Daily Planning
- Review calendar, to do list, and weekly plan.
- Set priorities and act.
- Make changes and add incoming tasks to lists as needed.
- If there are extra moments, choose items from goal and project plans and master list.
- In the afternoon, check that all daily routine items have been done. Check off completed daily goals, on the habit chart.
- At close of day, celebrate what you have accomplished and plan for tomorrow. Make a daily to do list for the next day, adding items from your calendar and weekly plan.
Morning Questions
- What’s on my calendar?
- What’s on my to-do list that must be done TODAY? Which are the Most Important Tasks?
- If I can only do ONE of these tasks, which should it be? Start with that one, then go to the next one.
- What is the best use of your time right now? (Alan Lakein)
- Which quadrant of Stephen R Covey’s time management matrix is this task in?
- What actions can be taken today to move a project or goal forward?
- Which actions are top priority?
- What’s the next action required? (David Allen) …learn more at GTD Essentials
- What activities am I not doing, that might help me reach goals if I did them? (Brian Tracy)
10 Productivity Questions to Ask Yourself Every Day from timemanagementninja.com
Incoming Tasks
Capture incoming tasks and add them to your system:
- Does it have a deadline? Yes-enter in calendar
- Do you want to act on it now? Yes-Is it more than one step? Yes-plan a project. No-add to To-do list.
- Do you want to act on it later? Yes-Is there a due date? Yes-add to calendar. Want to do, but no due date-add to a follow-up system. Maybe-add to idea file.
Evening Questions:
- Did I begin the day with a plan for doing a few MITs?
- Did I choose the top priority one and begin with that one?
- How many tasks were accomplished today? How many were carried forward? How many were added?
- Did I use my high energy time for tasks that needed thought and creativity?
- Did I leave my workspace organized and ready for tomorrow?
- Have I reviewed my calendar, to do list, and weekly plan, and picked MITs for tomorrow?
- What interruptions and time-wasters were encountered? Could they have been avoided?
- Did I spend enough time with family and friends?
- Did I spend enough time on fitness, leisure and spiritual activities?
Everyday Reflections for Effective Time Management from rightattitudes.com
A book called “The Personal Efficiency Program” by Kerry Gleeson really gave me a better understanding of how planning works. (Affiliate link: I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase with an affiliate link. Thank you for your support!)
Studies have discovered:
- we can’t store much in our memory, and it drains energy if we try.
- Be aware of the Planning Fallacy: we tend to under-estimate how much time tasks will take.
Planning includes
- Daily Planning
- Weekly Planning
- And Weekly Review
- Monthly Review
- Annual Review
Learn more: This is part of the free Time Management 101 Tutorial | see also: Skills Employers Want #4: Planning | Optimize Your Day With the Science of Productivity
Tools for Planning | A paper planner tool for the weekly review | Set of a weekly planning form plus five daily planning forms (pdf)
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