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January 12, 2023

Pro's and Con's of

Writing Your Own
Five-Year Plan
By Understanding ModernGov · 3 minute read

Should you or shouldn't you? 

Whether you want to reach your goals to achieve

the life you want to live or you're a strategic
planner who needs to plan the future, writing a
five-year plan can be useful, but it's not for
everyone.

Do not panic. We have created a pro's and con's list

to help you decide whether a five-year plan is right
for you.

Pro's
Plan how you want your life to go

While you may have to adjust your plan, it is the

perfect way to plan your next move. if you are the
type of person who likes structure and order, then
a 5-year plan may be the perfect option for you.

Provides you with goals and aspirations

By planning your life for the next few years you

allow yourself to set goals and achievements you
want to fulfil. This is a great way to strive for
success and get what you want out of both your
career and personal life.

Targets

While goals and achievements are good motivators,

use smaller targets over smaller periods to make
each goal easier to achieve - this way, you'll feel
proud when you hit them. There's nothing worse
than setting a goal and not understanding how to
achieve it!

New skills and assets

When planning for your career, the progression in

your job title and responsibilities are bound to
change to gain more out of your skills. Equally, if
this is a part of your plan, then setting a goal for
when you learn new skills will help you prepare
yourself for the next step. 

Learn more about the essential writing skills

needed for public sector professionals. 

Keeping it flexible

Try to avoid putting pressure on your achievements

- the plan can always be changed and adjusted.
Setting yourself overly harsh goals that may put a
strain on you is not beneficial and can cause a lot
of stress. Workaround what life throws at you.

What about after five years?

The big question... What happens after five years?

this is the perfect opportunity to rework your plan,
create a new one or press pause on your
achievements and progressions. If you have
achieved everything you planned to in 5 years,
then create a new plan for the next step in your
career.

Equally, if you haven't managed to get to where

you want after 5 years then you can extend the
time to reach your overall goal - reworking or
retiming you plan is just as important as when you
first created it. Maybe hitting pause and realising
what you have achieved is the perfect drive you
need to hit the play button and carry on
succeeding.

Cons:
Unrealistic goals

It can be very easy to set unrealistic expectations

on what your life will look like in the future, like
becoming a millionaire in 2 months. These
unrealistic goals will not only slow down your
process for success, but will also cause a negative
reaction to the lack of achievement.

Aim to use SMART objectives:

Specific

Measurable 

Attainable 

Realistic

Timely

Learn more about SMART goals and what they

mean.

Not aiming high enough

Even though achievable aspirations are very

important in your five-year plan, setting yourself
too easily achievable goals can also have a
negative impact. By setting yourself targets that
push your abilities and skills, you will achieve a
stronger sense of achievement, more so than
setting goals that can be achieved in a day.
Pushing yourself is the most important element of
this plan.

Life doesn't follow a plan

As we all know, life doesn't always follow the path

we want to go down. Setbacks either
professionally or personally can set you off track or
equally, you may change your view on how you
want to set your life and aspirations. This may be a
downfall to some as if you like structure and
planning you may not want to change your plan
and adjust as your life is changing.

A false sense of security

For some of you, a 5-year plan can seem like a

security measure to ensure everything goes to
plan, but this isn't necessarily the best way to use
your plan. By promising yourself that you will reach
each target and achieve everything, you are
leading yourself into a false sense of security,
leaving you under the illusion that your plan will
work and not need to be changed. This may cause
stress and anxiety if your plan isn't going in the
exact direction you want.

Furthering your career

Lastly, if a promotion or job advancement is in your

plan for a specific time in the next 5 years, then
you may want to reconsider the definite timing of it.
Promotions and job prospects are not always
constant and may not be possible if the vacancy
isn't open. You might even find that you are not
ready for the responsibility that comes with a
promotion or new job if it comes.

Achieve Your Goals

With Our Training
Courses
We've got a variety of courses that can expand
your skills and mindset for the public sector that
will help you achieve your five-year plan goals. See
our range of courses and book your place. 

We can also run some of our courses for you In-

House, at your organisation or a venue of your
choice, on a date to suit you. Contact our In-House
Training team on InHouse@moderngov.com or
call 0800 542 9414 to find out more.

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