Tips For Filling Out Your Action Plan
Tip 1: Identify Goals
Following the SMART system is a good way to remember the important elements for setting goals. All your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timely.
- Specific: Establish specific goals. Don't make them too broad or general. Try to come up with both long-term and short-term goals. Prioritize goals by their order of importance. For example, you might want to work on goals that have immediate deadlines or that must be done before others can be started. Goals that are lower in priority can be tackled later.
- Measurable: State what has to be accomplished so you can measure if the goal has been met.
- Action-oriented: Focus on the actions you want to happen, not on the personal qualities of those involved.
- Realistic: To avoid discouragement and frustration, make sure your goals are realistic.
- Timely: Deadlines or due dates are also important for you to think about. Have you allowed too much or too little time to get things done?
Tip 2: Pinpoint Obstacles
Obstacles may include your child’s learning challenges, financial limits, teacher’s lack of knowledge of brain injuries, or limited information on available services. Your goal is to identify the specific obstacles. Below are some suggestions.
List all the obstacles that are standing in your way. Brainstorm without judging, and avoid trying to solve each obstacle as you go.
Prioritize your list. Most people like to start with what is most urgent. Some people list obstacles from the easiest to the hardest to overcome.
Ask yourself if you have all the information you need. For example, you might list “not sure how to find out if Taylor will ever be able to drive” as an obstacle. In this case, “missing information” is your key obstacle.
Tip 3: Develop Strategies
Now you are ready to brainstorm creative strategies to get around the obstacles you’ve identified. Developing good strategies will prevent you from getting discouraged and frustrated. Follow the steps below.
Review your goal and obstacles, looking for patterns. For example, are any of the obstacles causing problems in more than one area?
Come up with several strategies for each obstacle.
List all ideas, no matter how improbable, expensive, idealistic, etc. This brainstorming portion should happen quickly.
It is important not to get attached to any one solution until you consider all the strategies.
Get input from others. You may want to ask friends, professionals you know, support group members, and others who understand your situation.
Often the best strategies are developed with others. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to review the Success Strategies part of the program for a tutorial on improving communication skills and forming partnerships with your child’s school.
Tip 4: Create Action Steps
Now is the time to select several strategies and take action. Most of the tasks will be completed by you; however, you may also want to involve your child (particularly if your child is middle- to high-school age). As you continue to network with others, you may find folks who can help you with some of the items on your list.
Action steps can range from easy (make an appointment with Taylor’s teacher) to very difficult (find a college that supports students in assisted living). Make sure you include enough easy steps so you can make progress quickly.
Like your goals, it’s also important that your action steps are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timely). For example, if your goal is to increase Stephen’s motor skills, a SMART action step would be:
| Action Steps (To-Do List) | Who | By When |
|---|---|---|
| Play basketball in the driveway with Stephen two times a week after work. | Me | Every Wednesday and Friday through September |
- Specific: Stephen plays twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Measurable: You can easily keep track on a calendar when you and Stephen played.
- Action-oriented: You are required to follow through with the activity.
- Realistic: The time and place are convenient.
- Timely: You will be helping Stephen improve his motor skills before school starts in the fall.
Tip 5: Review Progress
After a period of time (2-3 weeks), review the progress you’ve made.
Develop a plan for tracking your progress.
Monitor your progress (even when things are going well).
Get more information. A lack of information can slow down progress.
If you get stuck, work on a different goal. (This does not mean you are giving up on the original goal, just focusing on one that can be met sooner.)
Break large goals and action steps down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Schedule regular check-ins. Ask for regular meetings with everyone in your “Who” column.
Update the Action Plan. List any new strategies for your original goal. Be sure to keep track of new ideas, too.
Remember that reaching important goals for your child involves many steps. Small accomplishments are very important steps in achieving major goals.