Choose and Schedule Regular Exercise

Posted on March 6, 2012 by dailyplanit — 10 Comments

Physical – Activity: Choose & Schedule Regular Exercise

Benefits

It is well-known that exercise provides many benefits, both physical and mental.

ExerciseBenefits

Find simple ways to add exercise into your life.

1. Choose an exercise. Pick one you can enjoy and that will provide the effect you want. You may want to change routines for variety.

2. Decide on a time and place.

3. Identify obstacles: Do you need a dvd, workout clothes or equipment?

4. Decide how you will track your progress. Will you mark a calendar each time you exercise? Will you use a chart? Or an app like Myfitnesspal on your smartphone or tablet?

exercisechart

Daily PlanIt Exercise Chart: Foldable Exercise Chart (pdf) with 6 forms per page, close to 3 x 5 size) and Monthly chart for daily goals (pdf)

More Forms: Printable food diaries at Make healthy food choices and track diet

Your Mission:

I will choose an exercise and a regular time and place to do it. I will obtain whatever I need to make this happen and exercise at least three times this week.

Example:

I will alternate aerobic exercise with weight lifting every evening at 6:30pm for 30 minutes.

TOOLS:

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

 

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Posted in positive shift, Year of Personal Growth

Pareto Principle Illustrated

Posted on February 29, 2012 by dailyplanit — 2 Comments

The Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule says that 80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action. (see more at Measuring Productivity)

80-20-1

When this is applied to a typical day, you can expect that 80% of your time will be spent on maintenance, routine work duties, and repeating tasks. This leaves only 20% available for more important things like action steps toward goals, high Return on Investment tasks, ideas, and true relaxation. (Quadrant II of the time management matrix at Priorities) That is why it is critical to use that 20% of time that remains effectively.

Too often, the remaining 20% of the day looks like this:

80-20-3

Ineffective use of free time

80% of it is spent on time wasters: trivia, escape activities, mindless tv viewing. This is what ineffective time use looks like.

The goal of productivity is to use the amount of free time that is available to us to achieve the results we desire. That means using the remaining 20% of the day more like this:

80-20-2

Effective use of free time

80% of it is spent on the important things, and only 20% on time wasters. Remember to Make Today Count!

80-20rule

See also: Pareto Principle (or 80/20 Rule) at Asian Efficiency and How to 80/20 Your Life from Mark Manson.

 

Posted in productivity

Time Management Questions

Posted on February 27, 2012 by dailyplanit — 7 Comments

Mental – Activity: Plan weekly and daily

Planning is Thinking – it is an important skill for setting goals and managing time, and it is one of the top 10 skills employers want. A Planner Checklist can help you plan your time to make the most of it. You may also want to do long term planning for mission, vision, and values at Purpose Planning.

First plan your week: choose a weekly plan form and take a few minutes to do a weekly review.

Then, plan your day: review your calendar and tasks, and use a to-do list. Remember to add incoming tasks to your system as they arrive.

SMART GOAL

I will [do what] plan weekly [how] during a weekly review [when] every Sunday morning [for how long] 10 minutes [measured by] an annual chart for weekly goals [by when] by target date of a year from today. I will [do what] plan daily every morning at 7am.

Take action to follow your plan.

Before you act, THINK:

  • T is it Thoughtful? Do you know why you want to do it? Is it something you have planned?
  • H is it High Impact? Will it provide great results? Help you or others?
  • I is it Important? Is it high priority? Is it inspiring?
  • N is it Necessary? Is it something that must be done? If it’s not necessary, can it be decreased or deleted?
  • K is it Kind? Is it something that will uplift yourself or others?

THINK

Without a plan, it is all too easy to get distracted by things that are not important. Stay focused and keep yourself on track with…

10 Minutes 10 Questions for Productivity

  1. What projects will accomplish goals?
  2. What actions will accomplish projects?
  3. What’s the next action required? (David Allen) …learn more at GTD Essentials
  4. Which actions are top priority?
  5. What is the best use of your time right now? (Alan Lakein)
  6. What activities am I not doing, that might help me reach goals if I did them? (Brian Tracy)
  7. What are your repeating work tasks?
  8. What are your repeating home tasks?
  9. What are your favorite menu plans?
  10. What are your favorite recreational activities?

With increased productivity we can more effectively use our time for positive shift and reaching goals. Learn more at 10 minutes 10 questions for goals and Asking the Right Questions.

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

Posted in productivity, Year of Personal Growth

Discovery of the Day

Posted on February 25, 2012 by dailyplanit — Leave a comment

Check out 365 Thought Provoking Questions to Ask Yourself This Year at Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living. They also have many articles about Productivity.

