Ahoy Mate!
How to Reach Your
Treasured “Goal” in 90 Days

Just as a pirate would use a map to seek out a hidden treasure, you need a map to plan out a particular goal. Think of attaining your goal as a 90-day journey divided into what, why and how.

After you have figured out what goal you are setting out to accomplish and why you are doing it, ask yourself how you will accomplish it. The “how” is the plan. Stephen R. Covey said it best, “Begin with the End in Mind.”* Take a blank sheet of paper and turn it lengthwise. About halfway down on the right margin of the paper, write your goal. Begin creating a flow chart (or treasure map) backward.

For example: when planning a vacation, you pick a place and from there figure out how you will reach your destination. In other words, you are creating a reverse timeline. Would you book your hotel before you selected your travel dates? As you are planning your flow chart or map, ask yourself at each step, what is the last thing you have to do before accomplishing the next step. Your map from end to beginning might look like this: vacation (treasure/goal); select transportation to the hotel; chose accommodations; book airfare; decide vacation dates; choose vacation destination.

This reverse timeline is essential to effectively plan out any goal, whether it’s preparing for a job promotion, getting an advanced degree, expanding your business or training for a 100-mile bike ride. Think about what would happen if a mountain climber tried to scale Mt. Everest without a plan. What if a Web developer created a Web site without a plan?

When in pursuit of your goal, remember that you are the captain of your ship—the pirate seeking out the buried treasure. Go don that pirate attire, get some poster-size paper and large markers, and have some fun with this planning process. After all, you are creating a treasure map. The map is your plan and the treasure is your goal.

So after mapping out the path to your goal, take a look at the beginning of the map. Then create a plan for each step of the way. If you’re commanding a ship, that plan might include assessing the route, assembling a crew, and gathering food and supplies. With any plan, create a task list and begin scheduling activities to accomplish each item on your list.

It’s also important to estimate how much time will need to accomplish each activity. Will it be one hour or two weeks? In many cases, you may be able to schedule chunks of time to achieve each activity. Do you take time from your lunch hour, get up 30 minutes earlier or squeeze in 20 minutes at the end of the day? How you schedule your time is ultimately up to you. It’s important to remember that every bit of time helps and adds up after a while. Just think; if you dedicated 20 minutes a day for a month to accomplishing your goal, that adds up to about 600 minutes in an average month.

The important lesson to remember is that we don’t do goals.

We accomplish goals by doing activities.

If you don’t write it down and you don’t schedule it, it’s only a dream. This dream is yours alone.

Let your dreams out and create that treasure map. Gather some close friends and family and host a “hidden treasure” party, whereby all attendees dress up as pirates and map out their path to their hidden treasure. After all, your goals are worth their weight in gold.