Life Planning: Definition, Examples, & Strategies

By Sukhman Rekhi, M.A.
​Reviewed by Eser Yilmaz, M.S., Ph.D.
Looking for directions to achieve the life you want? Hop in to learn what life planning is and how to create a roadmap to get to your desired destination.
*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.
Remember when we were younger and people used to ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up? It may seem silly to ask an eight-year-old what they hope to do with their life. But maybe this small talk was also a way to get us to think about what we wanted from life. And most of us answered this question with confidence, revealing our hopes and dreams.  
However, as we grew older and learned how to manage the curveballs life threw at us, we might have lost sight of what we once hoped to become and achieve. If you catch yourself daydreaming about how your life could be different or maybe just need a better outlook for the future, look no further. We will cover the basics of life planning, identify strategies and goals to think more about, and learn some tools to get our lives moving on a better track. Ready, set, go.
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What Is Life Planning? (A Definition)

I have a question for you, dear reader. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I won’t be upset if you rolled your eyes or let out an “ugh” when you read that question. Maybe that question was just as silly when you were a kid as it is now. Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, I’m already a grown-up, so this doesn’t apply to me.” But, it still is a valid question. Even as we age, we still have the chance to grow up, learn new things, and, most importantly, have dreams. Regardless of your age, ask yourself what you want to be. It doesn’t have to be what you hope to achieve five or ten years from now—what is something you want to do next week? Next month? Next year? 

Did you face any difficulty answering those questions? If yes, then I am glad you are here. Making choices, figuring out our next moves, and thinking about the future can seem scary—especially when life is not limitless.

Planning out your life doesn’t mean having every minute of every day mapped out. Instead, life planning is a process of creating a generalized guide of what your purpose(s) in life is, what you hope to accomplish during your lifetime, and how you aim to work toward those goals (Smith, 1999). Life plans often include an estimated timeline of when you hope your goals come to fruition and also take bumps on the road into account. Ultimately, life is full of surprises, and we cannot possibly predict unforeseen events. As such, life plans are often works-in-progress, should be amended as life goes on, and preferably, are flexible rather than rigid blueprints.

Video: Life Planning - Four Steps to a Plan a Great Future

If you happen to be a visual learner, you may enjoy this animated video on life planning.

Benefits of Life Planning

Even if you are someone who enjoys going with the flow and taking life one step at a time, you may still find the following information useful, or at least insightful. Let’s take a look at why life planning can be beneficial for you (Miller & Frisch, 2009). 

  • Life planning keeps your priorities in check. As humans, we have several life aspects to think about, including our families, friends, jobs, health, finances, and hobbies. And yet, there are only 24 hours in a day to complete what seems like a never-ending to-do list and make time for all of the important things in our lives. Creating a general life plan can allow you to list your priorities and rank which ones are most important. Of course, as life goes on, priorities often change. Having a flexible and amendable life plan lets us revisit our priorities and focus on those requiring the majority of our attention.
 
  • Life planning outlines your dreams and goals. Life plans allow us to put our dreams and goals on paper rather than just in our heads. When we see our dreams and goals listed in a life plan, they can serve as important reminders of our purpose and why we do the work we do. This may also enable us to make decisions that are in tune with our dreams. 
 
  • Life planning serves as motivation. Motivation ebbs and flows. Some days we wake up and feel determined to accomplish a week’s worth of tasks in one afternoon. Other days, we may procrastinate for hours to complete a chore that would take fifteen minutes to complete. Life plans can help motivate us on the days we lack the inspiration to chase our dreams and create a life that we love for ourselves. 

Life Planning 101: Creating a Life Plan

Do you feel like making a life plan would be useful for you? Try walking through some of these steps to create a life plan, or at least start thinking about making one. 

Life Planning Step 1: Reflect 
Whether you write your answers down or ponder these questions in your head, take some time to reflect on your life. Here are some questions to consider:
  • Where do you come from? 
  • Where are you now? 
  • Where do you hope to be in the future?
  • Which aspects of your life are you satisfied with (e.g., family, social relationships, career, finances, recreation, health, etc.)? 
  • In which aspects of your life would you like to see improvement?
  • What are your priorities right now? How do you see them changing in the future?

Life Planning Step 2: Assess Your Life Satisfaction
I am going to provide you with a list of categories in your life. You may find it beneficial to rate your satisfaction with these categories on a scale of 1-10. This activity may help you figure out what works well and what needs to be improved in your life. This is not an exhaustive list and I invite you to incorporate any life categories that are relevant to you as you complete this activity.
  • Family
  • Career
  • Social Relationships (e.g., friends, community members, neighbors, etc.)
  • Love and Romance 
  • Mental Health
  • Physical Health
  • Financial Security
  • Nutrition and Fitness 
  • Personal Growth and Learning 
  • Environment  
  • Hobbies
  • Recreation and Fun
  • Self-Love 
  • Community Involvement and/or Civic Engagement
  • Religion and/or Spirituality 

Once you finish rating, think about whether you can create a ranked list of which categories are top priorities and which can be momentarily left on the back burner. 
Life Planning Step 3: Create Goals 
Maybe you looked at this list and realized you hadn’t visited your parents in a while, didn’t take a vacation last year, or missed participating in a hobby that you loved. Once you have made a list of your top priorities, you may find it helpful to create some goals that can help you increase your satisfaction with these different life aspects. 

