How to Create a Personal Action Plan
When your days feel overwhelming with tasks and projects, a personal action plan can help you clear the clutter and make room for new growth, much like pruning back branches to allow sunlight to reach what matters most.
A personal action plan is tailored to your specific goals and customized to achieve what you are seeking to accomplish.
Setting goals is exciting because with each goal you set and accomplish, you are shaping the contours of your life. The change doesn't arrive all at once—it begins in the smallest choices, an hour a day, a single seed planted.
What would bloom if you gave yourself one small, steady path to follow? Think about what feels overgrown in your life right now, and where do you sense the need for more light and clarity?
Learn how to create a personal action plan and start making goal achievement more manageable and easier to implement.
Set an output-based goal:
How you set your goal sets the tone for this action plan.
Most people make the mistake of writing out an objective they want to achieve, such as "Lose 10 lbs" or "Get 1,000 new followers," but the reason this type of goal setting isn't suitable is that this is more of a broad picture, desired end state.
Instead, shift your goal to setting an output-based goal.
An output-based goal is like planting seeds. You can't force a harvest overnight; some take a season, but you can tend to the soil, water daily and trust the growth.
Remember that output-based goals, when nurtured with consistency, move closer and closer to a harvest.
So this might rephrase your goals to something like, "Consume 30 grams of protein at every meal" or "Publish a new video once a week for 6 months.
This type of output-based goal sets the tone for the habit-forming and lifestyle adjustments you're making to achieve your goal. Over time, you'll be able to see what outcomes emerged as a natural result of your output.
Output-based goals help you see how you are responsible and directly shaping your future and goals. Focus on what you can control, which is your output.
Think about the seed that you can plant this week—one output you can nurture daily—knowing that it will grow into something larger over time.
Here are some other examples of output-based goals (and their potential outcome):
Exercise 30 minutes per day 4x’s per week → Lose 10 lbs
Walk 12,000 steps per day → Increase energy and clarity
Read 30 minutes per day → Read 35 books a year
Write 1,000 words per day → Write a book in a year
Practice painting 30 minutes a day → Portfolio and prints to sell
Publish 1 video per week → 1,000 followers in 6 months
Eat 30g of protein → Curb snacking and sweets
Study 2 hours per day → Learn a new skill
Save $500 a month → Save for trip abroad
Journaling prompt:
What is one output I can commit to this week that feels achievable? Which season am I in right now–planting, tending or harvesting?
“Think about the seed that you can plant this week—one output you can nurture daily—knowing that it will grow into something larger over time. ”
Make it personal:
Once your goal has form, it's time to breathe life into it by making it truly yours.
When you name your personal action plan, you give it roots. Just as a tree is strengthened by its name and its place in the forest, your plan becomes something living, grounded, and uniquely yours.
Naming your personal action plan allows you to reclaim it as your mission—a rooted reminder of where you're headed.
For example, in the book "Miracle Morning," we learn about the miracle morning routine, which is a set of specific S-A-V-E-R-S activities that you complete within an hour.
Use this as inspiration to see if you'd like to create something similar for yourself.
For example, "Power Hour" or "8 before 8" (as in the eight things you do before 8 a.m.). This "8 before 8" example could include details such as hydrating, meditating, expressing gratitude, stretching, exercising, getting ready, and creating a to-do list.
This helps you be specific about what's within the scope of your action plan.
Journaling prompt:
What name or phrase feels like a north star—steady enough to guide me through this season of growth
Set a time and place:
It's time to commit to this personal action plan. When will you complete this personal action plan?
Anchor your personal action plan to a time of the day and a place where it can take root.
Remember that your action plan will only thrive if it has its soil and sunshine. Choose a time of day when you naturally feel aligned, just in the same way a flower turns toward the sun.
Set a time: Review your calendar to determine the best time to complete this task.
Make a plan: How might your action plan look when you are in a position where you might sabotage your plan or when something could make it easier for you not to complete your action plan?
For example, you might look ahead at the menu of a restaurant or bring a healthier dish option or a protein dish to the potluck.
Planning the day before: Create your own setup routine the night before to help you stay on track and create a clear path for the following day.
Think of this as your own way of clearing the soil for tomorrow's growth. What is one thing that you can do today that will make tomorrow's path feel lighter?
This might mean putting out your workout clothes on a chair or in a gym bag so that it's easy to change and use. If you want to paint, lay out your materials so that they're easier to use and practice.
Other things you can do to stay accountable to your personal action plan:
Another thing you can do is share your personal action plan with others to help you stay accountable.
You can pair a motivational podcast, playlist or videos that you can listen to while completing your action plan. Something you can listen to in the background to help you lock in your focus and
stay motivated.
Journaling prompt:
When in my day do I naturally feel most energized for this?
Incorporate a weekly check-in:
Set aside time every week to review your action plan and assess your progress and weekly results.
Think of your weekly check-in as tending to your garden. You're not judging whether the flower has grown tall enough, but noticing what this season is asking of you—water, pruning, or simply patience.
You can use your weekly check-in to track your progress, refine your action plan and recommit to it.
Setting aside 20 minutes on a Friday or Sunday can help you establish a clear path for the following week, ultimately leading you to your goal.
Journaling prompt:
What did this week reveal about the way I grow best—through consistency, through flexibility or through rest?
Your personal action plan isn't a rigid checklist; it's like a living garden. With each small, steady action, you're shaping the landscape of your life—planting seeds, tending to the soil and watching the horizon shift as your vision grows into form.
As you tend to it—adjusting, recommitting, and celebrating the growth—remember: you're not just working toward a goal, you're cultivating the life you're here to live.
