How to Create a Personal Development Plan That Works

Creating a Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a powerful way to take charge of your growth and achieve your career and personal goals. It’s more than just setting goals; it’s about crafting a clear roadmap that guides you from where you are now to where you want to be.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to build a PDP that works, from assessing your current situation and setting achievable goals to identifying resources and tracking your progress. Whether you’re looking to advance in your career, develop new skills, or achieve personal milestones, a well-crafted PDP can help you stay focused and motivated on your journey to success.

What Is Your Current Reality?

Accurately assessing your current reality in relation to your goals involves a few key steps:

1. Skills inventory

Reflect on your current skills, resources, and experiences and make a list. If you need inspiration, look at job descriptions for the role you currently hold or are working towards.

• Assess your proficiency with each skill and rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being a beginner, five being expert).
• Assess the importance of the skill for your ideal future role and rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being not at all useful, five being necessary for success).

Identify the top two skills where your proficiency is below a 3 and the importance is 4 or above, and these will be good targets for your PDP.

2. Identify Obstacles

Reflect on what might stand in your way and make a list. Consider both internal obstacles (like fears, or lack of confidence) and external factors (such as financial constraints or job market conditions).

• Assess the likelihood that each obstacle will get in your way and rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being low likelihood, five being definitely an issue to address).
• Assess the impact of each obstacle and rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being extremely low impact, five means that it will be a definitely blocker to success).

3. Identify Resources

Now that you have a sense of the skills you need to build and the obstacles that may get in your way, you have some good targets for identifying resources that can help you on your journey.

• Who do you know of that has already achieved the goal you are pursuing? Are there mentors you can recruit to help you through the struggles ahead? If you can’t think of any, who in your network can?
• Are there any professional associations that can connect you with tools or communities?
• What courses could you take to build your skills?
• Who can help hold you accountable for making progress towards your goals? This could be a friend, a mentor, a manager, or a coach.
• How have you approached similar challenges in the past? What can you learn about what has been helpful — or what has hindered — your success?

By taking a full inventory of your skills, obstacles, and resources, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of the steps needed to bridge the gap between your current reality and your goals, allowing you to create a more effective and realistic PDP.

Be SMART: Setting Clear and Achievable Goals

SMART goals are a popular framework for setting objectives that are clear and actionable. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. By breaking goals down into these five categories, you ensure that your goals are not only well-defined but also realistic and trackable, making it easier to stay focused and motivated.

To create a SMART goal, start by making it Specific—define exactly what you want to achieve and why it’s important. Next, ensure it’s Measurable by setting criteria for tracking progress. This might involve quantifiable metrics or milestones that indicate how close you are to achieving the goal.

An Achievable goal should be realistic, taking into account your resources and constraints. It should also be Relevant, meaning it aligns with your broader objectives and personal or professional values. Lastly, set a Time-bound deadline to ensure you stay on track.

Short-term goals are typically achieved within a few weeks to months. When setting SMART goals for the short term, you are thinking about immediate, actionable steps that drive quick results. These goals are often more specific and detailed, with clear, measurable outcomes to track progress frequently. The shorter timeframe means that adjustments can be made if needed, allowing for flexibility and adaptation.

Long-term goals, may extend over several months or years. SMART goals for a distant future should be focused around breaking the journey down into smaller milestones that lead to the ultimate objective. Each milestone should be further broken down into smaller, short-term SMART goals. This approach ensures that you are measuring progress along the way, and aligns each short-term milestone as a contribution to the overall long-term vision.

Creating The Action Plan

Now that you have defined your short-term SMART goals, the next step is to make a list of the concrete actions you will take to achieve those goals. Take a look at your list and choose your next action using the following criteria:

• Are there any quick wins that can give you an immediate benefit and can build your momentum?
• Does any task depend on another? Consider doing the unblocking task early.
• Does any task depend on a resource you don’t already have access to? Make sure gaining access to the resource is on your list and tackle that early.
• Is any task particularly urgent or time-sensitive?

Create a detailed plan for the first action, ensuring it is specific and achievable. Once you are done with the first action, repeat this process for the next action. This approach makes your plan strategic, flexible, and effective.

Reflect on Your Progress

Regularly review your SMART goals and milestones. Are your goals still relevant? Are your actions taking you in the direction of your goals? Are you meeting your deadlines? Are your efforts compounding?

Assess what you’ve accomplished. Acknowledge any achievements, no matter how small, while owning any challenges or setbacks you’ve encountered. This regular assessment helps you stay aligned with your targets and pinpoint areas needing adjustment.

Recruit Some Help

Working with a coach can enhance your goal setting and reflection by providing external feedback and fresh perspectives. A coach can help you analyze your progress, offer guidance on overcoming obstacles, and suggest adjustments to your strategy. Their support ensures you stay on track and make the most of your efforts as you work towards your goals.

Creating a personal development plan is a powerful way to set yourself up for success and growth. By defining clear goals, assessing your current reality, and identifying actionable steps, you lay a solid foundation for achieving your aspirations. Remember, your plan is a living document that can evolve as you progress. If you’re looking for support to refine your plan and stay on track, consider booking a discovery session. A coach can provide valuable insights and guidance to help you navigate your journey and reach your full potential.

If you are ready to explore this topic further, check out our 8-week program designed to help you build confidence, develop strategies, and embrace your success!