{"id":277,"date":"2021-11-22T23:53:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T20:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachingisfun.net\/?p=277"},"modified":"2026-10-10T14:57:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T11:57:33","slug":"backward-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachingisfun.net\/uk\/backward-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use Backward Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may know that I am a huge fan of planning. Today, I\u2019d like to share one more method I find useful. It is called backward planning, backward goal-setting, or backward design (I filmed a video <\/a>about it). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backward planning is setting goals is a fantastic strategy where you start with the final goal, and then you set goals to reach the final goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It allows you to prepare yourself for success mentally and visualize it. For example, you are going to launch or rebrand your website. State your goal, write what you want to achieve, and set the deadline. By the end of the 15th of December 2021, I will have launched my website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use backward planning: step by step<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Step 1. Define your final goal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Be as specific as possible about what you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of writing “I want to create a website”, try something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of X, I will have launched my website.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice the difference? The second statement gives you a clear result and a deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2. Identify your final milestone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Imagine that you’ve already achieved your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would you need to finish immediately before that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re launching a website, you might need to test its mobile version, check that all the links work and proofread your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write these tasks down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3. Work backwards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now think about what needs to happen before those final checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll need to write your website content, decide on the design, organise the navigation and prepare your images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue working backwards until you’ve identified the main stages of your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4. Give your milestones deadlines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you know what needs to happen, assign a realistic deadline to each milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget to leave some extra time for unexpected problems. Things don’t always go according to plan, especially when you’re doing everything yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 5. Decide what to do today<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is probably my favourite part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big goal can feel overwhelming. But once you’ve broken it down into smaller steps, you can stop worrying about the entire project and focus on the next task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t have to build your whole website today. Perhaps today’s task is simply to decide which pages you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that’s already progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of backward planning for language teachers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An example of backward planning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s imagine that you’re an independent language teacher and you’ve decided to launch your own website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ve set yourself a deadline: 30 November<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, instead of opening your laptop and wondering where to start, imagine that it’s already 30 November and your website is live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What had to happen to make that possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s work backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deadline<\/th>What needs to be done?<\/th><\/tr>
30 November<\/strong><\/td>Your website goes live. Students can read about your lessons, check your prices and contact you.<\/td><\/tr>
23 November<\/strong><\/td>Everything is ready for launch. You’ve tested the contact form, checked the mobile version and fixed broken links.<\/td><\/tr>
16 November<\/strong><\/td>All your pages are built. Your homepage, About, Services and Contact pages are in place.<\/td><\/tr>
2 November<\/strong><\/td>Your texts and photographs are ready. You’ve written your introduction, lesson descriptions, prices and FAQs.<\/td><\/tr>
26 October<\/strong><\/td>You’ve decided on the website structure, chosen your platform and planned the design.<\/td><\/tr>
19 October<\/strong><\/td>You’ve identified your target students, decided what services to offer and written down what your website needs to achieve.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now you know exactly what needs to happen before 30 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here’s the interesting part: you’ve also discovered what you need to do first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of spending your first evening choosing fonts or experimenting with colours, you can start by defining your services and deciding who your website is for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this is a simplified example. Building a website can take longer, and some tasks will overlap. But that’s not the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is that you’re no longer looking at one enormous task called build a website<\/em>. You’re looking at a series of smaller, more manageable steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you use backward planning with your students?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backward planning is a great exercise to use with your English learners, especially when you’re teaching the Future Perfect tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask your learners to complete sentences using the following structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of + time expression, I will have + past participle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n