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Hi Reader,

In last week's newsletter, I wrote about why setting goals makes you more successful.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Lots of people set goals.

Very few actually achieve them.

It’s not because they’re lazy.

It’s because they don’t make a plan.

And as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said…

"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

Your goals might be clear in your head – but unless you know EXACTLY how you’re going to get from where you are now to where you want to be in 12 months, you're very unlikely to achieve them.

The real ‘secret’ to turning your goals into reality?

Create a plan – then take consistent action on it.

It's not rocket science, but surprisingly few people do this.

Here’s how the process works...

Step 1 – Identify your Most Impactful Tasks

I talked last week about how not all tasks are equal.

If you want to achieve your goals, the first step is to look at all the possible things you could do… and ask:

Which of these will move the dial the most?

Those are your Most Impactful Tasks (MITs).

I recommend choosing no more than 9 MITs for the year.

READ MORE >>> 14 high impact blogging tasks​

Step 2 – Assign them to specific months

Here’s a trap a lot of people fall into…

They look at their list of MITs and how much time they have in a year, and it feels like plenty of time.

There’s no urgency… so they procrastinate.

And suddenly the year is over and they realise they have barely made progress on any of their MITs.

The fix? Create mini deadlines!

Take each MIT and assign it to a specific month.

For example...

APRIL - Create and promote 3 new lead magnets

MAY - Create and launch my first ebook

JUNE - Build an evergreen sales funnel

Now you have mini deadlines, you suddenly have that urgency, and you’re much more likely to actually achieve the 9 MITs you’ve set for yourself this year.

Step 3 – Break each MIT into smaller steps

Once you’ve assigned each of your MITs to a specific month, you then need to break each MIT down into sub-tasks.

A large MIT like ‘create an ebook’ or ‘build an evergreen sales funnel’ often feels overwhelming.

And if a task feels too overwhelming… it will almost certainly get procrastinated!

But if you chop it into tiny, specific sub-tasks?

Suddenly it feels doable.

And you’re far more likely to complete each MIT by its deadline.

Step 4 – Create Monthly Action Plans

Once you’ve got the sub-tasks, put them into a Monthly Action Plan.

Your Monthly Action Plan should include each specific sub-task AND, crucially, you should also assign WHEN you’ll do each sub-task.

First, week by week - for example:

Week 1 → Research and plan ebook

Week 2 → Write first draft of ebook

Week 3 → Edit and design ebook

Week 4 → Publish and promote ebook

Then, day by day - for example:

WEEK 2: MON - Write Chapter 1

WEEK 2: TUE - Write Chapter 2

It’s the power of mini deadlines at work again!

Those mini deadlines are powerful motivators.

And powerful procrastination-crushers!

Want to go deeper?

If you want to dive deeper into this topic, read this post:

​How to actually achieve your goals: The real ‘secret’ to turning your dreams into reality​

Happy planning!

Eb 😊
​

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