A few years ago, I realized something important. I didn’t want to retire in the traditional sense. I wanted to live life on my terms. To achieve this, I decided to plan your ideal life by working backward from your goals. I imagined a slower pace, a small house in the forest, and days spent writing, traveling, visiting friends, and growing my own food. I began planning for that future five years ago—ten years before I hoped to make it real.
That vision of planning your ideal life by working backward from your goals became more than just a daydream. It became a blueprint. I started working backward from that life, making small but meaningful decisions that would eventually get me there. That meant every decision I made had to further advance my goals. I turned down or accepted offers based solely on whether they brought me closer to the life I envisioned. The true measure of a good decision was how it made me feel. When I felt a sense of energy and purpose, I knew I was moving in the right direction.
If you’re unsure what your next step should be, especially when it comes to your business or career, you don’t need to begin by looking at what’s available. Instead, ask yourself where you want to end up and then plan your way in reverse. This is how you can effectively plan your ideal life by working backward from your goals.
Step 1: Plan Your Ideal Life With a Clear Vision
Take some time to daydream about your ideal life. Ask yourself: What does a typical day look like? Where are you living? How do you spend your time, and who are you spending it with? Are you working full-time, part-time, or not at all? The more specific you can be, the easier it becomes to map out a path that leads you there, allowing you to plan your ideal life in a backward manner.
Step 2: Know What It Costs to Create the Life You Want
Once you have a vision, turn it into practical terms. What kind of income will you need to support that lifestyle? Consider your cost of living, healthcare, housing, travel, and savings. Don’t guess. Run the numbers so you know exactly what you’re working toward in planning your ideal life by looking back from your goals.
Action step: Use a cost-of-living calculator or simple spreadsheet to estimate your annual expenses. Divide that number into monthly income goals.
Step 3: Choose a Career Path That Supports the Life You Want
How do you want to earn that income? Would you rather build your own business or work for someone else? There is no wrong answer—just the one that best supports the lifestyle you want.
Action step: Make a list of business ideas or job roles that align with your strengths, interests, and long-term goals. Focus on what energizes you and aligns with your plan to work backward from your goals.
Step 4: Reverse Engineer Your Goals and Set a Realistic Timeline
With your vision and path in mind, begin mapping your progress in reverse. If your 10-year goal is to be self-employed or semi-retired, what needs to happen in five years? One year? Three months?
Action step: Set a short-term goal that supports your bigger plan of planning your ideal life by working backward from your goals. This might be saving a specific amount, starting a side project, or learning a new skill.
Live With Intention and Design Your Ideal Life
Planning your life with intention doesn’t mean everything will go perfectly. But it gives you a framework for making decisions with purpose. When you lead with clarity, every small step becomes a move toward the life you genuinely want to live, and that’s how you effectively plan your ideal life by working from your goals backward.
If you want to dig deeper into creating goals that match how you want to feel, The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte is a transformative read
I’ve created free Journal Prompts to Help You Plan Your Ideal Life and start exploring what a meaningful, fulfilling future looks like for you