Not being able to plan a day can ruin the entire week.
Follow these 8 ways to plan your day to get more done in less time.
1. Make planning a habit.
The best way to make planning a habit is to set aside some time each day to do it.
Pick a time that works best for you and stick to it. Make sure you’re not disengaged from doing this.
I like to plan my day the night before, but you can do it whenever you want. Just make sure you do it at the same time each day to become a habit.
2. Align your to-do list with goals.
Divide up your primary objectives into daily tasks. You can add “spend 30 minutes on my bike” to your daily to-do list, but you cannot add “Get in shape.”
Think about your entire week. You probably have several objectives.
Some objectives benefit from daily activity, while others can gain momentum from weekly work.
3. Commit to your daily plan
- Eliminate distractions: Close most of your desktop programs, keep your phone silent, and turn off your notification settings as you work.
- Track your time: You can work more productively if you keep track of your time.
- Try hourly check-ins: Check in with yourself frequently to see if you are going about your day with focus.
- Adapt your strategy: If unexpected work comes up, take a moment to change your schedule for the day. Work from your new plan after that.
- Checklist the entire To-Do list: Even though you want to have no tasks on your to-do list, now is an excellent time to assess your situation, reassess your tasks, and replan them.
4. Eat the Frog
“Eat the Frog” is a great productivity technique for acting on your highlight as soon as possible.
We frequently desire to avoid this task the most (therefore, eating the frog).
It might be a task that seems overwhelming or uncomfortable.
Put your “frog” at the top of your to-do list and give it a deadline during your planning session. Then, list your other tasks below.
5. Time Blocking
Split your day into different blocks of time with the time-blocking technique.
Then, solely focus on finishing a single task or set of tasks within each block of time.
For the most accuracy, make sure to include blocks for things like lunch, breaks, and commuting.
Make changes to your list if an activity requires less or more time to get a better idea of how long it takes.
6. Choosing your planning tool
Now that you’ve decided on the productivity approach, it’s time to pick your tools:
- A to-do list app: A digital task manager is great for those who are tech-savvy.
- A digital calendar: Many people opt for a daily planning tool, like Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Notion.
- A paper planner can take several forms, including notebooks, agendas, or specialized planners.
7. The Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix productivity strategy allows you to prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance.
This methodology divides tasks into four quadrants and specifies how we should approach each work block.
- Urgent and Important tasks: should be completed immediately.
- Not Urgent and Important tasks: should be scheduled on your to-do list.
- Urgent and Unimportant tasks: should be delegated to someone else.
- Not Urgent and Unimportant tasks: should be deleted.
8. Reflect regularly
Take some time each week to examine how well your system is working.
Allow time for a weekly assessment to see whether your planning method is effective or needs to be improved.
You can make changes to your system based on your observations.
Celebrating your successes and progress is also helpful to keep yourself motivated.