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Going into your workday and waiting for things to happen, and then reacting to them is not a very productive way of doing things. You may as well be going into your workday blind.

This is why it is so very important to have an action plan.

An action plan, simply put, is a plan of action, there just is no other way to say it.

Your action plan should be built piece by piece, based on what it is you want to have accomplished during your work week.

For starters, take a pen and a piece of paper, and write the days of the week across the top of the page. Below each day of the week, write down the number's one through five, with some space in between to write.

Next to each number, under the given days, write down your goals, or what it is you want to achieve during those times of the day. When you are finished, put it in a place where you can readily see it.

When I was working in the mortgage industry, this is how I would make my action plan. I was taught a similar way, but this is what worked for me, and nobody said it had to be rocket science.

For instance, I would start my Mondays off doing my reports, after that I would make my follow up phone calls from the previous day's customers* sessions. I would continue on down my action plan to number five, and if time allotted, I would add a few things.

I would create a new action plan every Friday afternoon. This way I was prepared for the coming week and I knew exactly what I would be doing day to day, hour to hour.

Before I started using action plans, I would just come into the office and go with the flow. I would wait for the phone to ring, or for a customer to walk in. The time in between was all just dead time, and my day would drag.

The action plan is designed to keep you focused, and make you productive during your work day.

The action plan also works as a time table. It splits your day up into segments. Think of every next stage of your action plan as something to look forward to. This will get you through your day at a much more productive pace.

When you leave your office at night, you want the feeling of accomplishment, not the feeling as though you have wasted an entire day. The action plan will give you the feeling of accomplishment.

Sometimes we need to go back to basics. We need to start at the beginning, and do the things that made us successful to begin with.

Your work day can be stressful, and your action plan can be a positive way to keep you focused on your daily goals, and your mind off of anything stressful.

So before you start another work day, put together an action plan. It doesn*t have to be fancy, it only has to be want you want to accomplish day to day throughout the week. Best of Luck!

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