HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
I recommend that you first read through this Part One Introduction. This will provide you with a brief overview of what the Phoenix Plan aims to do and what it requires of you. After reading, you can decide whether or not you wish to proceed with it. Assuming you do, continue to Part Two and read the chapter Detailed Guide to the Program. Then carry on reading chapters 2 through 5 and follow the step by step instructions set out there.
Give yourself ten weeks to work on the Plan's Program. The first two weeks will be needed to do the necessary reading and planning and in making the practical adjustments to fit the Program into your present lifestyle. You will also benefit by equipping yourself with a notebook to make brief jottings in as you progress through the Program's stages.
Although the timeframe set down here for working through the Phoenix Self-Help Life Plan is ten weeks [two weeks for preparatory work and eight weeks for working on selected targets and goals] this arrangement is not mandatory. It is set down in this way as this seems to me to represent a realistic period of time in which a self-improvement project can be established and worked through. However, you are free to adjust this suggested timeframe to suit personal circumstances: for example, to eight, six or four weeks overall. I do caution about shortening the project to less than four weeks as it is likely that new lifestyle practices will take at least this period of time to become established habits. Of course, the shorter the overall timeframe chosen for your project the more important it is to limit your goals to be worked on to those which have high priority and which you can reasonably expect to be achievable in the lesser period of time. In general, it is probably sensible to limit your choice of goals for any self-change project to not more than four carefully selected ones. If you choose more than this you may well be taking on too much.
In the book text, statements are based on the ten week timeframe and should be loosely interpreted if you choose to alter the overall duration of your project .
If, initially, you wish to explore the theoretical rationale underpinning the Phoenix Self-Help Plan, go to Appendix B and read the short chapter there [Theoretical Rationale for the Program]. However, this is optional reading at this stage.
Part Three of the book is a series of brief chapters on some key self-help topics which relate to how we handle and cope with life in general. They are not exhaustive or professional essays but are taster observations on the topics included. Hopefully, they may encourage you, when and if your time permits, to seek out more detailed information on their content. Each chapter includes a related Exercise which is aimed to assist you in working out how important that particular topic might be in your own life situation.
You are not required to read through Part Three before beginning the Program. Ideally, you could read through one or more of the topic chapters as you progress through the eight weeks of your Personal Plan. However, I do recommend that, at least, you read them through and complete the exercises included after you have completed the Program and, especially, if you intend to work through the Plan for a second time.
If you want to learn more about the topics in Part Three, have a look at the Further Reading Resources contained in Appendix C. The Internet is also a rich source of fuller information on all of them.
Part Four is the Appendices section of the book. The Sample Documentation [Appendix A] section provides some guidance on how to complete the various forms used in the Phoenix Self-Help Plan. It gives examples of how one person might have completed the Lifestyle Evaluation Questionnaire, calculated her score, worked out selected goals and targets and constructed a schedule. This form-filling is an essential part of the Phoenix Plan. Blank copies of the forms appear in the chapter text. However, if you do not wish to enter your personal information on the forms where they appear in the book format, they can be photocopied. A few blank pages have been inserted at the end of the book to enable you to make jottings but you may prefer to use a notebook dedicated to this task.
Appendix B contains the more technical chapter Theoretical Rationale for the Program, mentioned above and which should be read through at some convenient time.
In Appendix C, there are some Additional Reading Resources listed and in Appendix D, under My Website Links, there are details of a website which I have set up on the Phoenix Self-Help Life Plan. The website may contain additional resources and references to sources where you can obtain more information on matters related to your self-improvement. It is hoped that this web site, located at
www.changeyourlifein10weeks.co.uk
will expand and develop as time proceeds.
The Phoenix Self-Help Life Plan is also suitable for working through with a partner or even in a small group setting.
It is hoped that Change Your Life in Ten Weeks will prove to be, for you, a worthwhile guide and workbook on how to plan and implement the life changes that you desire. However, as already mentioned, do not simply read through it – study it carefully and work through its various stages and you will be assured of personal progress in the goals that are important to you.