Make your personal development plan simple. Write it in something that will allow you to carry it wherever you go. Post it in places where you can see it naturally. And when you make a scorecard, make it easy to understand.
Most personal development plans overwhelm people. However, I know of many performance gurus who sell personal development plan notebooks, planners, and job aids that seem to make a very detailed plan.
You can have a one-page personal development plan. For example, I use the 4 Disciplines of Execution in writing my PDP.
You may not be able to include everything in your plan. You don’t have to. It is not a feasibility study. It is like a Business Model Canvas. You can change it at any time to make it more desirable, viable, and useful.
How to Make Your Plan Simple
The surest way for you to fail in your personal development is to make your plan complicated.
There is a tendency for all of us to think that for us to achieve something great, we have to change greatly. We want to change in all aspects of our lives. We want to change in intellectual, social, relational, physical, intellectual, financial, and spiritual aspects of our lives.
We cannot change anything when we try to change so many things.
We will be overwhelmed with many because we have limited time, energy, and attention.
The simplest way to create a personal development plan is to consider one thing that can make a significant difference in your life.
There is one thing that, when achieved, your other goals will become unnecessary, irrelevant, or easier.
I would like to give an example.
There was a time I was thinking of becoming a motivational speaker. I was a school teacher then, and I know something about public speaking.
But there is a difference between teaching a group of students and delivering a keynote speech before a paying audience.
Students listened to me because they wanted to pass. Paying audience expects me to be excellent.
To become a speaker, I would have to find an opportunity to learn to speak to a group of people who are likely to become my audience too.
I searched for organizations that could help me. Not necessarily a school of public speakers. But an organization where I can deliver speeches.
I found this organization called Toastmasters International. I asked for possible clubs within Quezon City, and the nearest one I found was in Matalino Street, the Metro Manila Toastmasters Club.
I joined the club because I wanted to become a motivational speaker. As a new member, I tried hard to deliver motivational speeches. I tried hard to impress my audience.
Because I was trying hard, public speaking became stressful and complicated.
Thankfully, a mentor taught me that I was doing it wrong.
Speaking does not have to be complicated. Instead of expecting great evaluations and standing ovations, it is better to focus on speaking. I must enjoy it. Make it easy and simple.
Make a personal development plan which will only demand a little effort from you. The goal is to enjoy it. Find the least resistance and the least amount of effort.
Delivering an outstanding speech or getting standing ovations are good goals. But those are goals I had no control over. What’s important is what I do every time I stand on a stage.
Instead of thinking about the results, think about what you will do to create the results and focus on what you do.
Consider not just your goal but those simple things you will do.
Enjoy your life. Make it easy for you to grow. Make your personal development plan simple.
