Do you want to improve your life but have no idea where to begin? Or does the thought of personal development overwhelm you, because you have no clue what to do? Well, personal development is a constant process and takes a lot of time, but if you have been struggling to find the right direction, then what you really need is a Life Improvement plan.
What is a life Improvement plan?
You see, in order to improve our lives and to get better, we need to know what kind of life we actually want. Because without having a clear idea of what you want, you can’t really make any changes, can you? You need to have some direction. Of course there are some changes that almost anyone can make to improve their lives like eating healthier and working out more.
But to build a life that you really love, you need to have a plan and you need a vision. You need to know what do you want more of and what would you like to cut from your life. And then you can work towards making that vision a reality.
And this vision of what your life is supposed to look like will help you come up with a life improvement plan. And having this life improvement plan will make it easier for you to make choices as you go. What kind of people do you want to hang out with, what habit do you want to adopt and what career path you want to follow. And you need to give a thought to all these things and put them in writing. And that will be your Life improvement plan.
How to make a Life improvement plan:
It is easier than it sounds and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Sure we are talking about writing down what you want from your life, but you see, this part is exciting, the hard work and the sweat and tears will come in later, when it’s time to put it to execution.
So, to make a life improvement or self improvement plan, here are the steps you need to take:
#1: Brainstorm:
The first step to writing your life improvement plan is to brainstorm. So sit down in peace and quiet with a piece of paper and write down everything you want your life to look like. Write down the goals you want to achieve in every aspect of your life. So write down your personal, physical, financial and professional goals as well.
Do not think about how far in the future some of those goals may look right now. Just write them down. And while we are at it, you don’t need to be entirely logical at this point.Just picture your life and what you want it to look like in a couple of years.
#2: Divide your goals into different areas:
Now, the next step is to divide your goals into different aspects or areas or categories. Look at your goals and then divide them into categories. It will help you understand what work needs to be done in order to achieve those goals. I usually divide my goals into 4 categories to keep it simple, i.e. Health, financial, professional and personal/social.
But you could divide them into as many categories as you want. And it depends from person to person. For me, health is a category in itself because that’s something I really am inclined on improving. So depending on how you look at your life, divide your goals into different aspects.
#3: Refine your goals:
Now is the time to look at your goals through a filter. Your goals simply can’t be to have a body like a Victoria’s secret model. I am not saying that’s not something you shouldn’t strive for, but you need to filter your goals through a reality check. And ask yourself ” why”. Why is achieving some goals important to you and what’s the real emotion behind it. It will help you get a better understanding of what you really want.
So instead of simply writing down I want to lose 30 Pounds, ask yourself why. And maybe you want to lose weight to feel more confident and to be stronger and have better health. Asking this why will help you realise that you do not need to be focussing just on the number on the scale and maybe there could be some other metric to measure whether you’ve reached your goal or not.
#4: Make an action plan:
In order to achieve any goal in life, you need to have an action plan. Without having an action plan, you’ll simply not be able to achieve your goal. Sorry to be so harsh and direct, but it is what it is. No matter how big your goal is, you need a plan to achieve it. So think hard about your goals and then write down steps that will help you achieve that goal.
So let’s say your goal is to save $20k by the end of the year, the question is now how. How will you go about achieving that goal. See without knowing the how, you have no set path to actually get there and you’re just daydreaming.
So instead of simply saying I want to save $20k by the end of the year, lay out a roadmap for yourself as to how you’re going to achieve that goal. And your steps could be:
- Cut down on your Monthly spendings
- Start a side hustle
- Live below your means and so on..
#5: Assess the situation you are in right now:
In order to achieve the big goals that you have for yourself, you need to assess and address your current situation first. Maybe some goals require you to learn some new skills or abilities. So before starting off and starting to work towards those goals you need to see what new set of skills you need to learn. You can then include these skills in your life development plan.
#6: Take action:
And the most important step is to finally take action towards achieving your goals. nothing comes easy and creating your best life will require you to take action and be committed even when you’re not seeing results. Sometimes of course, you may even need to change your path to achieve your goals. But you will need to adopt some habits that will help you reach your goals and make them your reality.
Ideas for your Life improvement plan:
Now coming down to your life improvement plan, here are some ideas for you to get inspired.
