Create a plan to achieve your personal goal
Develop actionable behavioral steps to reach your goal and sustain progress.
How often do you think a lack of planning has stopped you from reaching your goals?
What’s the biggest challenge you face when trying to create a plan for your goals?
Do you want to learn how to make behavioral action plans to help you reach your goals?
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You've chosen a personal goal and figured out the type of person who can reach it. You may also have made a habits scorecard to get a clearer picture of your daily habits. Now, you’ll create a behavioral action plan— a series of executable actions —to achieve your goal, build or dismantle habits, and become the person you want to be. While behavior includes many aspects beyond habits, this plan will emphasize the key habits you want to build or dismantle to get you what you want. It will also outline how you’ll handle any obstacles that might come up and how you’ll celebrate small successes along the way. The plan will be tailored to your preferences and circumstances as you will choose the actions that work best for you. For now, you’re just making the plan — no changes yet.
Considerations for successful behavior change
When creating your action plan, consider these aspects to ensure your behaviors are aligned with what matters to you, your energy levels, strengths and personality.
👉 Find or create joy in your activities: Choosing or creating activities you enjoy is key to building lasting habits. When you engage in things that bring you joy, like dancing, hiking, or playing games, you’re more likely to stick with them over time. Fun activities make the process feel less like a chore and more like an attractive experience. That’s why it’s important to find ways to make less enjoyable tasks more fun, for example through a strategy called temptation bundling. For instance, you could listen to your favorite music while cleaning or invite a friend to join you on your errands, turning them into a social outing. By combining enjoyable activities with the tasks you have to do, you can stay motivated and committed to your goals, even when those tasks aren’t always enjoyable.
👉 Align habits with values: It’s easier to stick with habits that fit with what matters to you. Your life purpose is about what you find meaningful and fulfilling, while your personal values reflect how you want to act and the kind of person you aspire to be.
👉 Identify optimal timing: Timing can significantly affect your success. Different times of day can influence your energy levels, mood, and ability to focus. Try to identify moments when you're most likely to stick with a behavior. Remember, everyone’s energy levels and preferences are different, so it’s important to find the timing that works best for you.
For the first 8 hours after waking up, your brain and body are naturally more focused and ready for action. This makes it the best time to tackle habits that require energy to overcome mental or physical friction, like anxiety or fatigue, and to stay focused. For example, you might choose to exercise, write, study, or tackle a challenging project. Taking on these activities early in the day helps you make progress before your energy dips.
In the 9 to 15 hours after waking, focus on habits that don’t demand much mental or physical effort and require less focus. You could do light chores, catch up on emails, take a walk, or plan your next day. These activities keep you productive without draining your energy. In the 16 to 24 hours after waking, it’s time for rest and sleep. To help your body wind down, avoid bright lights, and make your room cool and dark for better sleep.
By aligning your actions with these natural phases, and finding what timing works best for you, you can improve your chances of making new habits stick.
👉 Leverage your strengths: Everyone has different strengths, whether mental or physical. For example, some people excel at math, while others may do better in sports or artistic activities like painting or playing music. Your natural abilities influence the activities you enjoy and succeed in, making habits easier to build and maintain when they align with those abilities. What feels like a chore for one person can be a pleasure for someone else. For instance, those with strong analytical skills might enjoy solving puzzles, while those with athletic talent may prefer regular training or competing in sports.
Your personality is made up of traits that stay consistent across different situations. The Five Factor Model (the Big Five) is a well-known theory that describes personality traits in five areas:
🎯 Openness to experience (from inventive and curious to consistent and cautious)
🎯 Conscientiousness (from efficient and organized to extravagant and careless)
🎯 Extroversion (from outgoing and energetic to solitary and reserved)
🎯 Agreeableness (from friendly and compassionate to critical and rational)
🎯 Neuroticism (from sensitive and nervous to resilient and confident)
Habits are easier to build and maintain when they match your personality. For example, introverts might enjoy habits like reading or journaling, while anxious individuals may lean toward practices like yoga or gratitude exercises.
