9 Bad Azz Professional Development items you need to include in your Goal Plan

Alright, let’s get specific. In order to conquer the art form of professional development you need to be specific about the steps you take when pursuing a goal. You also need to know why and how these specific items should be laid out. Well, this post is going to rock your world with that information. 

I used to live in la la land. All I wanted was to be a star and not think twice about how to get there. Living that way eventually led me to abandon my dreams. Soon all I did was dedicate my time and energy to work and I was reaching crazy accolades in corporate America. Is it that I wanted to win in this new world? No, I was too busy going after it to dream about it.

Here’s the plan. In life, you have to focus on what you’re doing not what’s given to you or what you want. It’s all about putting in the work. And sure that sounds easier said than done but after reading this post you’ll discover that it’s actually very easy to do.

It’s way easier than waiting around for a dream to come true.

This post is all about professional development.

Professional Development

1) Define how many hours you have to dedicate to this area of your life- block it on your calendar

Time can either be your greatest enemy or your best ally. Define for yourself how many hours a day you actually have in order to dedicate your time to your goals. Be specific!

We all need time to wake up and that includes getting ready, eating, and pulling ourselves out of our beds. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you need. I used to try to schedule some items to complete first thing in the morning but it wasn’t a feasible routine for me.

You also need to make time for your meals, your grooming, your job, commuting, and any other tasks that need to get done during the day. Be realistic. A half-hour to prepare and eat dinner is not enough time.

After you’ve isolated your buckets of time, now you have something you can actually work with. Don’t take time away from the things you have to do to live.

2) Define how you work best- do you need breaks in between projects?

Now you need to understand how you like to work. Are you someone who can work two hours straight or someone that needs to take breaks? How long does it actually take you to get into the flow of things? What do you need to keep you engaged while completing a task?

Personally, I spend three days a week just writing one blog. Day one is spent on the outline and creating the intro. Day two is spent writing the body of the blog. The actual content. Day three is spent reviewing and adding graphics and ads. When I first began writing I tried to do it all in one day but I’ve realized that in order for me to enjoy the experience, be proud of the work I create, and follow the timeslots I have available to use each day, it would need to be broken down into three days.

Be honest with yourself and if you need to take breaks, take them. Just make sure that you’ve scheduled time for it.

3) Define an idea of what you want to accomplish or excel at

After we’ve defined the time we have available to use and know exactly how we’d like to work, now you need to know what to work on. If you don’t know where to start that is perfectly fine. Use the time you’ve allocated to do some research.

I had to take a break from writing my book because I wanted to first understand the whole self-publishing process. Strategy is very important to me and I needed to first develop a strategy that covered the process from writing to marketing. But that’s just me. Very result-orientated. You don’t need to go through this level of detail but if you don’t know what you’d like to accomplish, start with some research.

4) Define one specific immediate goal you can obtain – don’t think about anything else, plans change all the time

After you’ve defined your goal you need to look at it again. Split it in half. Make it smaller. Something that is tangible and specific. And don’t think about anything else.

Going back to my book example, now all I care about are the words on the page, finishing my story. Once I’m done I’ll think about the strategy I created and all the steps I’d like to take before printing out a mock copy of my book. However, as of right now, those items do not matter to me in the slightest.

Become laser-focused on this one specific goal. It should be the only thing that matters to you in this world. Sure that’s a slight exaggeration but only slightly.

5) Put this task into your calendar where you’ve defined the free time

Remember that time you’ve freed up on your schedule? Well, it’s time to dedicate it to your goal. To that specific task, you’ve decided to work on.

If you haven’t already, get an agenda or a planner and start jotting this down. My personal favorite is google calendar. It allows you to color code your calendar, it’s easy to use, and you can take it anywhere with you.

Also here’s a piece of advice for you, be consistent. At least to the best of your ability. Try not to spend three hours working on your goal once a week. The only way for you to build a habit is to have a level of consistency.

6) Setup your workspace for success

You’re not entirely ready to work and roll. Make sure you know where you work best. Are you someone that needs to be alone in a room? Maybe you can only work from your desktop? Having an idea of what kind of workspace you need, keeps you motivated and that is imperative.

The last thing you want is to be ready to work but you can not find a quiet room in your house or your laptop is dead and you can only work from that device. It’s fine to have a preference. It’s actually encouraged. Just make sure it’s available for the times you allotted. Otherwise, you need to find another time or another place.

7) Forget about it until it’s time to work on it

Sometimes we think about something so much that we feel like we’re working on it. And sometimes this thought process really dissuades us from actively working on what we set out to do because it either raises fears or feels like the thought of it, is enough work. Don’t do that. Make sure to make the time and space to disconnect.

You are a whole human being and sometimes we need to step away from things in order to feel refreshed and inspired.

Also from a perspective of efficiency, it’s completely unsustainable because you’re not a robot. Sure you can make the argument that you live and dream this goal and that matters to you. But then my question is what have you been able to complete and are you proud of it thus far?

If you’re happy with how you’re moving forward then keep going. But if you’re like me, at the beginning of this post, and not focusing any time on actually taking action, then stop it. Stop it right now.

8) Be protective of who you share your professional development with

Our friends mean well or at least I hope so. Make sure that as you go through this process you try to protect yourself.

Constructive criticism is important but it shouldn’t influence your goals. People are quick to judge and share their opinions with you and there’s a time and a place for it. Personally, I’ve had many moments where I share something with someone and then they actively begin to try to tell me the best course to take. On an activity, they’re not participating in. They mean well but it’s kind of annoying how much people love to tell others what they should be doing.

Another reason why you may want to be protective is that it makes you vulnerable and not everyone deserves to hear your story. Make sure that sharing your information is a privilege, never feel like you’re lucky to have someone to listen to you. People need to earn a piece of your heart.

9) Repeat this process until it’s complete

Now it’s a rinse-and-repeat process until you’ve conquered all the pieces of your goal. And once you reach your goal you do some more research and decide what you’d like to focus on next.

This post was all about professional development and the bad azz items you need to include in your goal plan.