To-do lists are simple planners people use to organize their day. But have you ever thought about having a to-do list for a month, a year, or better yet, ten years? It seems like a long time but time passes fast. Without a clear and concise plan of where you are and where you’re going, it can be difficult to notice significant life achievements.
To set a ten-year plan, you need to have a sober mind, sense of direction, template, pen, and paper. It could be a business plan or a personal life plan. Regardless, you must have short-term and mid-term goals to set up your long-term goals.
Before we delve more into what to plan and how, the purpose of planning is to achieve a goal. For the entire 10 years that you are planning for, your goals should be SMART.
What Are the 5 SMART Goals?
Along with drawing a clear map of where you want to be in ten years, you must also identify your smart goals. ‘SMART goals’ is an acronym that outlines what each agenda in your ten-year plan must be. In this case, your smart goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
In this article, we help you figure out how to set up a ten-year plan with SMART goals.
Ten Year Plan Template
You need to have a template to guide you on specific areas of what you want to plan. It should divide your plan into several crucial sections. When you have a template in place, you can focus all of your efforts towards achieving your main goal. Therefore, to set up a good ten-year plan, you need to focus on the following areas:
Health
Nothing progresses when you are unwell. Regular workouts, a healthy diet, and frequent medical check-ups ensure you are healthy and in good shape is key.
Identify how many hours and days you plan to visit the gym or go out for a run. It’s important to make wellness plans that cater to your mental and spiritual well-being. It’s critical to take care of yourself physically and mentally while honing in on financial and business needs.
Business
As a business person, make it clear which projects you want to start, keep, or discard. Set priorities and work to achieve these targets.
Is there a new business venture you’ve been eyeing for some time now? Start that gym, open that small business, or write and publish your book. In order to make it happen, you must create a plan which includes micro-executable steps mapped out over the next few years.
It’s not only about time and materials. You must figure out a proper budget when creating a specific business goal. Consider yearly projections and estimates for your future plan and adjust accordingly.
Investments
Investments work as insurance for when that rainy day comes. Successful investments guarantee peace of mind and financial security for a comfortable life. Don’t let your financial abilities or inabilities keep you from making worthy investments.
Say, for example, you would like to invest in the stock market, in your ten-year plan, figure out how much you’ll need to save per month, what investment company you will work with, and how much projected income you expect to get in return.
If you have any loans or mortgages, create a debt management plan detailing how you plan to keep up with your monthly/yearly payments. Should you need to cut down on spending, make better financial decisions, or take up an extra job, go for it. This keeps you committed to your goals and closer to success.
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Social Responsibility
It’s important to explore your talents, skills, knowledge, and money to help others in need. Sharing time, gifts and energy is as rewarding as it gets.
Make weekly, monthly and yearly plans of what you wish to give for charity. For the ten years, it will help you achieve something that perhaps you would not have achieved without a plan. It also helps in managing your finances so that you do not spend where you have not planned.
Why Is It Important to Make a Ten-year Plan?
Ten years ago, you were likely in a different place than you are today. You, probably, moved houses, graduated, got married, got promoted at work, bought a house, and so on. With a ten-year plan in place very little catches you by surprise.
While you can’t have a plan that reveals everything about what this ten-year duration will look like, you’re still several steps ahead when you have a plan.
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Accountability
Your ten-year plan works as a guide that you look back to on a monthly or yearly basis. Considering your short-, mid-, and long-term goals, you can tell how close or how far you are from reaching your target. This process will keep you accountable, pushing you to do and be your best.
Focus
When you know what you are working towards, your eyes are always on the prize. Your focus will not waver, nor will your determination. If you don’t have a specific goal, it’s easy to get caught up in side-hustles, small projects, and other people’s dreams. Knowing what you want is important in life.
Motivate and Engage
It’s enlightening to share your goals with people who are where you want to be in life or business. Avoid keeping your plan a secret.
A ten-year plan is a perfect excuse to engage with people you admire and who might even be like-minded. The advice you get in return will promise to motivate you to make the necessary changes to explore your potential.
Empowerment
Whether in your personal life or business, your intentions set your trajectory. This means all the hard work you put into your plan and the progress you’ve made will only leave you in a better place than where you started. If you execute your plan as intended, you will be far more empowered by the time a decade has elapsed.
Decision Making
In any work, business, or personal environment, decisions must be justified and rationalized. Having a set plan will reconfirm where your priorities are as well as keep you from making unwise decisions. Every decision you make from this point forward must align with your strategic goals.
Once your eyes are opened to this way of thinking, you will see just how powerful this way of thinking truly is. Every move, every request you deny, every hour you dedicate to your goal – matters.
Ten Year Plan Conclusion
A ten-year plan helps build a performance culture that calls for a rigorous planning process that should be part of how you run your life and business. It catapults you towards predictable achievements.
Grab your pen and paper and open yourself up to limitless possibilities. Commit to something tangible and don’t stop until you have it in your grasp.