What if I told you there was something you could do each day that will significantly improve your productivity by 1000%, what would be your reaction? (How I wish I could see your face right now.)
Yes, you heard me right, 1000%! It’s amazing how not too many people plan out what they are going to do every day. By not spending ten to twenty minutes everyday planning, you’re effectively wasting about 100 to 200 minutes of your day every day because you’ll eventually end up engaging in pointless activities that don’t contribute any tangible results to your accomplishments in a day. People who act without planning are usually prone to make more mistakes than those who plan.
Planning simply involves taking a piece of paper, a pen and writing down the goals and tasks you need to do to see those goals accomplished. One minute of planning every day can save you about ten minutes during the execution stage. Consequently, ten minutes of proper planning each day can save you approximately 100 minutes of action upon execution every day.
Remember that time is a limited resource. We all have 24 hours in a day and a sizeable amount of that time is already planned out for us through compulsory daily activities like sleep, meal times, and personal chores. In other words, you only have a few hours in a day which you have control over so it is therefore very important to utilize your time to the greatest extent possible to get the most value from it.
Whether it’s about work, home duties, relationship and family time, or personal time; planning helps you make the most efficient use of your time and it’s a practical skill for productivity for anyone who might be interested. Whenever you do not plan out your day, you end up spending more time than allowable on unproductive things like watching television, playing video games, etc. Planning helps you stay focused on the tasks you need to do for the day and keeps you goal-oriented most of the time.
Equally, when you plan out your day by simply writing down your action list the night before, your subconscious mind automatically focuses on that plan while you sleep. By doing this, you wake up fresh the next morning, ready to dive right into the activities for the day. By utilizing this technique of planning the night before, you will find that getting things done throughout the day in an easier, faster, and more efficient manner than before. Your productivity levels will soar, your relationships will become better, and success will come sooner rather than later.
So do well to dedicate at least ten minutes of your time at the end of each day before you go to bed to plan out what your day will look like the next day, it’ll do you a great deal of help.
To help you get started, I’m going to share with you a few tips on action steps you can take to set you on the path to integrating this habit into your everyday life.
1. Buy a notebook and label it as your Personal Productivity Journal or your Professional Productivity Journal. I’d recommend keeping a separate journal for work and your personal life, so that you can focus on them at separate times, helping you maintain an optimal work/life balance.
2. Label each page with the day and the date and what needs to be done that particular day.
3. Write down your goals for the next day, envision how you want them to go, and see yourself accomplishing them.
4. Prioritize each task by order of importance and items that are not completed each day should be carried over to the next page.
5. Make short multiple lists of the day’s tasks and have them in places where you can see them often. It is important to always have your list handy or kept in numerous strategic places so you allow yourself constant exposure to them throughout the day.
6. Review your goals for the day whenever you’re free and see how well you’re doing with accomplishing them. Make adjustments when necessary and don’t be too rigid with yourself.
You can as well make sure to have fun while you’re at it. Plan breaks in-between, celebrate significant milestones, and remember to reward yourself often (healthy rewards only) for the hard work you’re putting in every day to see that you accomplish your goals.
You can choose to;
- Listen to motivational podcasts, read fun or an interesting book or anything else that resonates with you and inspires you and reflect on it through the day while you’re accomplishing your tasks.
- Follow people on social media that you admire and that inspire you and check up on them for a few minutes in a day to see what they’re up to and how you can be inspired by it.
- Have an accountability partner, someone you can have a fun chats with at the end of the day about how you were able or not able to accomplish your tasks for the day.
Remember Life is short and beautiful so do your best to be your best at all times; that’s what counts.
With Love and gratitude as always, Xo!
If you’d like to get more ideas and useful tips on how to implement your goals, then you should get a copy of my recently released eBook. “How to Start from Zero” and discover so many other ideas you can adapt depending on your lifestyle and taste.
There are a lot of other secrets and ideas amongst other health tips I shared in the eBook and very practical, relatable, and realistic terms. “How to Start from Zero” will show you how to adopt healthy lifestyle habits and get rid of the bad ones faster and with greater ease than you’d expect.
You can click the link below to get a copy of the e-book.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not your doctor while I am a health coach by profession. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.