It’s a new year, and as I’ve done for the past few years, I am creating an Annual Plan. Not resolutions but a plan. Yes, I’ve taken what I learned in the corporate world and applied it to my personal life.

For 2013 I even used the TQM-approved template we used at Teradyne to create and monitor projects: the 4W1H. You guessed it: what, when, who, where, and how. So last year I had goals, means,  and milestones. Metrics, for heaven’s sake!

Every quarter I reviewed my plan and updated it. I added a few things and jettisoned others, but overall, I did most everything on my plan. It felt great to pour that much time and attention into making my own dreams come true instead of helping Teradyne meet its annual business goals.

In 2012 I set a creative goal: create one mosaic project a month and host an open studio in December to unveil my masterpieces. I started out strong in the spring, lost momentum in the summer, and then freaked out in the fall, even staying up late like a college student to meet my self-imposed deadline. In the end, I made 15 pieces, and my open studio was a lot of fun. My friends were surprised at what I’d done, and so was I.

This year my plan is built around some life categories I came across in “Mind Over Medicine” by Lissa Rankin, MD. Her book is about the effect of the mind on the body. Her premise is simple: if you’re unhappy and stressed, no amount of exercise, organic food, or vitamins will make you healthy. Stress–as in the cascade of flight or fight chemicals flooding your body–sets you up for illness and disease. The relaxation response puts your body in the best position to fight off illness and disease.

For health, you need to spend more time engaging in behaviors that create the relaxation response and minimize situations that cause the stress response. So she walks you through different areas of your life to “diagnose” where you need improvement, then you write your own “prescription” to make changes in your life–everything from relationships, work/life purpose, and spirituality to mental health, physical health, and your environment.

I used her categories and came up with a few bullet points in each one. Some bullet points are actual finite accomplishments, while others are ongoing changes I’d like to make in my life.

I know from experience that just writing down my goals helps me reach them. It’s as if the act of writing alone creates clarity and focus. Given how distracted and fragmented our lives are, it’s no wonder that the simple physical act of putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, can ground us and wake us up to what matters.

Writing it down is also like making a promise to myself. It’s almost as if once I’ve written it down, I am committed and just have to get it done. The seed has been planted in my sub-conscious. I must obey.

So as you go about planning your year, be careful what you wish for: If you write it down, you might just get it!