Disclaimer: This article is part of my blog archive and was originally published in 2021. The reflections capture my perspective at that time and remain relevant as a foundation for intentional career design. This version is an English translation of the original German article and was translated and refined with the support of ChatGPT.
Last week, I had a conversation with a client about her future career planning. She asked me what impact the decision to pursue a PhD in a highly medical field might have on her chances of building a career in the pharmaceutical industry within the next five to ten years.
In my professional environment, I advise several pharmacists — which is not surprising given my own academic background. Of course, there are some very concrete, technical arguments I could have offered.
But was this really a technical question?
While a 5–10 year time horizon can be useful in certain contexts — for example: “If I skip exercise today, what does that mean for my health in five or ten years?”
We simply cannot reliably predict what consequences today’s decisions will have in five or ten years. Nor can we know whether we will still hold the same goals we have today. Moreover, if we always follow the exact paths others have taken to reach a predefined outcome, we risk missing the best opportunities — the spontaneous ones that emerge along the way.
In that particular conversation, it became clear that the real issue was not the objective impact of doing a PhD. It was a question of permission.
If I take this unconventional step, one that excites me, one I feel passionate about, will I still reach goal X?
Am I allowed to do that?
I am familiar with these thoughts from my own life experience. They tended to surface whenever I was about to try something new, whenever I stepped away from the “classic” career path I saw around me.
Why would I pursue coaching training when I am a pharmacist working in the pharmaceutical industry?
In the end, I always allowed myself those “detours.” I have never regretted them. To my own surprise, they often had a more positive impact on my performance and career trajectory than any formal “career development program” I had completed. Eventually, I realized they were not detours at all, they were the steps toward my own path.
At some point, you are allowed to leave the path everyone else is taking. At its core, this touches on identity, but that is a topic for another article.
Life is short. In the end, I believe it matters that we pursue something we genuinely care about. Yes, this perspective reflects a certain degree of privilege. But more than circumstances, I believe it is about mindset, the attitude with which we face life’s challenges and the permission we grant ourselves to pursue what truly interests us, even when we cannot yet see where it will lead.
Today, I want to share a practical tool I have been using for some time to structure my life and career planning. I learned it from my own Coach Ashley Paquin and have used it since she first introduced me to it. (Author’s note: I still use this tool to this date in February 2026!) I am happy to share this simple method with you here.
The idea of a rigid 5–10 year plan often feels overwhelming. I find it far more effective to focus on a shorter, tangible time horizon — one year ahead — and work backward from there.
Long-term visioning has its place. But the tool I want to share provides a concrete framework for working within a 1–12 month horizon. It helps relieve the pressure of having to know today where you want to be in five years.
The 1-3-1-6 Method
Many people want a 10-year master plan, yet most of us do not even know what we will have for dinner tomorrow.
Whether you are finishing university, completing a PhD, or reorienting after ten years in a job — you cannot predict how your career will unfold, whom you will meet, how markets will develop, or which doors will open or close. We cannot control what lies outside ourselves.
What we can influence is what we do today.
We can also decide whether we dare to think about, write down, and articulate our own desires for the future.
There is no guarantee they will materialize. But if you never voice them, the probability certainly does not increase. That is the core philosophy of this method.
Step 1: One Month from Today
Ask yourself:
What do I want to have accomplished one month from now?
What do I want to have completed, created, or initiated?
These can be simple things, such as:
- I have started running again.
- I have read one book.
- I have finally scheduled the dentist appointment I have been postponing.
Personal or professional, everything that is relevant within the next month gets written down and executed.
Step 2: Three Months from Today
Now we move slightly closer to future aspirations.
- What do you want to have achieved three months from now?
- Who do you want to be?
- What will you have accomplished or experienced?
Examples:
- I have run 5 km.
- I have read three books.
- I have taken new professional photos and updated my CV (and had it proofread).
- I have identified three job opportunities and submitted applications.
Step into your desired future self three months from today and write from that perspective.
Tip: Do not write “I want to read three books.”
Write: “I have read three books.”
This linguistic distinction matters. The brain processes statements of completion differently than wishes.
Step 3: One Year from Today
Now extend the horizon to one year.
Again, ask yourself:
- Who do I want to be?
- What will I have achieved?
- What will I have experienced?
Examples:
- I have completed a half marathon.
- I have read twelve books.
- I have secured a new job at a new company with a salary of X and supportive colleagues.
- I have moved into a new apartment in Y.
Everything is allowed, personal and professional. This ensures alignment and prevents contradictory ambitions. For example, training for a marathon while simultaneously changing jobs and relocating may not be realistic within the same timeframe.
At this stage, the focus is not on operational planning. It is about clarifying the vision of your future self. The concrete steps will follow as the picture becomes sharper.
Step 4: Six (to Eleven) Months from Today
Now review your one-year goals alongside your one- and three-month targets. Assess coherence and feasibility.
Define milestones that bridge the gap.
Examples:
- To run a half marathon in one year, I should comfortably run 10 km in six months and 15 km in nine months.
- If I have sent three applications in three months, I may have sent twelve more by month six and completed four interviews.
- I expect to secure a new job within seven months and can then begin searching for a new apartment, planning the move around month nine.
Here, you formulate assumptions:
If I do X, Y becomes more likely.
This creates a structured 12-month roadmap:
- Concrete next steps for the coming four weeks
- A detailed direction for the next three months
- Milestones and overall orientation for six to twelve months
Plan complete? Not quite.
The first version is complete — and that is an important milestone. You now have clarity about where to focus today. That clarity allows you to move from rumination into execution.
The real value of the 1-3-1-6 method emerges through iteration.
Review, adjust, and refine it monthly. Personally, I use Trello (unpaid mention) and my calendar to track and adapt my plan. Each month, the one-month goals are updated. Every three months, the one-year vision is expanded or refined. Milestones shift as reality unfolds.
Perhaps you receive a job offer much earlier than expected. Perhaps you decide to stay in your current apartment.
Goals evolve because you evolve — and that is precisely why I am skeptical of rigid long-term planning. The 1-3-1-6 method is powerful because it continuously prompts the question:
Is the path I am on today still aligned?
If you try this method, I would genuinely appreciate your feedback on your experience.
And most importantly: allow yourself to pursue even your boldest ambitions. You may be surprised how effectively the 1-3-1-6 method supports you along the way.
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