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Developing a Workplan

A workplan typically includes several important elements, including a task list, short-term goals, expected outcomes, and system for evaluating progress toward the goals. A workplan can be highly detailed and specific, or it can be fairly general. Ideally, it provides guidance on what tasks need to be completed, goals for a particular interval of time, and how to assess your progress.
 
A workplan should also provides answers to several important questions related to the structure of your day, including:
  • What will be the primary focus of my work today?
  • Where do I plan on working?
  • When will I start working?
  • How long do I plan on working?
  • What strategies will I utilize to manage workplace distractions?
  • Who will I be collaborating with in order to meet these goals?
  • Why have I established these goals instead of other options?
 
There are many ways to construct an effective workplan, but it needs to have clear goals and objectives so that you can evaluate whether or not you are meeting these goals. The key is to make sure your workplan has specific, measurable elements to it (e.g., I plan to write for three hours with the goal of writing four pages of text). The ability to measure your progress is necessary so that you can make adjustments to the workplan in order to meet your long-term goals.