Before diving into planning, we need a clear understanding of what exactly we want to plan. For that, we need goals. We will be working on forming them throughout the entire second section. To make this task easier for you and give it some structure, I have put together a step-by-step plan. However, the absence of goals is only half the battle. The second problem is that you do not yet have experience in setting goals correctly, nor do you have the habit of achieving them and tracking progress. We will try to solve the first problem in the current section, and the second in the sections that follow. So, what planning stages would I recommend you identify before plunging headlong into planning:
1. Determine what you want from life.
2. Determine what you want from the next 3–5 years.
3. Determine what you want to accomplish in a year. Connect your backlog.
4. Sort and prioritize the list.
5. For each goal, determine its type.
6. Include routine tasks and family goals in the list.
7. Estimate how many financial and time-based goals you can accomplish this year.
8. Draw up a plan for the year.
9. Follow your plan.
As you can see, this list largely resembles the "Pyramid of Life Goals" I wrote about in the first book, but with some refinements and nuances.