Posted in goals, personal development, productivity

Goal Skills – Determination

Posted on February 23, 2012 by dailyplanit

Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek. -Mario Andretti

We must expect to encounter obstacles in our path as we reach for goals. Do you know the story behind the name of a very successful product called WD-40? It took 40 tries to get the water displacement formula correct.

Determination can require persistence, grit and the ability to delay gratification. The abilities to focus, use your strengths, and get motivated are helpful.

Consistent effort is critical in making progress. Small steps taken consistently get us to the place we want to go. “Empty Your Backpack” by Sam Demma, TED talk Small consistent actions. Steph Smith writes about How to be great? Just be good, repeatedly. Stay motivated with the video Consistency always wins.

Read more at The Wimpy Person’s Guide to Grit and The Economy of Goals.

Got inspiration? Watch the inspiring movie Rudy about a determined young man pursuing his dream in spite of many obstacles and set-backs. See 40 inspirational speeches in two minutes at the Angst Guide to Motivation.

Read more quotes on determination at brainyquote.com

Get more inspired with this song playlist after a hard, discouraging day:

What other movies and songs do you find uplifting?

Posted in goals

Time Management Skills

Posted on February 22, 2012 by dailyplanit — Leave a comment

The Skills and Competencies category at Contemporary Management includes a 70 page Handbook on Time Management Skills (pdf) from the Centre for Good Governance.

 

Posted in productivity

Increase Productivity

Posted on February 20, 2012 by dailyplanit

Mental – Activity: Increase Productivity

This week, take an action a day to increase productivity:

  1. Start with the Top Ten Ways to Improve Productivity.
  2. Explore the Time Management 101 Tutorial.
  3. Watch videos at Learn About Productivity.
  4. Read about the Science of Productivity.
  5. Read about systems that productivity experts use at the Study of Productivity.
  6. Master Productivity with Productivity Levels.
  7. Check out one of my favorite books about productivity.

With increased productivity, we gain more time to dedicate to what is most important to us. We can make positive shift happen and reach for our goals!

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

Posted in Year of Personal Growth

Set Goals

Posted on February 13, 2012 by dailyplanit — 6 Comments

Mental: Set Goals

Learn How to Set Goals, and choose a goal. Select a goal plan that will increase the level of value in life areas that are low.

Keep it SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Sensitive) with wording created using this formula:

I will [do what] lose weight [how much] ____ lbs by doing [what] aerobic exercise [when] every morning [for how long] 30 minutes [measured by] target heart rate [by when] by target date of two months from today.

Measure progress with goal charts to measure progress on quantifiable goals with numbers and abstract goals with a rating scale from 1 to 5.

Learn about goals with books and videos, and learn more Goal Skills with Goal Mastery Levels (pdf)

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

Posted in Year of Personal Growth

Apps for Productivity

Posted on February 12, 2012 by dailyplanit — 8 Comments

cellphone

Many apps for productivity are available to help you manage your tasks.

A calendar is the starting point for any task management system. Google calendar is a clear standout in this area in my opinion. In fact, Google is the go-to productivity tool in my system. I love how I can access and update it anywhere. The Keep It Super Simple System is a completely free system that combines the benefits of both electronic and paper methods.

A to do list is the next thing to consider. There are many apps for this, from the simple any.do to those with more features like my favorite at tasks.org. I’ve also used Google Tasks, MyTasks and GTasks in the past. Now, I simply use a checklist note in Google Keep. Todoist is another popular option for tasks. Nirvana is built for the Getting Things Done system.

For other lists, I use Google Docs in Google Drive for more permanent information, and Google Keep for more frequently changing lists, for temporary notes, and to capture ideas. Evernote is another popular option for lists.

For reminders, I like Google Keep and the blip blip app for a quiet hourly chime.

For repeating tasks, I rely on checklists, but have used MyTasks in the past.

Learn How to Use Google Apps for Productivity

see also: more apps for happiness and personal development and for tracking habits.

Posted in productivity

Learn Your Learning Style

Posted on February 5, 2012 by dailyplanit

Mental –  Activity: Learn your learning style.

Individuals often have a preferred way of learning that can aid the absorption, processing, and retention of information. Some people are visual learners, while others learn better by listening. (Auditory) Some prefer learning through reading and writing, and others like hands on experience. (Kinesthetic) Knowing your learning style can help you learn more effectively.

Learn Your Learning Style

Once you know your learning style preference, you can employ helpful strategies for learning.

VISUAL
convert notes to graphics
use highlighters & graphic organizers
make a mind map
watch videos

AUDITORY
record lectures
listen and reflect
discuss with others
explain to others

READ/WRITE
convert graphics to essay
use lists
rewrite notes
repeatedly read to memorize

KINESTHETIC
demonstrations
experiments
field trips
hands on experience

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

See also: Types of Learning Styles at teach.com, Study Skills Assessment (pdf)

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

Posted in Year of Personal Growth
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