How To Create An Intentional Life Plan (Free Worksheet)

Do you ever feel like you can’t figure out what to do with your life because you change your mind all the time?

I’ve personally never had one of those 5-10 year plans that people make. I’m an indecisive person with lots of passions, and I never liked the idea of sticking to one thing for the rest of my life.

The trouble with not having a solid plan is that I never knew what my life was going to look like. I’ve known people who’d decided their career path in high school or knew exactly what age they wanted to get married and have kids.

Not having a solid plan for the future can be both a blessing and a curse. Though it means you’re open-minded to what might happen, it also means you might lack direction. Being indecisive can make you think you have it all figured out until you end up changing your mind one week later.

If you have no clue what the future holds or you’re not sure if you’re on the right path, it can feel like you’re never going to get anywhere. Luckily, you can create a plan for your life even if you have no idea where you’re headed.

With a life plan, it becomes much easier to focus on what matters to you and not what other people are doing or telling you to do. In this post, I’ll help you find clarity around what you truly want in life so you can have more direction.

What is an intentional life plan?

You might think a life plan is only about the type of career you’re going to have. If people can figure out early on that they’re going to be a doctor, they’re set for life, right?

But what if you’re multi-passionate? What if you’re indecisive about the kind of job you want?

The thing is that a life plan includes more than jobs and relationships. Your vision for the future is about the values you want to uphold. It’s the legacy you want to leave behind and the small changes you want to make to yourself and the world.

Even though I’ve never had a 5 or 10-year plan in place, I’ve been clear on my values, priorities, and vision for my life. My values and priorities are specific, but my vision has been more open-ended.

Rather than focusing on your career, a life plan helps you visualize what’s important in all areas of your life. That way, you can have something to guide you when you feel lost. Even when you’re not sure what your future holds, your plan reminds you that you’re striving towards something that matters.

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related Post: 7 Ways To Create A Vision For The Life You Want

How to Create a Life Plan

Visualization Exercise:

Want a life plan of your own? Here’s a quick exercise to help you get clear on what you want.

Imagine the way you want your life to look 5-10 years in the future. Visualize what’s around you.

Who is in your life? Try to imagine the types of people you’d like to surround yourself with. Maybe it’s specific people you know already. What are their personalities like? What are their interests and hobbies? How do they make you feel when you’re with them?

What kind of environment are you in? Are you near the beach or the mountains? Are you in the countryside or in the middle of a bustling city?

What does your lifestyle look like? What kind of habits do you have? How does your morning routine look? What’s a typical day like for you? What do you do for fun?

What are your finances like? How much money are you making? What does your bank account balance look like?

What have you accomplished? Which goals have you made happen?

How do you feel? Are you content, motivated, calm, excited?

Creating your Intentional Life Plan:

I created my life plan based on an exercise from Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles. After visualizing what I wanted, I wrote down a list of what I wanted from these areas of my life:

1. Finances
2. Career
3. Physical Health
4. Mental Health
5. Spirituality
6. Relationships
7. Home
8. Recreation/Fun

If you want to create your own life plan, you can brainstorm your thoughts using the Intentional Life Plan worksheet below.

Q&A:

What do I do once I have my Life Plan? Am I supposed to work on it daily?

• The Life Plan is a reminder of what you’re working towards. You don’t have to use it as an action list, but rather a tool to guide you when you feel lost or uncertain about a decision. Put it somewhere you’ll see it every day to remind you of what’s important.

What if I’m having a hard time visualizing what I want?

• Be patient and compassionate with yourself. You won’t find direction if you’re too hard on yourself. Do little things daily like practicing gratitude, meditating,  and journaling to help you with your soul searching. Keep going through the visualization exercise above and eventually you will have more clarity.

Life Plan Examples from readers:

What does your Intentional Life Plan look like?

I hope this post helped you to gain clarity around what you truly want out of life. Don’t forget to download the Life Plan worksheet so you can map out your own vision!