For example, even though there are hundreds of things we can enjoy doing, endless opportunities to take advantage of, and an abundance of tech gadgets that are supposed to help us, the lifestyle often backfires and makes getting things done much harder, especially if we want to do it effectively. In essence, remaining productive in our day-to-day living has, in many ways, has never been more difficult. However, it’s not something we have to just accept. No matter how busy we think we are, we can still enjoy a fulfilling life without losing our productivity. For me, and probably for many of you as well, accommodating work-life balance (including things like dieting, relaxation, and working out) is a serious challenge. It’s not impossible, though… How can you make that happen? You need to work on your daily plans. The pros of daily planning include saying goodbye to procrastination, lessening last-minute hassles and stress, becoming more goal-oriented and motivated, and leading a more well-balanced life with organized priorities.
How to Create Daily Plans
Without a doubt, one should start planning as soon as they are fresh and ready to move on with work. When you wake up in the morning, planning your day should be just as important as having a bath or brushing your teeth. Plot out your day for 15-20 minutes every morning, either before, during, or after breakfast. It’s a good idea to plan your day the night before if you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning.
13 Tips on How to Plan Your Day
Here are the best tips to make your daily plans even more efficient.
1. Think in Advance
The best possible starting point is to spend 10 minutes in the evening planning your next day. You can use a tool like Google Calendar to schedule your workouts and other activities to ensure that you don’t overlook anything important. You need to know how much time you have in a given day and how much of it you will need to complete every activity. Once you understand what you need to do, you can focus on preparation. This means things like setting the alarm clock, planning what you’re going to do first, and so on.
2. Warm-up Immediately After Getting Up
There are many ways to wake up in the morning. The most popular one is to drink half a gallon of coffee and leave the house immediately afterward. How about doing a simple warm-up instead? Start your day by doing some jumping jacks, pushups, body weight squats, arm, and leg swings. Doing this for 10-15 minutes will have a better effect than coffee.[1] The other, probably even more obvious benefit is that it allows your stiff body to work out its aches and pains. The benefits of morning exercise are scientifically proven.[2] It does not only help physically but internally as well by maintaining optimal blood sugar levels, boosting the production of healthy hormones, etc.
3. Morning Meditation
Take 10 minutes to do a simple morning meditation. Morning meditation is a great way to connect with your body and breath as you are still waking up. This can help set the mood and rhythm for the rest of the day.
4. Eat a Good Breakfast
This is where your diet comes into play. Depending on the guidelines you’re following, there are many variations of a good breakfast. Just don’t go to the extreme with your die. What is important is to choose a diet that you’re going to be able to stick with. The word diet doesn’t always have significant connotations. Many people think a diet is designed to make you lighter when it can have many other goals. Generally speaking, a diet is a well-thought-out approach to eating what’s good for you. Skipping breakfast is not healthy at all. A study found that the risk of dying from heart disease increases greatly in people who skip breakfast.[3] Take a look at these 25 Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Energize Your Day
5. Bring Snacks With You
Snacking is the main problem for most dieters. We know eating chocolate every two hours is not a healthy habit… but many of us do it anyway. Throughout the day, you’ll find yourself craving different foods. The best way of dealing with this is to have a healthy snack on hand at all times instead of eating less healthy foods. Most of the time, it’s just your brain telling you that it needs to consume something, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be chocolate. Now, if you’re working from home, it’s easier, but if you have a standard out-of-the-home job, then make sure to take some snacks with you to fight temptations at work. No matter what kind of diet you’re on, there are healthy snacks like carrots, nuts, vegetables, and low-sugar fruit that you can take to work with you. It’s best to always consult a doctor or dietician first.
6. Work in Intervals
Time to work now. For me, the most effective approach to working is to focus on utilizing the following intervals (and it’s not the first time I’m sharing this, by the way):
Work for 50 minutes. Have a 10-minute break. Work for another 50 minutes. Have a 30-minute break. Repeat.
Why is this effective? Because our brain cannot maintain concentration for more than 1-2 hours at a time. By providing frequent breaks, we’re actually improving our productivity greatly.
7. Workout Before Lunch
There are many reasons why working out before lunch is beneficial. First, there are a lot fewer people at the gym. Secondly, you get additional stimulation to focus on the rest of your day (similar effect to the afternoon coffee). Finally, after the workout, you can have a protein-rich snack or lunch, improving your weight loss/muscle gain results (hint: protein is good for both). Working out for 30 minutes before lunch, three times a week is still a lot better than working out for 1.5 hours once a week in the evening.[4] Remember what I said about sticking with your plan, and not trying to be too ambitious. You can also try these 29 Exercises You Can Do At (Or Near) Your Desk.
8. Relax by Doing Something Entirely Different
Some people like to relax by going for a jog in the evening. For me, this is not a good approach. First, you’re exhausted after your workday, and all you’ll be thinking about is your bed or the TV set. Secondly, as I said before, any physical activity wakes up your body (like coffee does), and I don’t see the point in waking up in the evening just an hour or two before you’re supposed to go to sleep. For most people, relaxation is only effective when it revolves around doing something entirely different from what you’ve been doing throughout the day. For instance, one of the best relaxation activities is spending some quality time with your friends, family, or simply playing with your dog. It’s good because it’s different. Believe me, if you were to play with your dog all day, it wouldn’t be relaxing anymore. The same thing is true of physical exercise or intellectual activities. For instance, if your job involves a lot of thinking, then it will be very hard for you to relax in the evening by reading an intellectual book. Always, I repeat, ALWAYS do something completely different.
