when achieved, will move you that much closer to a 1-year celebration?
NOTE: Looking back at the data, statistics, facts will tell you a lot about your progress and will show you whether you are on the right track moving at the tase you were expecting. Don’t underestimate the poster of statistics. It gives such great insight without emotions being involved.
3. Set your monthly goals. These are great goals to test your abilities and chosen road because they are so close you can almost touch them. These are wins that can be reached quicker. Look at these monthly goals as steps to take towards that yearly goal of yours, and it will be much easier to prioritize what truly deserves your attention.
4. Set your weekly goals. The end of every week should feel like progress that was made towards big vision. It should be full of exciting productive action you are taking that not only proves to create tangible results but also increases effortless flow in your daily actions.
Things to keep in mind when taking productive action towards your big goal and stick to the plan that you know will get you where you want to be in a year:
A. Consistent productive action - success doesn’t come in one day, be consistent in your path.
B. Commitment to follow the plan - winners don't procrastinate and postpone important tasks.
C. Measuring every action - understanding statistics are as important as consistency and commitment - what we don't measure, we don't manage.
Following through with your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly goals will keep you on a consistent train that leads to your envisioned success. Consistency comes with planning. It doesn’t just happen! If you don't plan you are on the road to fail to reach your goals.
Don’t make it difficult for yourself. Measure processes and actions and learn from your fails. They are your lessons and deserve to be celebrated. Tracking your progress should be planned in your calendar weekly, and if not every day, then every week. I can guarantee at least a couple of things that will be worth celebrating.
Planning is exciting and freeing. If you think that it is too time-consuming, imagine how much time you will waste by blindly walking in the dark and testing new idea every week? Look at the data - it will show you where you should focus. And at the end of the day, it will save you loads of time. Don't limit yourself to a boring daily routine. Do what lights your soul up and mix things to stay motivated and get inspired every single day!
Agnese Rudzate, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Agnese Rudzate is a Business Productivity Coach and Time-management expert with a professional background in Quality Management and Empowerment Coaching. She has turned her lifelong passion for organizing into her mission, helping women gain the confidence, clarity, and time freedom they deserve by providing action steps, tools, and customized strategies. Agnese is a firm believer that anyone can achieve business or personal goals through a deeply focused effort, which is based on her coaching. Through structure, systems, and processes that bring results, Agnese teaches her clients to manage their business with ease, create time freedom, and scale in profits.
