There are those people who love to plan. They have all sorts of color coded steps for each rung of the ladder they want to climb, what time to take the step, what to wear while they’re stepping and what to eat the night before to ensure the maximum V02 output to achieve maximum thrust on the motion.

Dizzy yet? Yeah, me too!

Listen. Having a successful 2013 really boils down to four simple steps. If you follow them faithfully, you’ll run a victory lap at the end of the race to the applause of a cheering crowd. Here it is. The PDMI process.

P: Plan. Yeah you have to. We’ve talked in the last two weeks about keeping it simple. If you need more coaching on how to do that, just refer back to those posts.

D: DO. Umm… yes, contrary to what perpetual planners think, you actual have to DO what you planned. Planning without doing is as effective as mixing the batter without baking the cake. So, I’ll say my completely original and never before stated command, “Just Do it!

M: Measure. IF you’re aiming for the moon, you really need to know if you’ve hit it, right? You need to stop along the way and evaluate how far you’ve come and if you’re still headed in the right direction. Pilots have to do this in flight. Winds can blow them off course. They have to measure where they are and course correct as needed. So do you.

I: Improve. What worked well? Keep doing it. What didn’t work out the way you planned? Improve that process. What turned out to be a total flop? Get rid of it. By measuring and improving, you’ll streamline your efforts and move closer toward your goals.

The greatest example of this is Susan May Warren. Perhaps without even being aware she’s doing it, intuitively she follows the PDMI process. It’s evident in her books, in My Book Therapy. She’s a master at this. Look how successful she is.

While I can’t promise you’ll be able to write a book in ten days like Susie, you can enjoy the fruits of a very successful year just by getting down to the nitty gritty and follow these four steps.

Pretty simple isn’t it?

What have you tried in the past to help you stay on track? How has that worked for you? Share it here!
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Reba J. Hoffman is a natural encourager and Member Care Coach at My Book Therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is the founder of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She is the author of Dare to Dream, a Writer’s Journal published by My Book Therapy. She also publishes a motivational and encouraging blog, FindingTrue North. Contact Reba at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com.