Module 2

Make the next step concrete

Turn your plan into an action that fits into your everyday life.

Introduction

What this module is about

You have chosen one thing you would like to change. Now we will turn it into a specific next step.

You do not need a complete plan for this. You connect your intention to a specific situation and decide what you actually want to do then.

Afterwards, you check whether this step is simple and realistic enough to try in your everyday life.

Your learning goal

This development step is the focus

You can formulate a specific action for a suitable everyday situation based on the project you have selected and assess whether this step is feasible for you.

Your learning path

The activities in this module

Work through the individual steps calmly and at your own pace.

Step 1 of 3 3 minutes
01
Learning prompt

Make it smaller

Turn your plan into something you can actually do.

Your selected goal gives you direction. To get started, you now need something more concrete: a situation and an action.

An intention such as “I’d like to be more active” doesn’t yet say when or what exactly you want to do.

For your next step, you can therefore distinguish between three levels:

Intention

What would you like to change?

Situation

When or at what moment in your daily life would you like to do something?

Action

What exactly will you do then?

This turns a general direction into a step that you can recognize and try out in everyday life.

The aim is not to find the perfect solution right away. The step can be small. For now, what matters is that you can describe it concretely.

Example

From Intention to Action

This is what a next step could look like

Example 1

Intention: I want to move more.

Situation: After lunch.

Action: I go outside for ten minutes.

Example 2

Intention: I want to start my day with fewer distractions.

Situation: When I begin my first task in the morning.

Action: I leave messages unopened at first.

The examples are not recommendations you have to follow. They simply show how a general intention can be turned into a specific situation and action.

Step 2 of 3 5 minutes
02
Practice

Build your next step

Connect your goal to a specific situation and action.

Now continue working on the one thing you selected in Module 1.

Your project leads to a concrete next step: decide when it can take place in your daily life and what you actually want to do then.

Take your chosen project and go through the three levels once again:

1. Project

What would you like to change?

2. Situation

In what specific moment of your everyday life could you take your step?

3. Action

What would you actually like to do in this moment?

Try to phrase the action so that it is clear what you want to do.

From “I would like to be better organized” a new organizational system might not emerge right away, for example. A first step could be much smaller: “When I start my day, I write down the one task I want to complete first.”

Your step does not have to be perfect yet. In the next activity, you will check whether it actually fits into your everyday life.

Reflection prompt

Build your step

From your intention to concrete action

What would you like to change?

What is the one thing you have chosen for yourself?

When will you take this step?

Think of a specific situation or a recurring moment in your everyday life.

What will you do then?

Formulate a simple and specific action.

Action step

My next step

Bring the situation and action together

State your next step in one sentence now:

If ____________, then I will ____________.

In the first blank, enter your specific situation; in the second blank, enter the action you want to take then.

Keep the sentence simple. You do not need a complete plan for this step.

Step 3 of 3 3 minutes
03
Practice

Not perfect. Repeatable.

Check whether your next step truly fits into your everyday life.

You have now formulated a specific next step. Before you begin, it is worth doing one final check: Is your step designed in a way that you can try it out in your everyday life?

A specific step does not have to be particularly big or challenging to be meaningful.

So take another look at your sentence:

When [Situation], then I will [Handlung].

Ask yourself:

  • Is the situation clearly recognizable to me?
  • Do I know exactly what I want to do then?
  • Does the action realistically fit into my everyday life?
  • Can I begin without having to organize several other things first?

If your step still seems too big or complicated, you do not have to discard it. Make it smaller.

Perhaps 30 minutes becomes 10 minutes to start with. A whole project becomes a first task. A new routine becomes a single action.

For this course, what matters is not how much you take on. What matters is that you have a next step you can actually try.

Reflection prompt

Does your step fit into your daily routine?

Check it one last time.

Is it clear when you want to take this step?

Is it clear what exactly you want to do then?

Does this step realistically fit into your current daily life?

If not, how could you make it even simpler or break it down into smaller steps?

Action step

Try out your step

Your next step begins in everyday life

Incorporate the step you formulated into your daily life.

The next time the situation you selected occurs, try out your specific action.

Afterward, observe whether the step was right for you. If it was too big or impractical, adjust it. You can make it smaller at any time.

To close this activity

Take a brief moment to consciously hold on to the most important thought.

Last activity You have reached the end of the activities in this module. The module closing follows next.

To close

A thought to take with you

The next step does not have to be big. What matters is knowing what you want to do in a specific situation.