Become a planner girl: Planning your day and to-dos everyday sets you up for success and if you are not in the habit of planning yet, it is such a good habit to adopt. And you don’t need to go all crazy and those really artsy BUJO spreads. All you need is a pen and paper and start writing down your to-do list and then prioritising the tasks that are important.
10 things to do at the start of every month: Doing these things at the start of each month will help you be more intentional about your life. Sure you have goals and are taking steps, but you need to be reviewing those goals and changing your game plan accordingly to actually reach your goals. And being more intentional about those goals and tracking your progress definitely helps.
Get your home organised: If you have always wanted to have an organised home and feel like you have your entire life together, start by inculcating simple habits like decluttering and organising. I highly recommend making a 15 minute Daily cleaning routine that will help you in keeping a neat and tidy home, no matter how busy you are.
It’s also great to set up systems in place that will help you maintain a clutter free and organised home with ease.
Get your life organised: Getting your entire life organised seems like a big deal and may seem overwhelming. but it is possible to get your life together in a day. All you need to do is have a GYST day. Doing a reset or a GYST day monthly will help you review everything and get things in order.
Take a glow up challenge: Take a 30 day glow up challenge to glow up on the outside and to glow up from with in. This involves taking the challenge and adopting a set of good habits that the challenge mentions. I love doing a glow up before summer or every few months and it is such a great challenge to take on because it helps you get right back into the healthy habits.
Quit toxic habits: Quitting toxic habits is a must when on your personal development journey. These are the habits that hold you back from living your best life.
Adopt these good morning habits: Adopting good morning habits and making a healthy morning routine is something that’s super important but takes time. And you must adopt these good morning habits slowly into your routine to level up and improve your life.
Start Meal Planning & Prepping: Meal planning and meal prepping has changed my life. It has allowed me to eat healthier home cooked meals. And that has been amazing in terms of improving my health as well as my finances, considering I don’t eat out as much as I used to.
And I know it can seem a bit overwhelming to you if you have never tried it before but give it a sincere try and I am sure you will start seeing the benefits too.
Try new ways to be more productive: Productivity is something that I do not take lightly and that’s because I don’t like working long hours. I sure have done that in the past and have had days where I have worked for 12-16 hours. But not anymore.
I like having my free time and taking time to just relax and being more productive and focussed during my work day helps me do that as it frees up my time. And so, I keep trying new ways to be more productive and trying new techniques every now and then. And I keep adopting the ones that I think make a real difference.
Elevate your life: Make it a goal to elevate your life with small habits and routines in place. Here are 5 simple ways to level up your life.
Improve your personal Style: Improving your personal style will take a lot of time and experimenting. So try out different styles to see what you like and what you feel comfortable in. Here are 15 Fashion swaps to instantly improve your style.
Declutter your wardrobe: If you are not in a habit of decluttering every now and then, you should work on getting started. Decluttering will help you remove things from your life that no longer bring joy and allow you to make more space for things that do.
Get in shape: Of course it’s not about losing a few pounds, but you still can include being more healthy in your life improvement plan. There are a couple of metrics other than the scale on which you could measure your progress as well.
Adopt healthy mornings habits & make a routine: Healthy morning habits and a morning routine that works for you will literally change your entire life. So figure out what you like to do and make a morning routine that serves you and that lets you work on your personal development goals too instead of just rushing in the mornings.
Build more confidence: Confidence is not something that we’re born with but we sure can build it over time. And here are 10 Daily habits to be a more confident woman.
Be a classier lady: Who doesn’t want to be a more classier version of themselves? So get right on it with these 19 daily habits to copy from classy women.
Try new hairstyles and makeup: Learn some new hairstyles and makeup that doesn’t take hours to do. it will always come in handy when you are rushing to go somewhere but still want to look presentable.
How to always look good: While we are on looking presentable, how about learning a few no makeup tips that can help you look good without putting in any efforts.
Become a morning person: No, you don’t have to wake up at 4 AM or 5 AM to be a morning person. Just try waking up 30 minutes before you usually do. these 30 minutes will help you not be so rushed in the mornings. And while we are on that, stop hitting snooze in the mornings, it’s doing more harm than good.
