Inventing new dreams and passions can be fun, easy, and inspiring, at least until you sit down and start trying to figure out how to actually achieve these crazy goals. Suddenly, what seemed like such a clear and well-marked path takes on the appearance of an overgrown, bramble-filled desert, with dangerous, invisible pitfalls and endlessly branching, unmarked paths. It’s enough to make you want to drag yourself back to your boring old life and forget it all happened. But let’s try something a little different, first, and see if we can tame that overgrown jungle.

One of the best and most comprehensive ways to figure out how to do something new is called retrospective planning, or top-down planning. Start by listing your end goal at the top of the page, then work backward through each logical step that should come before the previous one. To do this, after each step, write yourself: “What had to happen immediately before this step to get to this step?” Be literal and very specific here: if your goal is to present at a conference, start with the standing ovation you get, then write “give an amazing speech” below that, and “get on stage” before that and “put on the mic” before that, and so on. Do you have a disability? What kind of microphone system will they use? If it’s a lavalier microphone, how does that affect your choice of clothes?)

As you can see, the more consistently accurate and highly detailed you finish your plan, the better your chances of success when you put the plan into action. On the other hand, laying out the “big steps” can be a good way to start, if that’s all you have, just make sure you’ve filled in the details and the blanks before you start. At some point, you may take a step and realize, “I have no idea what had to happen to make this happen.” That’s when you know you’ll have to ask for help!

Here are two examples of backplanning, one bad and one good, based on the goal of buying a home. Assume that the plans were written from the top down.

bad example

Objective: Buy a house in the suburbs

Step 5: Close the house (There can be many steps involved here, what are they?)

Step 4: Get an Inspection (How do you go about setting that up, and who can you ask if you don’t know?)

Step 3: Make the choice (Based on what priorities and specifications?)

Step 2: View houses (Are they prioritized, is there a list of qualities, how did you get that list?)

Step 1: Research Neighborhoods (Based on what qualities and how will you find time for it?)

Good example

Objective: Buy a house in the suburbs

*Near the house

*Approve and make an offer or disapprove and repeat with the next house

*Review inspection and legal documents

* Hire a real estate attorney to review property legal issues

*Get quotes from real estate lawyers (see Charlie – he works in a firm)

* Hire an independent inspector

*Get inspection quotes (see Bob and Jackie for references)

*Choose the top 3 options based on Priority List, Need/Wish List, and Price, and rank them in order of preference

*Research recent appraisals, compare with prices

*See properties in person

*Give them a priority list and a want/need list and schedule appointments to view the properties

*Hire the real estate buyer’s broker

* Determine loan approval for estimated purchase price tranches

* Research loan options/providers and the best (ask Mary to recommend someone)

*Budget of quotas and quotas

*Estimate down payment, inspection, legal, brokerage and closing fees

*Estimate property prices in selected neighborhoods

* Research neighborhoods based on lists and choose favorites

*Create priority list for structures and environments.

*Create a list of Needs/Wants for the new home

As you can see, the second list is much more organized and detailed, setting the process in a sensible and specific order. Of course, if you already know which house you want to buy, or have already chosen your favorite neighborhood, you would remove those steps, just like you would have to change a few steps, and probably add a few more if you need the property. for business purposes etc. The trick is to make sure you anticipate each step and sub-step involved, and keep it in mind, so that there is a clear progression from start to finish.

An important feature of this planning method is that it assumes success from the start. Instead of standing at the starting line staring in terror at the vast, uncharted territory between you and your dream, hindsight planning makes success simply a final step in the process and focuses your attention on the basics of getting there. . Once it becomes obvious that your previously fuzzy and distant dream is clearly achievable through a series of definite and reasonable steps, goals that once seemed out of reach are suddenly within reach.

The observant reader will notice another important difference between the two lists. The second list contains references to friends and acquaintances who could help through their contacts, advice or services. Friends want to help friends. Having someone on your side who knows the terrain ahead can level the playing field where useless (or even antagonistic) experts and complicated processes are involved. But also, realizing that you don’t have to know or do everything yourself to make your venture a success can help you achieve that calm feeling of “I’ve got this”—you need to make it happen!