👉 A good place to start building habits is with keystone habits like regular exercise, healthy eating, good sleep routines, practicing gratitude, and mindfulness. These habits create ripple effects that can improve well-being and productivity across different areas of life. For example, a simple exercise habit often leads to other positive changes—people who exercise regularly tend to sleep better, make healthier food choices, and feel more energized. Focusing on just one keystone habit can start a positive chain reaction, building confidence and leading to bigger changes. These small wins build momentum, making it easier to continue adding positive habits over time.
👉 Break down long-term goals: Long-term goals, like changing careers, saving for a major purchase, or completing a degree, often require years of work. To stay motivated, it’s essential to break these big goals into smaller, shorter-term milestones. For example, if your goal is to finish a degree in four years, you could set goals for each semester or year, like completing specific courses or maintaining a certain GPA. These smaller steps help you see regular progress, which keeps you motivated and on track. Each milestone achieved can give you a sense of accomplishment, making the larger goal feel manageable and rewarding over time.
The contents of an action plan
A behavioral action plan is a list that outlines what you will do, when you will do it, and sometimes where or how you will do it. The length of the plan depends on your goal; it can be just a few statements or a longer list.
An action plan has four parts.
1️⃣ A header stating your goal.
Put your goal at the top of your plan so you always remember it. For example:
🎯 I want to lose 10 pounds in 3 months.
2️⃣ Statements about the behaviors you plan to adopt to reach your goal.
These statements explain what behaviors you plan to follow to reach your goal, when, and sometimes where and how. It's important that these statements are concrete and detailed to provide clear guidance on your actions, which increases the chances that you'll actually follow through with them. Some examples:
🎯 Before each meal, I drink a glass of water to help me feel full.
🎯 At dinner, I use a smaller plate to control my portions.
🎯 At lunch and dinner, I eat slowly and focus on my food to notice when I’m full.
🎯 Before eating something sweet, I take a moment to consider if I truly want it or if I can skip it.
3️⃣ Statements about what you will do to handle obstacles.
These statements follow an if-then format and explain what you will do if an anticipated obstacle comes up that could stop you from reaching your goal. Some examples:
Some examples:
🎯 If I crave unhealthy snacks, then I’ll grab a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts instead.
🎯 If I feel discouraged by slow progress, then I’ll remind myself why I want to lose weight.
🎯 If I have a stressful day and want to comfort eat, then I’ll take a short walk or practice deep breathing.
🎯 If someone offers me a delicious piece of cake at a party, then I’ll thank them and politely say I’m full.
4️⃣ Statements about how you will celebrate small successes.
Celebrating small wins is essential when changing habits because it reinforces your progress and keeps you motivated. You can have a general way to celebrate, like a mental high-five after any small success, or you can set up specific celebrations for certain behaviors. For example:
🎯 Immediately after each small success, I’ll give myself a mental high-five.
🎯 Immediately after flossing my teeth, I’ll smile at myself in the mirror.
🎯 Immediately after finishing a task on my to-do list, I’ll do a fist pump and shout “Yes!”
Create your action plan
Making your behavioral action plan is about completing its four parts. Writing down the plan is essential because it significantly increases the chances of actually following through on your actions. Not only does having a written plan provide a clear reference that you can review as often as you like, but it also allows you to adjust and refine your approach whenever necessary, ensuring it remains effective and aligned with your goals.
1️⃣ Write down your goal
Start with your goal at the top of your plan.
2️⃣ Write down what you plan to do and when
List the actions you will take to reach your goal. Be clear and specific so your statements are easy to follow. Always include what you will do, when you will do it, and if known, how and where. For example, specify not only the action but also the time of day or week you plan to take it. Being specific helps you stay on track and makes your plan more effective. Writing down your planned actions gives you a clear path to follow as you work toward your goal. Start by listing twenty to thirty different actions that could help you reach your goal. Then, pick the ones you believe will work best and that you feel both able and motivated to do.
