Why It’s Important to Have a 5-Year Plan
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? This may seem like a daunting question, but asking yourself this and planning accordingly can be very helpful in getting where you want to be in life. Creating a written 5-year plan can give you the clarity and direction you need to achieve anything you set your mind to. Whether you’re ready to start a family or just graduating college, 5-year plans can work for anyone.
The first step to creating your individualized plan is figuring out what your end goal is. Start by getting a picture in your head of the life you want to be living 5 years from now. Next, establish an overall, long-term goal for each year, then go back and create smaller, more manageable monthly or weekly goals. Consider your strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures, values and motivations! Write these down and evaluate how they fit into your future plans. Being organized in this way will make it less stressful and easier for you to reach the finish line.
Depending on what stage of life you’re in, you can create goals based around your personal life, career, family, travel aspirations, financial situation, or anything else that is important to you. You can even create a plan with your spouse or significant other. Sit down and scribble out a few ideas for where you see yourself together in the future and start from there! Sometimes having a partner to hold you accountable and help you move forward can make a big difference.
But it’s also important to remember that plans change! While planning is necessary, so is being spontaneous. If your plans change slightly or even drastically, know that you have not failed. Adjusting your plan to fit your life is what this process is all about. Cross things off, delete things completely and add new tasks or goals whenever you feel necessary.
Creating a 5-year plan will help you not only create focus on what your priorities are but also help you say no to things that won’t help you reach your goals. It’s been proven that people who write down goals are 33% more likely to achieve so don’t keep all of it in your head! Determine your goals, create a plan and live the life you want.
