The Importance of Creating a Personal Development Plan

Sometimes we can have dreams and goals for our lives but feel uncertain about how to achieve them. At other times we can experience the opposite problem — we’re not sure what our goals actually are or what we want. This is where a personal development plan comes in, as you can use it as a roadmap for defining and achieving your goals. 

In this City Lit Career Hub guide, we outline the importance of a personal development plan, how to create one and how to stick to it. 

A personal development plan is a framework for working out what you want and how you’re going to achieve it, step by step by step. It can include career, educational and personal goals. 

This kind of plan also helps you to work out what skills, training and qualifications you might need to help you move forward (for inspiration, take a look at our 10 Learning Tips for Adults).

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A personal development plan helps you to set goals strategically. This means that you don’t just clarify what you want to achieve — you work out how you are going to get there as well. Think of it as a way of making your goals more actionable and achievable.

So whether you want to study for a degree, change career or start a new business, you can put a strategy in place for getting where you want to be.

Creating a roadmap for your life also gives you more of a sense of meaning and purpose. Instead of feeling like you are treading water or on the wrong path, you can start progressing towards what you truly want. 

 

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To get started, you can download free personal development plan templates online. The actual process of making a plan can be broken down into seven steps, as follows:

 

Step 1: Reflect
Assess your current situation. What are you satisfied with and not satisfied with about your life? What do you want to achieve in your career? What is your vision for your future?

Also, what strengths can you draw upon? What transferable skills can you develop? Do you need education or skills training to get where you want to go?

 

Step 2: Define
Once you have decided what you want, it’s time to turn your vision into a set of goals that support it. The most effective goals fit the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound). 

In other words, you need to be clear on what your goals are, make sure that they are achievable, be able to measure your progress, assess whether they are relevant to your overall vision and also set clear deadlines for them.

For instance, if changing career is in your personal development plan, then a SMART goal could be “I will do a college course that will give me the skills needed for my new career. I will complete this course within 12 months”. 

 

Step 3: Plan 
Now that you have a set of SMART goals in place, it’s time to create an action plan for how to achieve them. Your action plan should include:

1. Scheduling: set aside time in your week and month to focus on each goal. For instance, if you want to learn coding, then you could decide to devote an hour each evening to this. In this way, you will be making continuous progress.
2. Deadlines: set a clear date for when you want to achieve each goal. Once you have deadlines, you will be less likely to keep postponing your goals.
3. Micro goals: aim to break bigger goals down into smaller, more achievable ones. For instance, if you want to do a long-term training course, then make passing each module a micro milestone. This will make your progress feel more tangible and give you a sense of momentum.
4. Measurement metrics: make sure you have a system in place for measuring your progress. So if your goal is to run a marathon by the end of 12 months, then you could set running distance targets to achieve each month. This will help you to keep on track.

Step 4: Implement
Now it’s time to actualise your personal development plan. This can include sticking to the schedule you have created, completing micro milestones, and building new habits.

 

Step 5: Track
It’s important to check in regularly with your personal development plan (once a month is a good rule of thumb). Set aside time to honestly assess whether you have been sticking to your schedule and achieving your micro goals. Examine what is and isn’t working — and why. 

 

Step 6: Adjust
Most personal development plans will need tweaking and adjustment at some point.

If you have stalled with any of your goals then explore what you can do to get back on track. For instance, would it help to find a mentor in your chosen career field? Or instead of self-directed study, would you benefit from the sense of structure offered by a training course? 

If your goals have changed or evolved, then adjust your personal development plan to reflect this — or even renew it altogether. 

 

Step 7: Recognise 
Don’t forget to take time out to recognise your achievements, no matter how small. You can do this in various ways, from marking your successes on a checklist to giving yourself rewards. 

Taking the time to reflect on how far you’ve come can also galvanise you to reach the finishing line with each of your goals. 

 

We can all encounter setbacks when trying to achieve our goals. Life can get in the way, we can get busy or we can simply become discouraged. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you break your goals down into achievable micro milestones, set aside time in your schedule to work on them and check in with your progress regularly. 

Another way to stick to your personal development plan is to team up with accountability partners. Whether it’s finding a fitness friend, study buddy or business mentor, don’t feel that you have to achieve everything alone. Colleges like City Lit can also offer supportive environments for achieving your goals.

It’s natural to face challenges and setbacks when trying to make life changes. But once you have a clear roadmap to guide you, it’s easier to start creating the future that you want.

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