Here are some tips for finding habits and behaviors that fit your goal:
👉 Generate ideas
If you’re not sure yet which habits you want to build or dismantle, you could explore information online, read books, listen to podcasts, or watch videos. Look for facts and figures about the habits and strategies you’re considering, so your choices are based on solid evidence. You can also ask friends or family for suggestions. Consider reflecting on your past experiences to identify what habits and strategies have worked well for you in the past and which haven’t. If you created a habits scorecard, use it as a guide. Identify people who have the qualities and successes you want, and look at the habits that help them succeed. If needed, use brainstorming or brainwriting to come up with ideas.
👉 Use trial and error
Discover what works best for you by trying different behaviors and timings. This process helps you discover actions that align with your life purpose, personal values, abilities, and personality traits. If something doesn't work, you can adjust the behavior or change the timing until you find what fits. Trial and error isn't just about finding solutions; it's also a way to learn more about yourself, including your preferences, strengths and areas for improvement.
To generate good options during this phase, ask yourself questions like: What times of day do I feel most energized and focused? What do I enjoy? What activities make me lose track of time? What makes me feel fully engaged? What brings me to life? What feels natural for me?
After experimenting with different behaviors and timings, select the best behavior you’ve discovered as the habit you want to build.
👉 Use effective strategies for building and dismantling habits
According to James Clear's four-step habit loop, all habits follow a consistent sequence: cue – craving – response – reward. This framework enables us to establish, change, or dismantle habits in the following ways:
🟢 To establish desired habits, make the cue obvious, and the behavior attractive, easy, or satisfying.
🟢 To dismantle unwanted habits, make the cue invisible, and the behavior unattractive, difficult, or unsatisfying.
Explore effective strategies for building and dismantling habits by manipulating cues, behaviors, and rewards. The following sections will guide you through practical strategies to make cues obvious or invisible, behaviors attractive or unattractive, actions easy or difficult, and experiences satisfying or unsatisfying, ultimately helping you create lasting change in your daily habits. While these strategies can increase the chances of success, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and different techniques may work better for different people. The strategies aren’t mutually exclusive, so feel free to combine several of them if you're aiming to change the way you behave. Keep in mind that building, maintaining, and changing habits is often an ongoing challenge, so you may need to rely on some of these techniques indefinitely to support your goals.
⚒️ Make the cue obvious or invisible
To build a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the cue obvious?
To dismantle a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the cue invisible?
A habit begins when you notice a cue that initiates it. The more a cue stands out, the more likely it is to catch your attention and prompt the habit. You can make cues stronger or weaker by altering your physical environment, avoiding places that activate unwanted habits, or planning exactly when and where you’ll perform a new habit with methods like habit stacking (attaching a new behavior to an existing habit) and implementation intentions. Cues are especially helpful for people who tend to be forgetful as they serve as simple reminders, making it easier to remember and follow through with new habits.
For details see: Make the cue obvious or invisible
⚒️ Make the behavior attractive or unattractive
To build a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior attractive?
To dismantle a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior unattractive?
Craving drives our actions. When we believe a behavior will be attractive, our craving for it grows, boosting our motivation. To make actions more attractive, try linking something you have to do with something you enjoy (temptation bundling), reframing hard habits to see them positively, or creating a motivation ritual that puts you in the right mindset. Humans are naturally social creatures, so surround yourself with people who already practice your desired behavior.
For details see: Make behavior attractive or unattractive
⚒️ Make behavior easy or difficult
To build a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior easier?
To dismantle a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior more difficult?
People are naturally inclined to conserve energy and avoid putting in more effort than necessary. The less effort an action takes, the more likely we are to do it. The Two-Minute Rule helps to make starting a new habit as easy as possible, which can help reduce procrastination by making the first step feel manageable. You can make behaviors easier or harder by setting up your physical environment for success, using commitment devices to limit future choices, making one-time positive choices the default option, and using mental rehearsal.