Improve your personal hygiene game: Well, someone needed to say this. Here are the personal hygiene secrets you need to know.
Start utilising your time better: Stop wasting your time on things that are not adding anything to your life like Netflix every night. Instead, use that time to do something productive to make a better use of your time.
Self care routine & Ideas: Make a self care routine and have a list of self care ideas handy because god knows you will need it.
Change your money mindset: A lot of how you handle your money is about your money mindset and not how much money you make. So work on removing limiting beliefs around money and changing your mindset.
Related: 8 Ways to completely transform your money mindset
Improve your finances: You’re gonna have to bite the bullet sooner or later, so why not right now? Take a control of your finances and if you do not do a budget yet, you need to get on it right away. Here are some resources that will help:
Pay off your debt: One of the most adult things that you need to step on right away. If you are struggling with paying off debt too, check out these posts:
Start building an emergency fund: Because no one wants to dip into credit card debt whenever any emergency strikes.
Do a Sunday/weekly reset: Weekly resets allow you to reset your life every single week and get things organised. They help you get everything in order and feel prepared for the week ahead. So, make a weekly reset routine that will help you get your shit together every week.
Related:
Start writing down goals: You are 42% more likely to achieve your goals when you start writing them down. So take a piece of paper and start writing them down. Here is How to set SMART goals and achieve them too.
Frugal Living Habits: Adopt frugal living habits and start living below your means. You do not have to cheap about it, just need to be smart about your money.
Here are 17 Daily habits to copy from Frugal People
Make saving money a habit: Do not wait for next year to start saving money or to start earning more before you start saving. Here are stupid things you can stop buying to save more money this year.
Start a side hustle: If you have been on the fence about starting a side hustle, make it a part of your personal development plan and get on it.
Try affirmations: Affirmations can be life changing when done consistently, so why not make it a habit to start your day with some affirmations.
Try journalling: I can not stress this enough. Make it a point to have “Try journalling” on your life improvement plan. It will help you understand and connect with your emotions better.
Start a Gratitude Journal: Other than Journalling, why not start a Gratitude journal. It can be life changing. All it takes is 5 minutes and it can have such a big impact on your mindset and perspective.
Stop scrolling social media mindlessly: We all know you’ve spent countless hours and it has not done any good.
Develop a positive mindset: Easier said than done, but with time you sure can work on developing a more positive mindset.
Find the cause of your laziness and get over the habit of procrastinating:
Decide to love yourself unconditionally: This is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Give yourself grace and love yourself unconditionally. Here is how to love yourself and the body you are in.
Makeover your home: Decor is something that can make or break your mood instantly. So take time to decorate your house and make it a space you absolutely love.
Let go of negativity/Toxic people
Spend quality time with people who matter to you
Boss girl habits: Work on adopting the right habits that will help you be more successful in life. Here are 10 Boss girl Habits to adopt
Read more books: Such a great way to level up in life and gain more knowledge. Here are 9 Finance books that will make you rich
Clean and clutter free home: Make it a habit to tidy and declutter your home on the daily. It will help you make your home a calming and relaxing space to come to after a hectic day at work.
Take up a creative hobby: Having a creative hobby will keep you inspired and filled with energy as you let out your creativity
Spend more time in the nature: It is so helpful in healing your body, mind and soul
Start showing more initiative at work:
Make a Vision board: Make a vision board of what you want your life to look like and where do you see yourself in 5-10 years.
Make a reset routine for every season: Reset routine will help you get your life and home in order every season and help you feel more ready. Here is how I declutter and Spring clean my entire house.
Watch what you eat and develop healthy eating habits: Sure takes time to build and adopt the right habits but they can be so impactful in terms of the affect they have on your health.
Work on your mental health
Change your job if it makes you miserable: Even if you don’t have no idea what else you’d do, make a plan to quit by building up side hustle or finding your passion
Make a list of things you want to learn: And make a realistic plan to learn them one at a time
Start doing 30/90 day challenges: Challenges can be good as they keep us motivated and inspired. Take this 30 Day Glow up challenge to begin with.
The BOTTOM LINE:
Personal development takes a lot of time and is a continuous process. but having a life improvement plan helps you go in the right direction and to make continuous changes to your habits and lifestyle. And with constant efforts you can most certainly create a life that you desire.
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