It is easy to hear people talk about things you can do to make your business work better (and it even happens in this space). It is easy then to agree in your mind that following those steps would help you grow and succeed. It is much more difficult, however, to put these things into action. This can be more easily accomplished with one thing – planning.

One of the biggest problems when it comes to putting those things into action is procrastination. You think that the ideas sound great, you honestly intend to put them into action, but it gets pushed back in the mind to happening after another initiative is implemented or it gets a ‘next year’ appended onto it. When something lives in a mythical time period, actually making it happen is likely to also remain a myth.

So instead, what exactly are you planning?

It is fine if you read a great bit of business advice but are not in a spot to put it into action. That can certainly be a legitimate situation. Are you putting other things into action, though? There can be first steps, but they are only first steps if you actually take them. Forward momentum is critical, but also impossible to accomplish if no steps are being taken in that direction.

So then, do these plans exist somewhere other than in your mind?

It is necessary to have some concept about where you want go in our business, but if it only exists in your mind, then you don’t really have anything to be accountable to. Simply writing it down gives you a visual reminder, though, it forces you to think about the step and adds that extra layer of accountability.

But then, do you have a time period for when it is going to be accomplished?

If you don’t want things to remain ethereal, put a deadline on them. Even if you aren’t accountable to anyone else or anything other than your own written plan, putting dates on that plan will make it more concrete.

And if you really want to make it more concrete, make that deadline earlier than you think possible. If you only do things when they feel comfortable, you will not be accomplishing as much as you could. Comfort is nice, but big steps are more often taken when you are uncomfortable. Would you rather be comfortable now or be even more comfortable down the road because you pushed yourself a bit, tried new things, and found more success because of it?

So push a little bit, make those plans, and don’t be afraid to try new things. The more malleable you are, the more chances you are willing to take and the more adversity you will be able to handle. It is easy to have good thoughts about where you want to go, but you can get there faster than you believe.

Be mindful, be bold. Then even when some parts fail (and yes, they will), you will know that you tried and that is easier to take than wondering what could have been. And it won’t be as painful as it could be, for you will continue following the successful steps.