Strategic Planning in Three Easy Steps

Strategic planning is usually used by organizations to set goals and a path to follow in order to fix problems or realize a process that will move their organization forward. Strategic planning is also useful to help you move your life forward and reach your own goals. It really is much simpler than the mountain of books on the topic would have you believe. Here's how:

1. Decide what you want the outcome of your situation to look like. For example, if you are feeling less than prepared for the possibility of a hurricane in your area, your goal may be "I am completely prepared for the possibility of a Category 5 hurricane to make a direct hit on my neighborhood".
2. Do some research and then make a list of all of the components that being prepared for the hurricane would entail--the bigger the list the better. Your list should include things like make sure I have full coverage insurance for my home, including flood and hurricane-type coverage. Other components may include getting a weather radio, having $5,000 in the bank specifically for evacuation, never having less than a half tank of gas, having BOBs at the ready, having enough plywood and screws stored in the shed to cover all of the windows, having a plan to move or rebuild if your home is destroyed, etc.
3. Make a "to do" list based on the items in #2 that you need to accomplish to reach your ultimate goal then take steps everyday to knock these things off of your list. Obviously big components should be broken down into smaller pieces in order to make them more reachable such as putting $5 in the bank every day for 1,000 days if that's what it takes to get the money put aside. You will also want to prioritize your "to do" list based on the importance or necessity of each task. Something like making sure your insurance is in order should be of the highest priority, while getting a special weather radio may be of lower priority due to the possibility of receiving the same news on your local radio or TV.