Oftentimes, psychologists and other professionals may recommend making SMART goals for ourselves (Lawlor, 2018). If the term “SMART goals” is unfamiliar to you, here is a brief overview of what a SMART goal can look like. 

  • Specific: Specific goals are clear and often focused. For example, if you want to cultivate more intentional time with your partner, a specific goal could be to spend alone time with your partner every week.
 
  • Measurable: Goals that are measurable have an aspect that you can quantify to see whether you are progressing toward your goal. Perhaps you and your partner decide you want to take 2 hours of your time every Friday for a date night. 
 
  • Attainable: You likely want to ensure that you are capable of accomplishing this goal. This could include making the goal more achievable and listing out alternatives for when changes happen or crises arise. Maybe you ask a sibling or parent to take care of your kids every Friday for a couple of hours so you and your partner could go on this date night.
 
  • Relevant: Relevant Goals will be grounded in your core values and priorities. Let’s say you have been feeling disconnected from your partner. If you are seeking more fulfillment in the romance or marriage department, spending more time with your partner may be a relevant goal for you. 
 
  • Time-Bound: Successful SMART goals have deadlines that can help you stay motivated in reaching your goals. Let’s assume you have an anniversary trip coming up in a couple of months, and you want to rekindle the romance with your partner before the trip. You may plan to have five date nights until that trip to feel reconnected with your partner. 

Creating SMART goals gives us a clear-cut way to bring your goals to fruition. As you list out your priorities, you may find it helpful to use the SMART goal method so that you feel more control in making your dreams a reality. 

Life Planning Step 4: Follow Through
This suggestion may sound like a no-brainer, but the last step of your plan is to do what you said you want to do. Even if you’re taking baby steps, slow progress is still progress.

Video: How to Design Your Life Plan ​

Here is a helpful video filled with tips and tricks to design your life plan.

Life Planning Tips

Below are some tips to keep in mind as you create your life plan.

  • Keep your life plan readily available. When we see our goals, dreams, and plans repeatedly, we are more likely to keep them in mind when making decisions. Whether you write your life plan on paper or create one online, make sure your plan is visible to you daily (e.g., taped to your bathroom mirror, saved on to your desktop, etc.)

  • Have someone to hold you accountable. Adhering to life plans becomes easier when you allocate someone to check in on your progress. Whether it’s your partner, a friend, or a therapist, ask someone you trust to gently discuss your goals with you every few days (or weeks or months). Knowing that you have someone to report to or update will help increase your motivation to achieve your goals.

  • Do your best to be flexible. Life may throw you curveballs before you even pick up the bat. When changes arise that may affect your plans, it may help to be open about changing your goals, amending your priorities, and revisiting your life plan to adjust it as you see fit. ​

Life Planning Apps

Access to technology allows us to simplify tasks that may have been mundane in the past. We use appliances like laundry machines, dishwashers, and robot vacuum cleaners for chores around the house. Some of us even prefer streaming services over DVDs, ebooks to paper books, and digital tablets for daily journaling, rather than…well, journals. Life planning doesn’t need to be complicated or daunting when the app stores on our phones have options aplenty. 

Here are some apps that you may want to consider:

Done 
  • Available on: IOS 
  • Cost: Free & premium edition available  
  • Key Features: Create daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals; track habits; write notes in a journal 

Todoist
  • Available on: IOS, Android, & Online
  • Cost: Free & premium/business editions available 
  • Key Features: Task management; daily planning and organization

Diaro
  • Available on: IOS & Android
  • Cost: Free or $6/year for premium 
  • Key Features: Create and write in a journal; add photos for a picture diary 

Notion
  • Available on: IOS, Android, & Online
  • Cost: Free & premium/business editions available 
  • Key Features: Create tables and databases; take notes; make vision or mood boards; manage projects

Visuapp
  • Available on: IOS & Android
  • Cost: Free 
  • Key Features: Create vision boards; add goals/dreams; categorize life aspects (e.g., family, finances, etc.)

Life Planning Quotes

Looking for some words that inspire you to get the life you want? Check out these quotes below. 

  • “All you need is the plan, the roadmap, and the courage to press on to your destination.” - Earl Nightingale

  • “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” - Sun Tzu

  • “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

  • “Don’t wait until you’re in a crisis to come up with a crisis plan.” - Phil McGraw

  • “The man who is prepared has his battle half fought.” - Miguel De Cervantes

  • “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” - Warren Buffet

  • “The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.” - James Yorke ​

Life Planning Reading Materials ​

Take what you’ve learned here and try expanding upon it. Whether you’re interested in reading more about life planning or want to apply your knowledge, here are some ideas for books, journals, and workbooks. 

Life Planning Books
Life Planning Journals and Workbooks

Articles Related to Life Planning

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Final Thoughts on Life Planning

We may never be able to plan out every second of our life to go exactly as we hope. But, we do have the power to create a general life plan to provide us with the focus, motivation, and empowerment to reach our full potential and go after our dreams. We hope this article provided you with useful information and the tools to create a life plan that best fits your needs and priorities. Even if there are bumps or sharp turns ahead, your life plan can serve as a map that can guide (and in emergencies, re-route) you to your chosen destination. Happy travels! 

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