When the New Year rolls around, billions of people will set goals for 2016. Unfortunately, most of them will fail. One important reason why is because they lack a concrete plan of action.

One amazing tool to help you create an effective action plan is a Mind Map.

Mind Maps are customizable flow charts that help you break down your goals into manageable steps.

The beauty of a Mind Map is that it can turn a seemingly monstrous task into a very realistic and achievable one.

There are a lot of things that I want to do, but I often don’t know where to begin. This is why I love Mind Maps. They help me break a large task into small steps so that I have a concrete plan of action that I can easily follow. All I have to do is stick to the plan, complete each step, and I will accomplish that task.

Instead of writing your action plan on paper, you can create free Mind Maps on your computer. I prefer Mind Maps because they are visually appealing, easy to make, and you can drag and drop each subpart or step as you please.

Shout out to Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income for introducing me to this idea!

For example, I am currently working to launch The Tennis Files Podcast. When I first thought about creating a podcast, it seemed like there was so much to do that I felt overwhelmed.

But after creating a Mind Map, I feel really confident about my prospects. Take a look:

With each task broken down into little steps, I can concentrate on completing and checking off each step from my Mind Map. It will be much easier to reach your goals when you have all the steps you need to take written down.

The same applies to your tennis game, or anything else you want to accomplish in life. Whether you want to improve a specific shot, your fitness, finances, career, or qualify for elite tournaments, you increase your chance for success when you create a Mind Map!

Mind Maps are a fantastic free tool for translating your end goal into a manageable step-by-step program. And as you can see from my podcast Mind Map above, you can create Mind Maps for any project or goal that you want to accomplish.

I like to create my Mind Maps at a website called Mind Meister.

Mind Meister lets you create 3 Mind Maps for free! If you need to make more Mind Maps or unlock more features, Mind Meister has paid plans with advanced capabilities, ranging from $6-$15 a month for unlimited Mind Maps.

I highly encourage you to formulate step-by-step plans to reach your tennis and life goals with Mind Maps. Your mind will thank you (pun fully intended 🙂 ). If you do, I am confident that you will have a prosperous New Year!

For more free tools and tips to improve your tennis game, download a free copy of my eBook, The Building Blocks of Tennis Success, below!