One of my favourite books is “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

If you haven’t read it, the title character is someone who – motivated by winning his old flame back – rises from poverty to great heights in 1920’s America.

Once Jay Gatsby “arrives”, he lives in a huge mansion where he throws massive parties in an attempt to get his old girlfriend’s attention.

Why do I like the book so much?

For me it’s the ultimate rags-to-riches story, and shows what can happen when someone puts his/her mind to personal development.

Near the end of it, the narrator (Nick Carraway), is shown a book that Gatsby owned when he was a boy. On the final page, the boy had written out a schedule, where every day he committed to his personal development:

6 AM: Rise from bed
6:15-6:30: Dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling
7:15-8:15: Study electricity
8:30-4:30 PM: Work
4:30-5:00: Baseball and sports
5:00-6:00: Practice elocution, poise and how to attain it
7:00-9:00: Study needed inventions

He also included a list of “General Resolves” which included “No wasting time at Shafters”, “Read one improving book or magazine per week” and “be better to parents.”

I know that the book is fiction, but I believe that to be successful you have to have a plan to achieve it.

If that was the case in the 1920’s, a schedule like Gatsby’s is even more important in 2016 – since we have social media and other distractions coming ever which way at us.

It may seem strict and very regimented, but to be successful you have to stay on track.

The good news is it’s never too late to start. You can set up your plan today and get cracking with it right away.

I can’t promise mansions or that you’ll get the girl (or boy), but you’ll be further ahead doing this than if you didn’t!