In order to create an effective plan that will yield results, it is important that you understand the three main steps in the planning process. These steps will not only help you write your plan, but also ensure that you are getting the maximum return on your actions.
Understand the Balancing Points
Your intellectual balance is a constant interplay between 3 key Balancing Points:
Breadth & Depth
How many distinct topics, areas of interest and subjects to which you elect to apply your mind, as well as the level of expertise you elect to 'get into' with each topic. Being an expert on 11th dimensional physics may prevent you from staying fresh on the dietary habits of barn swallows.
Frequency
How regularly and how often you set aside time to focus on intellectual pursuits. Time has to be allocated often enough to satisfy the craving, but not so often that it pulls you out of balance.
Comprehension
How well you absorb and retain the information. Forcing yourself to read 25 pages a night is only valuable if you're doing more than moving your eyes over the words.
Identify your Resources
The resources in your Personal-Mind plan are the people, places and tools you can leverage to achieve your objective. These might include:
The Internet.
Newspapers
Books and magazines
Television programs
Experts and academics
Friends and family
Set a Timeline
One way to define a timeline for your plan is to begin with the Getting Balanced program. You will find that the key to any successful plan is to make sure that you not only identify the tasks you want to accomplish but more importantly set a date for completing each of those tasks. When possible, do something toward accomplishing that task when you write it down, even if you don't complete it at that time. And make sure you share your task and timeline with someone else. It is always helpful to have someone else looking out for you and reminding you to complete that task.
Balancing Points
As you can see, it is essential to maintain balance within any Key. With Personal-Mind, you must balance between the quality of your learning (breadth and depth), the consistency with which you learn (frequency) and your understanding of what you're learning (comprehension). As you put your plan into action, it is important to recognize that your overall balance will fluctuate over time based on the resources you use and the actions you take.
By following the steps above, you should have a good understanding of what your plan for Personal-Mind might look like. With that in mind, let's start putting your plan to work and Act!
