Personal Success Plan: A Blueprint for Adulting
“Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.” —Bill Vaughan
It's that time again, and as we ring in the new year, there’s no better time to talk about goal setting and future planning!
When it comes to success in adulthood, the path can be summarized in a few deceptively simple steps:
Set a goal.
Make a plan.
Take action steps.
Review progress and revise the goal or plan.
Rinse and repeat.
Let’s break down why this process works and explore how to guide students in crafting a meaningful plan for their futures.
The Power of Goal Setting
Before diving into planning, let’s talk about the importance of goal setting. Research shows that individuals who create vivid descriptions or visualizations of their goals are 1.2-1.4 times more likely to achieve them. Writing down goals and revisiting them regularly helps students to clarify their priorities and maintain focus.
If you’d like more in-depth information on setting effective goals, check out my previous post on goals and transition planning or this student goal-setting activity.
Lesson and activities to guide student goal setting
Why Future Planning Matters
While goal setting is important, success often hinges on the plan that follows. In their paper, Beyond Good Intentions: Prompting People to Make Plans Improves Follow-Through on Important Tasks, the authors highlight a simple truth:
Making a concrete plan helps people follow through on their intentions.
When a person outlines when, where, and how they will achieve a goal, they are significantly more likely to take action. Research specifically shows that future planning not only helps to combat procrastination but also reduces the likelihood of abandoning goals when obstacles arise.
Planning for Adulthood
Planning for adulthood is one of the most important steps young people can take, yet many students fall into the trap of under-planning. They often have ambitious goals like joining the military, playing for the NBA, starting a company, or being a TikTok sensation. While these aspirations are commendable, the lack of a detailed plan can make them hard to achieve.
According to Rogers et al. (2015), we tend to under-plan for the goals we care the most about, assuming that passion alone will ensure our success. Ironically, this lack of planning then leaves us without clear steps to get started or strategies to persevere if setbacks occur. When it comes to adulting, creating a concrete, actionable plan significantly increases the likelihood of achieving success.
What Makes a Good Plan?
An effective plan includes the following elements:
Clear goals: The plan builds on an existing, well-defined goal.
Concrete language: Specific steps and actions are outlined.
Public accountability: Sharing plans with others increases follow-through.
Obstacle anticipation: Potential challenges are identified with solutions.
Logical timeline: There’s a clear schedule for implementation.
(Adapted from Rogers et al., 2015)
Key elements to consider when planning for adulthood
Introducing the Personal Success Plan
One of my favorite tools for helping students plan their futures is the Personal Success Plan (PSP). This project guides students through creating a personalized roadmap for their lives, complete with specific and actionable steps.
While the title might sound a bit cheesy, it consistently resonates with students and has been a hit across grade levels. I’ve tried experimenting with other titles, but this one feels the most accurate. It captures the essence of the activity:
Personal: Each plan is unique to the individual student—no cookie-cutter or generic options here!
Success: The ultimate goal is for students to thrive in adulthood.
Plan: This is more than a wish or a vision; it’s a well-researched, detailed blueprint for action.
The title reflects exactly what the activity is about: empowering students to take ownership of their futures with a clear and actionable plan.
How the Personal Success Plan Works
Logistics
Students start with a simple, black-and-white template in Google Slides or PowerPoint. They customize their PSP and make it their own with fonts, backgrounds, clipart, and personal photos.
Key Sections of the Plan
The PSP template includes slides for the following areas:
Strengths & Interests: Students identify their talents, passions, and values.
Career Aspirations: They research potential careers, including role requirements and job outlook.
Education & Training: Students map out a graduation plan, postsecondary education goal, and funding options.
Housing & Transportation: They create a detailed living and commuting plan, plus outline the adulting skills they have or need for independent living.
Health & Fitness: Actions for physical and mental well-being.
Financial Planning: Students develop short- and long-term budgeting priorities.
Support System: They identify personal and professional networks.
Back-Up Plans: Contingency plans are developed for potential challenges.
Each slide in the template contains prompts, questions, and links to resources, where students replace the placeholder text with their own personalized content.
Sample slides from a Personal Success Plan
Why Details Matter
As I guide students through this process, I emphasize the importance of specific, detailed planning. For example, if a student’s goal is to attend college, they need to identify:
The specific college they want to attend.
Its location, tuition costs, and funding options.
The programs they’ll major in.
Even fun details, like the school mascot or nearby attractions!
Depending on the age and stage of the student, they may not ultimately attend the school they’ve chosen or stick with their initial plan—they might change their mind a dozen times before graduation. What’s most important is the process: engaging in this level of detailed research and planning helps students develop essential skills they can apply to future decisions, even as their goals evolve.
Student Presentations
I’ll admit, as an introvert myself, I’m usually not one to force my students to present. However, this project is an exception. I require students that present their plans, and I can assure you that even the most reluctant students get excited to share once they’ve seen a few of their peers present—the excitement is contagious!
Here are some tips for fostering successful presentations:
Spread out the presentations. Hold them over several days to keep the audience engaged. Each presentation deserves full attention, and you don’t want students to tune out.
Invite others. Encourage students to bring their "team"—whether that’s counselors, case managers, coaches, friends, or family. Having these supporters in the audience adds weight to the event and it is truly moving to see others rally around the student and their plan for the future.
Set the right tone. The first presentation sets the tone for the whole event. Choose a student who has taken the process seriously and who will set a high standard. The other students will follow their lead.
Snacks! If possible, bring snacks or even make it a potluck. It helps create a more celebratory atmosphere and makes the event feel like a milestone.
Next Steps and Follow-Up
Once students complete their presentations, I encourage them to save their plans somewhere like a personal drive or cloud service. This is especially important because, after graduation, they may lose access to their student accounts. By saving the plan in a personal space, students ensure they can revisit it in the future.
This plan isn't just a one-time document—it's a living, evolving roadmap. I build in time for students to revisit and update their plans throughout the year (and sometimes in following years, for students I loop with). They document their successes, adjust their goals, and tweak their action steps, as needed. This ongoing process helps students stay on track and adapt to new opportunities and challenges as they arise.
Finally, the value of these plans goes far beyond the classroom. They can be shared in IEP or 504 meetings, allowing teachers, counselors, and other team members to align their efforts to support the student’s goals. These plans also serve as a useful reference when applying for jobs, internships, or college, making them an invaluable tool as students move into adulthood.
Implementation Ideas
If you’d like to recreate this project in your classroom, the outline provided here should give you a strong starting point. However, if you’re looking for a ready-to-use template with step-by-step instructions, I’ve created a Personal Success Plan resource. Check out this detailed preview for a closer look.
I hope you'll consider implementing this activity with your students. The research underscores the importance of future planning, and there is incredible value in giving students the time and structure to create a well-thought-out and thoroughly researched plan for their future!
