Where to Start with a Personal Development Plan

Where to Start with a Personal Development Plan

Article by Dr. Robert Anthony

It’s a known fact that people today are looking for ways to improve themselves. However, another known fact is that people don’t know wwehere to start or which area of their lives to improve first. Many of them have trouble maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

A person who wants to improve his career has a tendency to overcompensate and take his health and his family for granted. The best way to approach this dilemma, of course, is with a plan. Having a comprehensive idea of how you want your life to be is the beginning of this process. Once you have clarified your desires, it’s time to make a personal development plan. Just make sure that every facet of your life is taken care of by making sure that these concerns are included.

1. Goal-SettingOne of the main habits that successful people have that differentiates them from the rest of the population is that they set goals for themselves. These goals are not abstract goals too. They make very specific goals and place deadlines for themselves. This is a great habit to acquire so make sure that it’s in your personal development plan. To make sure that you keep a balanced lifestyle, make sure that you set goals for the personal, the professional and even the social aspects of your life.

2. Task OrganizationEvery person has dreams and desires. But what separates successful people from the rest is their ability to organize abstract desires into different goals, and organize goals into tasks. When making a personal development plan, include a means that would allow you to organize your tasks. Such a system will help you achieve the balanced lifestyle that you want. If, for example, you want to improve your health, you can organize to-do lists: 1) Get a general health check-up; 2) Acquire medical insurance; 3) Consult with a nutritionist regarding healthy diet tips. With this process you can turn your desire of being healthy to a goal with specific tasks that will allow you to reach your goal.

3. Skill DevelopmentSelf-improvement is general improvement. There has to be progress made in all areas of a person’s life before we can consider it “improved.” One way to measure progress is through the development of a person’s skills. When making a personal development plan, make sure that you include a skill development program that is designed to improve your skills. One way to know if you have a balanced lifestyle is to see if your kills are improving in the areas you want to improve in.

4. Time ManagementOne of the most important reasons why you should have a personal development plan is to be able to manage your time properly. Most people often associate time management with work. However, managing your time for work is just one area of time management. Time management should also concern the time you spend by yourself and the time you spend with other people. Don’t take these moments for granted. The key to a balanced lifestyle is self-awareness. You should know that the fulfillment you get from spending time with your family is just as important as the fulfillment you get from your career advancement.

5. Career GrowthWith regard to your professional life, it is important that you make some sort of progress. Self-actualization is a concept that is intrinsic to personal development. You need a balance of challenge, variety and achievement in order to find fulfillment in your work. If you’ve been doing the same exact thing for decades, you may find yourself either bored or uninspired. When making a personal development plan, make sure that your thinking of career growth too.

It’s a rare feat to achieve every goal you set for yourself in your personal development plan. However, even just making a plan, by itself can be its own reward. The construction of such a plan allows you to step back and ask yourself tough questions like, “Am I passionate about my job? What more do I want to achieve in life? Should I spend more time with my family? Am I making enough contributions to society?” At the very least, making a personal plan for our development allows us to learn more about ourselves and figure out what we need to do in order to achieve a balanced lifestyle.

About the Author

Dr. Robert Anthony can give you tips on how to best proceed with your self-improvement efforts such as creating a personal development plan.

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