9. Prepare Your Food in Advance
This is the final dieting advice here. Some diets are hard to follow if you don’t prepare your own food. Most of the time you won’t find quality food in the cafeteria at the office (unless you work at Google). That’s why you should prepare your food in advance and then simply take it with you. The best time to do this is either in the morning (as yet another way of waking up) or in the evening (as yet another way of relaxing). However, if you don’t like preparing your own meals or picking the right foods, you can take advantage of many diet food delivery services, such as Diet to Go, eDiets, Nutrisystem, BistroMD, etc. Now that you understand all the elements of an effective day, round them up and prepare yourself for tomorrow. However, most importantly of all, tweak every piece of advice you get until it fits your unique lifestyle. Find a solution that you can stick with permanently.
10. Kickstart Planning Your Day
Your stress factor can be considerably reduced by planning your day effectively. When you know how to plan your day, things get better. Proper planning assures you that you have devised a workable daily plan and that your objectives are attainable. You can effectively spend your day according to the schedule you’ve set for yourself once you’ve planned it. It aids in managing your nutrition, the morning routine of exercise, your sleeping schedule, and working hours. The only difference is that you don’t have to have a traditional pen-and-paper daily planner to do this.
11. Categorize
Work is only a small part of a day’s activities. You have personal obligations, job requirements, a social life, housework, and much more. All of these categories should be included in a flawless plan. One important long-term issue is that many people place too much emphasis on deep work and not enough on themselves. Don’t forget to include some personal time in your daily tasks. Mental strength, creativity, introspection, and other key things that help you keep going require some alone time. You’ll be able to balance everything out if you use categories when you learn to plan. You’ll realize you must devote a specific amount of time to each group. This ensures that no aspect of your life is overlooked.
12. Prioritize Your Tasks
Once you’ve created a master list for your day’s activities, the following step is to prioritize your set goals. Once you’ve arranged your master list, it’ll serve as a road map to get you from morning to evening most effectively and efficiently as possible. The 80/20 Rule, often known as the Pareto Principle states that 20 % of your efforts will provide 80% of your results. As a result, prioritizing the tasks that contribute to most of your gains is the key to increasing your efficiency.[5],
13. Use the Chunking Approach
It’s nearly impossible to stay focused on anything, let alone how to manage your daily planning when you have too much on your plate. You can create reasonable and achievable goals using your resources without exhausting yourself if you use the chunking strategy. Group-related activities and information into bite-sized chunks to practice chunking. Chunking is one of the most successful time and energy management tactics; as a result, everything from arranging your workday to enjoying your free time becomes more natural.
Best Productivity Techniques for Daily Planning
Productivity tactics are methods for tapping into productive flow states and achieving high quality with minimal effort. Most productivity tactics are based on behavioral science and are designed to take advantage of how your brain operates. While they are structured, they are usually adaptable and flexible.
1. The Healthy Time-Box
Stretch your body for 5 minutes for every 55 minutes of work at your desk.
2. Pomodoro Technique
Get a timer and set it for 25 minutes with the Pomodoro Technique.[6] Set the timer and get to work. For the next 25 minutes, concentrate solely on your task. Stop working when the timer goes off and take a 5-minute rest. That’s what we call ‘one Pomodoro.’ Learn more about the technique here: Does the Pomodoro Technique Work for Your Productivity?
3. Eat the Frog
To overcome procrastination, start with the most difficult or vital task. Brain Tracy, the famous productivity coach, dubbed the approach after Mark Twain’s wise words:
4. Time Blocking
Time blocking is a time management technique that divides your day into smaller and finite chunks. It is arranging your day ahead of time and designating time to certain tasks, such as 20 minutes for email, 30 minutes for meetings, two hours for intensive work, and so on. It’s entirely up to you how much time you set aside — Elon Musk and Bill Gates are just two examples of people who like to work in shorter bursts of time. Find out more about time blocking: How to Use Time Blocking for Productivity: 19 Practical Ways
Apps That Can Help You in Daily Plans
The number of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and computer-based time management solutions available today is incredible. There are computerized time management tools that you can tap into or load onto your computer to assist in organizing every aspect of your life, no matter what you do or in what area you work.
1. Rescue Time
This tool is for you if you’re having trouble managing multiple important tasks and devices simultaneously. Rescue Time is compatible with your phone, computer, Outlook, Gmail, and other email programs. This not only aids in task management but also serves as a reminder wherever you are.
2. Focus Keeper
This software is designed for people who procrastinate and feel overwhelmed by tasks. Focus Keeper is based on the Pomodoro Technique’s principles. It offers a simple, effective user interface that can be quickly customized to meet your specific requirements of a routine plan.
3. MindNode
Mind mapping is a fantastic way to increase productivity, and Mindnode is one of the best free mind mapping programs available. It assists you in becoming more organized by focusing your thoughts, allowing you to see clearly what has to be done.
4. Trello
It is the most popular online management application for dragging, dropping, color-coding, and manipulating your list. Trello works by allowing you to generate cards for the tasks you need to finish. As your job begins, middles, and ends, cards are moved across the board, divided into columns such as To Do, In Progress, and Completed. It also has Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box integration.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, managing your time effectively requires assigning each task on your to-do list to a specific time slot. There are a number of ways in which people manage their time, and one of the most common is by giving themselves a buffer of several days to complete an assignment before the due date. You’ll always meet your deadlines if you plan out the time you’ll need to finish your work. Your daily plans, when designed efficiently, can totally alter your life. Featured photo credit: Gabrielle Henderson via unsplash.com
