How to achieve our monthly goals.
Somehow, I know that you have a talent, or an objective in life. If you do, then you have to give it time and space in your life too. On an important day like Iqbal day, I am choosing to write on the subject of Monthly Plans. It is all about achievements. We can see the achievement scale of Iqbal and many others like him. It has to do with good self management skills. Iqbal wasn’t a struggling poet who was down in the dumps. He was a member of the elite society because he chose to manage himself and his resources properly. Isn’t that what you would like to do too?
I’ve shared my thoughts with you about Iqbal here on how I got interested in his work, and why. Then I’ve written about Allama Iqbal’s Tulip of Sinai, a book which I have illustrated and published here.
It is a fact that he stuck to his own creative work in spite of being a well- known lawyer like Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Iqbal planned his month in such a way that he instructed his manager (munshi) to tell him when he has got enough cases to cover his monthly expenses. After that he took no more cases, and concentrated on his poetry. This is how he planned his month. He did it with the objective in his mind.
Why can’t we do that?
We have so many things to do during a month. I have already written about the importance of the weekly plan here. But it can’t be that useful unless it is aligned with one’s monthly goals.
The big question here; is it possible for us to achieve our goals if we plan better?
So this is how I believe we can work the month out:
- Monthly Things To Do List.
- Monthly goals aligned under weekly headings.
1. Monthly Things To Do List:
Write it randomly. Once written, number it according to your priorities. (Jot down even the entertainment and relaxation slots please.) Then as you read it, you will know what shall be done, and when. This is where major objectives and commitments are placed also. At the end of the month just circle the things that didn’t get done, tick the ones that were done.
Monthly Plan Connected with Weeks:
When you are making the weekly plan, it is important to make sure it is aligned properly with your Monthly Plan. This is why you need to have the overall picture of your Monthly plan all set before making the weekly plan. So, here is how you can make the monthly plan keeping your weekly plan format in mind. I’m sharing mine with you now, to give you an idea how to go about it:
Novemer 2018
| November 2018 | 1st Week | 2nd Week | 3rd Week | 4th Week |
| 1.00: Myself: | Health focus, walks, | reading books. | completing Quran with mum. | Sadqa & charity. |
| 1.1: Physical | Walk 2 k steps | diet, 3 k steps | walk 3 k steps | 4 k steps |
| 1.2: Intellectual | Read Book: Mindset
Learning excel sheet from Youtube. |
Read book: Barefoot Executive | Complete book: Barefoot Executive. | You tube tutorials excel sheet practice. |
| 1.3:Social/emotional | Meet Shabnam.
Watch plays on You Tube. Songs. Ghazals. |
Meet Naila
Watch Yaqeen ka safar. Songs Iqbals’ Skype chat with friend in USA
|
Meet Nigar.
Watch Ashfaque Ahmed plays on You Tube from Aur Dramay. Songs: ghazals of Mirza Ghalib. Skype chat with friends in Lahore. |
Meet Seema. |
| 1.4: spiritual | Sipara 26, | Sipara 27. | S. 28, 29.
Meet Mahjabeen. |
29, 30.
|
| 1.5: Financial | (Pay income tax guy. Personal!)
Excel sheet inputs. Learn from YouTube how to use excel sheet effectively. |
Align all expenses and income with income tax layout in excel sheet. | Analysis.
Breakdown of monthly expenses, versus savings. Expense targets. |
Sadqa for quran completion. |
| 2.00: Daughter/Son | ||||
| 2.1: Mum | Outing/Birthday/gifts | Outing. | ||
| 2.1: Dad | Hospital visit. | Iqbal poetry | Get book of Mian Muhd Bukhsh and read out. | Readings of Ghalib. |
| 3.00: Mother | ||||
| 3.1: N/B/A | Phone chat with N. | Discuss the situations with B. | Talk with B, N and A | send card. |
| 3.2: N/H | H called, talk with Nd | Call H, talk with Nd | ||
| 3.3: W. | Play sequence. | Special card. | Leaving on trip? | |
| 4.00: Homemaker: | Deep cleaning & sorting. | winter settings. | sort each drawer. | Remove extra stuff. |
| 4.01: Staff discipline | Focus on time table. | Meeting with cook | Gardner: pruning, clearing. | New plants. |
| 4.02:House repairs | Get Plumbing& electrical issues solved. | Exhaust fan installations. | Electrical repairs. | Deep sorting. |
| 5.00:Writer/publisher
5.01: PM2: editing and composing. 5.02: Blog posts |
PM2: Editing with Naila
Blg: 1. Elderly parents. 2.Monthly Plans.
|
Editing Get calligraphy done. Check. Blog post: annual plan. |
Composing work with printer.
Details of changes: Acknowledgements. Introduction. First few pages: other books: Name of Iqbal Academy. Include letter of permission from Iqbal Academy. |
Composing.
Blog post: Five year plan. |
| 6.00: Artist | Finalize /compose work | . | ||
| PM2 | Paintings 1. | Paintings2,3 | Painting for PM2: 4, 5, 6, | Paintings for PM2, 7,8,9,10. |
| 7.00: Shireen’s Studio | Iqbal Day celebrations. | Resume art classes. | ||
| Other activities. | Other activities. | Writer’s meet-up. |
You can make yours like this too. Make one and print it out and put it in your diary or next to the mirror so you don’t miss it.
Your monthly plans will get you to your goals, just as nature plans on a weekly and monthly way to bloom at its own proper season, in the same way you too will be able to reach your own objectives. You will notice that wasting time won’t be your problem any more.
This is how and why Iqbal said:
Let your inner self dictate your actions and be so determined in this that while planning your destiny, God Himself asks you, ‘what is your plan?’ (He knows, you will get your own way, no matter what!)
Stay blessed my handsome and lovely Iqbal’s Falcons!
