Do you ever have days get away from you? Do you at the end of the day think, “What the hell did I do today?” because you feel the day has passed without you doing anything?
Or, at times, do you feel like you are going from one crisis to another and are not focusing on the priorities you should?
If you happen to answer yes to one or all the questions above, you should continue reading. In this post, we provide you with 10 tips on how to plan your day.
Improve Your Day Planning
Use the tips we have provided below to prioritize tasks, create a plan, and keep your day (and your life) from running away from you.
1. Write Your Every Day Plan Out
The first and most important tip I have for you is to plan your day. When I say play, I mean writing it actually down. Believe it or not, writing down your day plan is a great time management practice. Yes, you have to do it every day!
The main element is, setting a time in the morning or the day before to jot down what you need to get done today or the next day.
As yourself: “What needs to be your priorities today? Is there a deadline you need to meet soon?”
List down everything important you have to get done. Why?
It is simply because when you write your plan, it clears your brain, so you do not have to spend time remembering what you were supposed to do.
You can do this on paper or use digital management software like Asana. You use what suits you the best.
For me personally, I like to brainstorm on my laptop and then write it on paper. Doing something like this keeps me accountable. For me, I would forget about a list in a device, but something solid on a paper like the Daily Plan sheet I use which has checkboxes I can cross-put on my work table keeps me in place.
2. Sit Down To-Plan Same Time Daily
You should set a time for all your daily planning. Why? When you fix a time and sit down to plan daily o that time, it will create a habit. You might have heard, “Good habits power you to stay on track.”
You can plan the night before or when you get up in the morning. I like to plan everything when I get up in the morning and after my coffee. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, my brain is more functional. Secondly, I can add things that come to me during the night. If I plan something at night and have to add something by morning, it will get hard for me to figure out what to take off to make time for the new task. That is why I prefer planning in the morning.
However, night or morning, it depends on you and what would work best for you.
3. Brainstorm a Fast To-Do List
Add everything you need to, want to, and could do to your list. Ask yourself these questions:
What deadline is close by, and how much of the work from that deadline is left?
What errands do you have to run today?
Did you do everything you had planned yesterday, and if it didn’t, could you do it today?
What is important for you to get done today and no later than today?
Assess your weekly plan, and I hope you do have one!
Everything that comes into your mind during your brainstorming session will not exactly make it onto your final plan. However, it helps you reduce the chance of something coming up unexpectedly. Therefore, ensure you go over your calendar for any personal commitments or appointments you might have or a meeting that might need you to prepare beforehand.
4. Divide the Tasks Between Work and Life
It can be easy to let your work tasks take over your personal life tasks. That is why in my daily planner, I plan daily for two headings: Work and Life.
There are two reasons why I did this:
I can plan and see what needs to get done in each area, helping me group tasks together within the time, when needed. For example, I work in the morning, so I plan my daily life activities or tasks in the evening.
It helps me to keep a balance between business and personal life. I try keeping the task number the same under each heading and try filling both daily.
5. Identify Things That MUST Get Done Today
Every day choose a task from your work life and from your life list that you have to (MUST) get done today. It can be one task each and an easy one, a difficult one, a short one, or the one that will take you the longest time to complete. Choose the tasks that will help you achieve your long-term objective; you know the ones that will move the needle along.
Do these tasks first. Why? Because if you do happen to derail later on in the day, you will be satisfied and happy that you completed the most important task needed today.
For example, my MUST-do task for today was to write this blog. So, after breakfast, that is what I did.
6. Add Quick Tasks
You do not have to add only big projects to your daily plan. If something is going to take 10 to 15 minutes to complete, don’t stop it from putting it on your list. For example, if you have 10 lines on your daily sheet for 10 tasks, and you add time-consuming tasks, it gets hard to finish them all.
I find it very satisfying to check off boxes for the tasks I complete. Therefore, adding some fast tasks make it easy and more likely for you to finish them all and cross everything out from your list. Moreover, at times, tasks that take less time to complete can be important. Therefore, never measure tasks with time.
You know fast-finishing tasks can be great for the time when you have low energy in your day. Moreover, if you happen to see that you’re procrastinating, you can do a few smaller tasks to get back on track.
7. Find Tools Useful For Your
Technology has made everything extremely easy for us. I like doing things on paper; it does not mean you should also. There are many time management apps and tools you can use to help you plan your day and map out your to-do list. You could use RPM Life Planner, the best-selling one created by Tony Robbin.
You can get tools you can use to organize and obtain what you really want right at your fingertip. Technology keeps you distracted but also helps you similarly, if you work better with technology use the tools you find helpful to help you map out your day and stick to it.
8. Refer To Your List Often
Referring back to your list as much as you can is another efficient time management practice. It all comes down to having everything organized. Ensure you place your list somewhere where it will be easy to refer to and look at whenever you want throughout the day. Again, it can be wherever you want, on your Smartphone, notebook, stuck to your fridge, in a planner, anywhere you want.
I like to stick mine on the wall on top of my desk, so I can easily refer to it and check off the tasks I have done. Referring back to your list makes it easy to see what you have done and what is left.
9. Plan Breaks
Many might consider this to be counter-productive. However, once you start doing it, you realize it’s important to plan and take regular breaks throughout the day. The fact is, if you do not rest in between, you will lose concentration and find it hard to focus on the tasks you need to get done.
Therefore, when you plan your day and schedule everything, ensure you add enough break time. It is better to have a few short breaks than a long one. Try and see how it goes for you.
10. Evaluate
Lastly, always evaluate your day in the end. Check what you accomplished today and if you accomplished everything you planned. It is a good way to see what you could improve and increase productivity further. The more you evaluate and assess your day, the better you become at planning your day. Therefore, add evaluation to your routine.
Final Thoughts
I have provided you with my favorite ten daily day planning tips. I use them to stay on my plan; you should try them also. When you have a clear and detailed daily plan, you maximize your productivity for the day and get the most out of it. Moreover, evaluate your process and see how effective the planning is for you.
Do you like planning beforehand, and if you do, do you stick to it?