For details see: Make behavior easy or difficult
⚒️ Make behavior satisfying or unsatisfying
To build a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior satisfying?
To dismantle a habit, ask yourself: How can I make the behavior unsatisfying?
We’re more likely to repeat actions that feel satisfying right away and avoid those that don’t. You can make a behavior more satisfying by adding an immediate reward at the end (positive reinforcement), tracking your progress with a habit tracker, or using gamification. To make a behavior less satisfying, consider having an accountability partner or setting up a habit contract with a penalty if you don’t stick to your commitments. These strategies are especially helpful for people who tend to choose short-term temptations over long-term rewards.
For details see: Make behavior satisfying or unsatisfying
⚒️ Replace a bad habit by understanding its underlying motive
To dismantle a bad habit, you can make the cue invisible, the craving less attractive, the response harder, or the reward less satisfying. If this doesn’t work, try replacing the habit by focusing on the reason behind it. You keep the cue and the reward, but change the response. For example, if relaxation is the reason behind eating a piece of cake, going for a walk could provide that same feeling. Or, if the urge to smoke comes from needing a quick break, chewing gum could offer a similar momentary pause.
For details see: How to replace a bad habit by understanding its underlying motive
3️⃣ Write down how you are going to tackle obstacles
It's important to think in advance about how to overcome the obstacles you’ll likely encounter while working toward your goal. You might struggle to find enough time, feel unmotivated or discouraged if progress is slow, doubt yourself and think, “I’ll never succeed,” or get distracted by things like social media or TV. To help you stay on track, create an “If-Then” plan, where you note each likely obstacle and your response in a simple statement like this: If [obstacle happens], then [my response].
For details see: Plan ahead for obstacles
4️⃣ Write down how you are going to celebrate small successes
Celebrating small wins is essential when building or dismantling habits because it helps you feel successful and reinforces your progress, making it easier to keep going. Each time you acknowledge a win, no matter how small, it builds your confidence and motivates you to keep up the good work. This positive energy can create a sense of momentum, making it feel like you're constantly moving forward. Celebrating success, even in small ways, can remind you that change is possible and worthwhile, and it makes the process of building or dismantling habits feel rewarding.
You can have a general way to celebrate, like a mental high-five after any small success, or you can set up specific celebrations for certain behaviors. For inspiration you can think about how you celebrate significant moments, like when your favorite sports team wins or when you achieve a personal milestone. Use that energy to create your own celebration for small wins.
Consider these ideas:
🎯 If I complete a challenging task, then I’ll do a little victory dance to celebrate.
🎯 If I reach a weekly goal, then I’ll treat myself to a favorite healthy snack as a reward.
🎯 If I achieve a small success, then I’ll call a friend to share my success and celebrate together.
By channeling that celebratory spirit, you can make your small wins feel significant and boost your motivation on your journey.
Additional tips
👉 Reflect regularly: Schedule time to review your action plan and progress. Reflecting on what works and what doesn’t can help you stay aligned with your goals and adjust your plan as needed.
👉 Stay flexible: While it’s important to have a plan, be willing to adjust your strategies as needed. Life can be unpredictable, and being flexible allows you to adapt without feeling discouraged.
👉 Accountability partner: Share your goals and action plan with someone who can support you. An accountability partner can encourage you, remind you of your commitments, and celebrate your successes with you.
🎉👏🎈
Creating a behavioral action plan is a vital step in your journey toward achieving personal goals. By outlining your actions, potential obstacles, and ways to celebrate your progress, you’re setting yourself up for success. Remember that the path may have twists and turns, but each step, no matter how small, is a victory worth celebrating. Embrace the journey and stay committed to becoming the person you aspire to be.
References
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
How to Change, by Katy Milkman
Build or Break Habits Using Science-Based Tools, Huberman Lab