Comprehensive guide: How to develop a life plan for self-development?

Are you satisfied with what you have achieved in your life so far? If yes, then that is absolutely amazing. But if not, then welcome to reality!

    There is no doubt that many people are not completely satisfied with their daily lives, no matter how successful they are in life. Sometimes your life seems perfect to many people, but the opposite is true and you are not completely satisfied with your life.

In fact, this feeling often haunts us as we always seek a particular result in life without meaning, purpose, direction or planning, leading to a chaotic and messy lifestyle. To avoid this random pattern, you need to learn how to create and implement a plan for your life so that you always feel good about whatever you do.

Now you must be wondering what is a life plan? How will this plan make you more satisfied with your life? If it sounds cool, how do you plan your life? In this article, we will answer all those questions and show you all the steps you need to take so that you can have a plan for your life and be in complete control of it.

Is a life plan a booklet describing what your life should look like? Or is it an outline of the exact steps you need to take every minute of your life?

In fact, a life plan is none of these things, rather it can be seen as a promise that you make to yourself by which you define what you want to achieve. In other words, your thoughts, goals and aspirations are written on a piece of paper in words.

But what if you're in your 20s and not sure whether your current goals are the same goals you want to be in your 30s? Actually, there is nothing to worry about. The life plan is flexible and completely under your control. When you create an organized plan for your life, there should be enough room for change to allow you to grow and be successful in the future.

Why is life planning important?

If a life plan is simply about writing down your thoughts, you may wonder how important it is, or why it might even be considered necessary? To answer this question you have to think about how many thoughts come to your mind every day, maybe dozens, hundreds? How many ideas have you started implementing? How many views do you still have at the end of the day?

In fact, only those thoughts that you transfer from your head to a piece of paper can become reality. This is how your thoughts become reality. Similarly, your goals—whether short-term or long-term—should be written down so that you can move them from your head—the virtual world—to the real world.

Therefore, a life plan can be called a commitment that you make to your goals, like signing a legal document that compels you to do something.

How do you make a life plan?

Now, let us come to the practical part of this article: how to make a life plan, or what is called a life plan. In fact, there are no set strategies or hard and fast rules for learning how to make a life plan, you just have to be honest with yourself. However, there is no doubt that with some great guidance and tips the road will be smooth. By following the tips below, you will be able to create a realistic and achievable life plan.

1- Be aware of your failures

Most plans ask you to start with your strengths, your positive achievements in life, etc. But in reality, this is not a normal perception of life. The truth is that we have all failed and faced more failures than we care to admit.

However, we need to be more accepting of our failures, as they will ultimately help us achieve the growth we desire. Failure is always the proof of our efforts. If you are aware of your failures, you will be able to draw important lessons from them and improve your performance in the future. By handling failure properly, failure can be turned into an opportunity to grow and improve.

If you start with your failure, you will immediately have a clear idea of the path you want to take in the future. Often times, persistent failures after several attempts are a sign that you need to turn around and start down a new path.

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2- Define your long term vision and values

Whatever plans you have for the future, you must ensure that they are in line with your ethics, principles and values. So, before planning anything, you must first compare it with your values. By doing this you will avoid making life plans that hinder your mental stability. There is no doubt that living with your values is essential for a happy life.

For example, if you prefer a quiet working life where you can work and then spend time with family and friends, you shouldn't think of your career as a long-term plan.

3- Rate yourself

your past failures and up for the futureBased on these expectations, you can begin to evaluate yourself and consider whether you are truly ready to implement your plan or if you still need further development. Look back and think about the most memorable events and incidents in your memory, then learn from them and identify the things you never want to repeat as you move forward in life.

Your past should not bother you. That's why it is necessary to do a comprehensive assessment of yourself before going into the future.

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4- Prioritize the future

Time to start Make a systematic time plan for your life! At this stage, you don't need to set any goals or plans specifically, you just need to prioritize the things in your life that you want to achieve first.

For example, if you are currently 30 years old, owning your own home within the next two years may be your top priority. Then you may want to get married. Then you may want to start a new business and so on...

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5- Ask for help from people around you

Of course, you are the only person responsible for your life and the only stakeholder in this transaction. But that doesn't mean you don't need the support of family and friends. These are the people who will inspire you to live life to the fullest and hold you back when you get tired. A life plan will only work when you are surrounded by people you want to live for.

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Plan goals and create an action plan

You now have a vision of what needs to be done, and you have set your priorities for the future. Time to put everything in the form of an action plan. Basically, you need to break down your goals into small, actionable steps. For example, to buy a house, your plan should first include all possible ways to save more money and find a suitable place for yourself.

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Action plans are important for achieving goals. Because it will help you stay motivated and ensure that you are on your way to accomplishing your goals in due time. Here are some action steps and tips you can use to develop your own action plan:

1- Determine the purpose of each step

Before you start setting goals, you can do a quick experiment yourself. Think about all the goals you've set in the past, and then identify what you've accomplished and what you haven't. Not surprisingly, goals that are successfully achieved have goals to strive for, while goals that are not achieved have no purpose and strong motivation to pursue them. In other words, if you know why you choose these goals, you will be able to achieve them more easily.

So before you start making plans for your life, think what is the purpose of choosing these goals. Doing so will guide you in your journey and give you enough strength to overcome difficulties when faced with them. No one fights for a goal without a purpose!

Also Read: How To Find Your Purpose In Life?

2- Write down your goals

As mentioned earlier, if you really want to know how to plan your life, it's important to get your dreams out of your head and down on paper. While you can also do this electronically via an app, research has found that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down on paper.

When you write down your goals, you reach out to the left side of your brain, which is responsible for thinking and reasoning. So by writing down your goals, you are telling your mind that this is something you want to do.

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3- Choose your goals carefully

Before you start setting goals, you must first make sure that those goals are realistic and achievable. To choose your goals carefully, you should consider the following points while choosing your goals:


You must have specific ideas about what you want to achieve, not random and haphazard. To set specific goals, you can answer questions (who, what, where, when and why).


Your goals must be measurable in order to achieve them. You won't achieve your goals without concrete metrics to measure your progress.


Your goals need to be achievable, so you need to think about the tools or skills you'll need to get there. If you do not have these skills, you must first understand how to acquire them.


You should start by asking yourself: Why is this goal important to you? Is it in line with your other goals? Is it related to your aspirations and ambitions? These types of questions can help you determine the real purpose behind your goals and whether they are worth pursuing.


You should set time limits on your goals, whether they are daily, weekly or monthly goals. If you don't set a time frame for achieving your goals, you will have a hard time reaching the finish line.


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4- List the available options

Now that you've defined your goals based on your skills and abilities, list all of your options and the costs and benefits of each. In other words, list the pros and cons of each option so that you can make the right decision for you.


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5- Determine the budget and resources available

Not all goals require a budget to be achieved, but undoubtedly some of them require a budget. Set your budget ahead of time, and then identify the resources you'll need to complete each step of your life plan. The main resources needed to achieve a goal are time, money, people and technology.


There may be some technologies that you want to use but you do not have enough money to buy them. If you had more money, you could buy more technology and hire more people to help you with certain steps. If you have fewer resources, it will take longer to reach your end goal. That's why it's important to find the right balance for your plan.


Make a detailed list of steps needed to achieve your goal. from the first step