What is a personal development plan and how to write one

What is such a plan for?

The personal development plan used in HRHow to make an individual development plan yourself, based on theoryIntentional change deliberate change by Richard Boyatzis, professor of organizational behavior and author of several bestselling books on human resources management. In his theory, Boyatsis prescribed five steps that should help a person not only correct his behavior, habits and life, but also to consolidate these changes so that they stay with him for a long time.

A plan helps you understand yourself, define what you are striving for, set goals and prescribe the steps necessary to achieve them. And also - to foresee the obstacles that may arise in your way, and think about how to overcome them. As a result, you will have something like a roadmap that will tell you where to go and what skills develop to achieve what you want.

How to write a personal development plan

Step 1. Identify your real self

This is the starting point of your journey. At this stage, you need to analyze your current life and ask yourself:

• Am I happy with the way I live?
• What do I like about myself and what do I not?
• What's in my life most of me pleases, and what upsets?
• What am I doing well and what could I do better?
• Which areas of my life are in order, and which ones are worth "pumping"?
• What good habits and skills do I have, and what else should I develop?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses?

To make it easier to assess the results, some parameters and skills can be assessed on a ten-point scale: “How much, from 0 to 10, am I satisfied with my life?”, “How much would I rate my career or self-development?».

Step 2. Identify your ideal self

Dream a little and try to imagine what kind of life you would like to live, what you would like to come to and what you yourself have to become in order to receive all this. Usually a person already has such an ideal image in his head. But if the picture doesn't add up, try one of these exercises:

• Go back to childhood. And remember what you dreamed about when you were little. How did you see yourself and your life in the future, what did you strive for? Perhaps this image is still relevant now.
• Imagine your ideal day in 10, 15 or 20 years. So you wake up, and... Where do you find yourself, what is around you, who is next to you? How do you look, how you behave, what is your day filled with, what emotions does it bring you?
• Imagine the worst possible scenario. How would you never want to live, what kind of person would you not want to be, what would you never want to do? If you turn over the resulting picture, it becomes clear what you really are I want to. For example, if in your worst nightmares you see how you work in a huge open space, then your ideal life should have a small cozy company or, in general, a home office.
• Write yourself a letter from the future. Imagine that you are already retired and have decided to send a message to yourself. What would you tell about yourself and your life, what advice would you give?
• Come up with a metaphor for yourself. This trick use in working with clients, psychotherapists and coaches. You need to think about what you associate the desired image with: for example, with some animal, a fantastic creature, a fictional character. And then analyze what qualities this animal or person has and what his life looks like. By the way, you can think of a metaphor for your current self - it will be even clearer: “Now I am like a drop-fish - helpless, sluggish and cannot withstand the colossal pressure of water. And I want to be a big, strong and calm whale, for which there are no obstacles. "

Step 3. Set specific goals

Compare your real self with your ideal self, write down the qualities that are worth working on, habits, knowledge and skills that you lack. Think about how you can pump all these growth zones. For each, set a specific, measurable, and achievable goal. Break big goals into short stages, tie them to a specific deadline and decide on what parameters you will understand that the stage has been completed and you can move on. Let's look at an example.

“To come to such earnings, you need to get a job in a large international company and take a position higher than my current position. For this I do not have enough knowledge of English. Now my level is Pre-Intermediate, and in order to work with foreign partners and colleagues, I need to raise it to at least Intermediate in six months.

To achieve this, I will find a teacher and I will take an hour twice a week. In addition, I will read at least one professional article a week and listen to at least one adapted podcast. The first step towards the goal is to select a teacher and teaching materials by Tuesday. Second step... "

Thus, you need to write down each goal for each area that you want to improve. By the way, you don't have to do it in plain text - you can use visual notes, mind maps, or special services like My mega plans or Lifetick. So your "road map" to your ideal self will be even clearer.

Step 4. Take action

Follow your plan. But do not try to grab all the goals at once, because, most likely, you got a lot of them. First, pick one or three areas and work on them. When will the first target be reached, take the next one. In order to successfully implement changes in your life and not break down, it is better to keep a few more points in mind:

• Consider your zone of proximal development. Term for the first time introduced Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky, when he wrote about the development and education of children, but this concept can also be applied to adults. The bottom line is to build on your real capabilities, set adequate goals, gradually and gently expand the list of your skills. If your level of english below average, you will not be able to read unadapted adult literature in the original right away. You must first step into the zone of proximal development, that is, choose children's books or simple educational stories. If you've never sung before, you should start with basic vocal exercises and workouts, not casting on TV shows and so on.
• Praise yourself. Keep a success diary or habit tracker and track your accomplishments there. Find a support group in thematic communities or register on a platform where you can publicly set goals and report on their achievement, for example, in Habitica or SmartProgress.
• Create the conditions you need. Finding time for sports will be easier if you have a nanny with your child or if your fitness club has children's programs. Reading books in the original is more convenient with a good reading rooms with built-in dictionary.

Step 5. Assess early results and adjust your strategy

When it comes to practice, it may turn out that you have taken too high or, conversely, a low pace, that the goal is not very relevant, that you need other tools to achieve it. Obstacles may arise that you did not foresee.

After the first successes or failures review your plan and change it slightly if necessary. Feel free to try different tools and approaches and look for what's best for you.