BACKWARD PLANNING | START WITH THE END IN MIND

Getting things done can be mentally taxing. We all start with the ultimate goal in our mind and think that is enough to navigate our way through. Even with the clarity of the end result, we find it hard to begin with it or we digress along the journey. Why is that? Because we miss to define the intermediary check points.
A lot of times, when considering something we want to do, we bite off more than we can chew. Setting a big-picture goal is mandatory because clarity in why we are doing something will help us with what and how to do that something. To prevent the delay and achieving the set goal in the most efficient manner, planning plays a crucial role.

Backward Planning or designing

Backward planning or backward designing means when you plan in reverse, you start with your end goal and then work your way backwards from there to develop a plan of action. You need to break down the goals into small, actionable chunks. Items that you can actually set out and achieve everyday. Daily victories, no matter how small, keep you on your toes, gives you hope and boosts your confidence. Not only this, you can always trace it back to where you started and measure how long you came and how far you have to go.

As you break your goals down, ask yourself, can it be done now? If not, keep breaking it till your answer changes to yes. The idea is to break the bigger chunks to small enough that can be attained in a day. Everyday achieving one small goal will compound to bigger victories over the time and finally the ultimate goal.
As with nearly everything else, you’ll get better and better at this with practice. As you practice using this system again and again, it will develop into a habit, and become nearly automatic.

Always start with the end in mind!