A good day should start with a coffee and an action plan. The coffee is easy to get from any coffee shop or kitchen, but when it comes to the action plan, there is no one size fits all. At work, the action plan is given by the tasks that you are entrusted with. But outside work, usually there is no action plan.

Let me tell you a story.

Not long ago, I was going from task to task, fulfilling what I had on my list, and trying to relax in the remaining time. I was receiving good reviews, and that made me think that I'm doing well. I always had the drive to develop myself, but I didn't know which way to go. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the possibilities and I changed my decision about my next step depending on what article I was reading or what inspiring person I was listening to. I wasn't really having any progress.

Last year, something happened. I understood what I needed to be able to build my action plan.

And it's as simple as understanding what my strengths and my weaknesses are, and knowing what obstacles and threats I should plan for. When I say strengths I don't mean the ones we usually voice in interviews, that are hand–picked to fit the job description. And by weaknesses I don't mean "I am a perfectionist". I am talking about an honest analysis, that we can use to realistically assess where we are and what is our next move. In one word, a personal SWOT analysis.

After writing my analysis, it was much easier to make an action plan, simply because I knew exactly what is it that I can be better at, how to do it and what are the things that I should leave aside.

What amazes me is that even though it is common to have a SWOT for businesses or products, I didn't hear many people making personal SWOTs. The level of clarity that they bring to one own's strategy is amazing. Give it a try.