Source: Ryan Allis

Career plan templates are helpful, but all the blank fields can come across as intimidating, especially if you don’t know where to start!

To guide you along, we’ve included:

1. Above: a filled out example
2. Below: commentary on how to fill it out and in the best way possible

Life purpose

The first section is life purpose.

Before you get into the success metrics, qualitatively define your life purpose. Another way to think of it is your mission statement or how you want to make your mark on the world.

Ryan does a good job showing how he’s trying to help the greater good with his life purpose.

Success metrics

The second section is success metrics.

Use the acronym SMART as a checklist. That is, be specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound in your goals. And don’t be afraid to shoot high. Failure is okay if you don’t meet your goals. Because if you set readily achievable goals you’re less likely to get satisfaction from your (likely smaller) accomplishments.

Action plan

The third section is action plan.

It’s not enough to set goals; you need to define the specific steps that you’ll take to make it happen. I call that an action plan.

In Ryan’s example, he spells out how he can make it happen. On the one hand, it’s nice that it’s succinct. On the other hand, I would have liked it if Ryan provided more details. It would clarify the specific next steps Ryan should take to make his career goals happen.

Desired way of being

The fourth section is desired way of being.

This is a list of adjectives that expresses how you’d feel after achieving this goal. If you’re a fan of visualizing success, then you’ll appreciate writing down your desired emotional state here.

Lifetime goals

The fifth section is lifetime goals.

This is where one discusses lifetime objectives. What’s commendable about Ryan’s example is that while this is a long-term goal, he uses specific and measurable goals like establishing Hive in “1000 cities around the world.”

10 year goals

The sixth section is 10 year goals.

When putting down goals for the 10-year horizon, you’ll notice that Ryan includes both work and personal goals. He’s also think about building scale behind his career efforts with specific goals like “Train others to hold Hive gatherings.” With an objective like that, you see that Ryan is considering how to build an organization that can build and extend upon his personal efforts.

1 year goals

The seventh section is 1 year goals. Ryan does a good job once again in being specific. What’s noteworthy is how the goals are connected from the 90-day, 1 year, 10 year and lifetime goals. They’re not discrete or independent.

90 day action plan

This section is a chance to discuss near-term objectives. I like what Ryan did in the example. He was very specific about who, where, and what he wanted to do. He mentions people like Nadia, deliverables like the “Everything I Learned by 30 Presentation” and specific targets like 1M users.

Signature

The signature and date is a nice addition that one normally doesn’t see in most career plan templates. Scientific research shows that people who sign and date their commitments are more likely to achieve their goals.

Final thought

Don’t waste time trying to attain your career goals. Click on the template below, fill it out, and start achieving your dreams. Good luck!

Source: Ryan Allis