Happy National Implementation Month!!

This year’s National Implementation Month is the 4th annual celebration of getting things done! The concept for the month-long event came out of my earlier articles entitled, “Implementation, the Lost Step in Comprehensive Planning“. The article looked into how few comprehensive plans are utilized to their fullest extent. Why go through the arduous work to develop a comprehensive plan if you aren’t going to use it on a regular basis?

That’s where National Implementation Month steps in. It dedicates a full month each year to review your community’s plans. It’s time to set aside time to develop a work schedule toward the implementation of action items to the goals set forth within it.

January is an ideal month for National Implementation Month. Everyone is looking to start a new year with the energy and vigor that stirs souls to get things done.

This first month of the year is also ideal as many of us in the upper Midwest are holed up inside trying to take off the chill while dreaming of warmer days. Why not use those daydreams to plan how you plan to move forward with implementation activities? So throw another log on the fire, then sit down and write up some action steps for the next year to get things done.

Yes, I do not have the congressional power to declare an entire month as National Implementation Month. I don’t even have the power to declare such for the community that I work for. Maybe someday national recognition will happen. But for now, make National Implementation Month an event in your community. Gather others, pick out a goal, and make it happen!