How to Make a Plan

Plans are paradoxical. We must have successful plans to enjoy life, but too many plans get in the way of living! If we have an effective plan, we can stop planning and start enjoying life! A successful plan entails a few steps. First, make a plan that is consistent with your goals, values and priorities. Then grease the plan and get into action! GREASE is a plan of action consisting of six simple principles: Gradual, Reinforced, Easy, Alternatives, Supported, and Educated. But before we get there, let’s do a thought experiment.

Imagine your best possible self

Think about yourself in the future. Imagine that your life has gone as well as it could. You have worked hard and managed to accomplish your most important goals.  Now write about what you have imagined.

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A version of this exercise was originally designed by Professor Laura King from The University of Missouri Columbia. A number of studies have found that engaging in this exercise for 20 minutes over a course of a few days resulted in higher levels of reported happiness. According to Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, it can also help establish the connection between present day actions and long term goals. It can inform the goals you need to work on today in order to realize your dreams and aspirations tomorrow. Which goals would you need to accomplish in your present life in order to reach your long-term aspirations?

Gradual

Take small steps at first. Don’t run before you walk. Avoid shocking your system with drastic changes that are not sustainable. For example, if you haven’t exercised in a long time, start with walking 20 minutes a day instead of running for 45. You can then add a few minutes here and there until you start running. If you want to get up earlier, don’t go from 7 am to 5 am. Give your body a chance to get used to the new routine slowly.

Reinforced

Which rewards work for you? How can you reinforce yourself for making progress toward your goal? Reinforcements come in all sorts of ways. You can tell yourself that you’ve accomplished something important, you can take yourself to the movies, or you can share the news in social media to get reinforcement from friends and family. Writing down your accomplishments in a diary is also a good idea. Telling yourself that you are getting closer to becoming the person you want to be is a positive reinforcement.

Easy

Since changing a behavior can be difficult, do whatever you can to make it easier. Self-efficacy is built on small successes. If you’re studying another language, set an easy goal for the first week, like studying 20 minutes three times a week. Make sure the goal is realistic. If 20 minutes three times a week is too much, start with twice a week.

Make it easier by eliminating cues for problem behavior and introducing cues for healthy behavior. Whatever you do, don’t tempt yourself.

What can you do to make it easier for yourself to meet your goal? What small steps can you take in order to be successful and build self-efficacy? Which cues in your environment do you need to change?

Alternatives

Find substitutes for the behavior you want to change. If you like sweets, but you need to lower your sugar consumption, how about eating fruit instead? If you want to become vegetarian, but worry about lack of protein, make sure you get enough from legumes, nuts and whole grains. If you’re stuck in a pattern of bickering with your kids every morning because you leave the house for school late, how about setting the alarm to go off 20 minutes earlier? If you experience boredom, how about picking up a hobby like playing an instrument or gardening?

What are some alternatives that can help you achieve your goal?

Supported

Get help from friends and family. Make a commitment to a friend or relative that you’re serious about changing an aspect of your life, like improving your diet, and ask them to support you. Create a team of supporters around you. Change is a team sport; it requires the support of others who celebrate your accomplishments, and lift you up when you’re down.

Who can you count on to support your goal? What do you need from whom in order to achieve your goal?

Educated

Inform yourself about the issue you’re dealing with. If you want to quit smoking, learn about alternatives. Don’t go from cigarettes to e-cigarettes just because they’re advertised as a safe form of smoking. If you want to lose weight, don’t go on a crazy diet that doesn’t work. Instead, get started on a lifestyle that balances healthy eating with proper physical activity. Generally, products that offer great promises tend to exaggerate their claims.

Have you ever seen the commercials that list the possible side effects of medications? These can be serious, so don’t ignore them. Be an informed consumer. Spend some time asking experts or reading on the issue before you jump from one problem to the next. The good news is that many problems can be alleviated in natural ways. Identify a person you respect or a website from a reliable organization and consult with them. Get good sources from the library and read up on the issue. People who have managed to change the behavior you’re after are usually good sources of information. Remember that an effective plan can prevent you from having to plan too much. Follow the GREASE steps, and start living instead of planning!

Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky is an award-winning academic and author. He is also a coach, consultant and a researcher. His latest book, co-authored with his wife, Dr. Ora Prilleltensky, is How People Matter: Why it Affects Health, Happiness, Love, Work, and Society (Cambridge University Press, 2021). Press here to order.