We talk a lot on here about planning and productivity. But we haven’t talked nearly enough about how planning and productivity go hand in hand! So we are going to talk about how to plan your day for improved productivity.
Planning your day efficiently and logically is one of the best ways you can realistically ensure that you have a productive day!
This is because when you know what you need to do and make a timeline for everything you can make sure you actually do it all. And if you are really efficient about your plan you can start accomplishing even more than you are used to every day.
So keep reading to understand the steps you need to take to plan your day for improved productivity!
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How To Plan Your Day For Improved Productivity:
Step 1: Observe your current daily routines
The first step to planning your day for better productivity is to take a few days (ideally a week) and observe your daily routines.
If you don’t know what routines and habits are holding you back from productivity then you don’t know how to improve them!
I recommend grabbing a notebook and recording the daily habits and routines you do every 30 minutes for a week and see where your room for improvement is.
Step 2: Get a planner you will actually use
The next step is to find a planner that works for you and that you will actually use.
I tried getting a mini planner one year thinking it would work for me because it would easily fit in a smaller purse. But it didn’t have enough space on each page for me so I stopped using it!
So do a little reading and figure out what style you like and what your priorities in a planner are. Do you like to focus on bigger picture planning or smaller details?
Is your planner just for work? Just for personal? For your family? Or all of the above?
Once you know what you need in a planner you can find one that actually works for your needs. If you aren’t sure what brand to go with you can’t go wrong with Me and My Big Ideas or Erin Condren!
Step 3: Figure out what style of planning works for you
The next part of learning to plan your days better is to make sure you figure out what planning style works for you.
Do you like to plan your days out to the minute? Or do you like to make categorized to do lists? Time blocking?
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you have to plan your days in a very specific way because there is a huge chance it won’t work for you! The most important thing to do is find the planning strategy that will actually work for you and your lifestyle.
If you don’t know where to start try one strategy for a week and see how it goes. If you don’t feel like it improved your productivity then try a different planning strategy the next week.
Step 4: Start the night before
Starting the night before is a fantastic way to plan your days for productivity.
Your brain may not start working at 100% power right away in the morning so setting yourself up for a successful day the night before is so helpful.
I recommend jotting down a vague to do list for the next day and check for any important deadlines so you aren’t rushing if you remember them 2 hours before an assignment or work project is due.
If you want more ideas for your night time routine check this out: 10 Ideas For Your Before Bed Routine.
Step 5: Learn to prioritize your daily tasks
We talk a lot on here about the importance of prioritizing but if you don’t feel like you really know how to prioritize then you will have a hard time having productive and efficient days.
The most basic advice for prioritizing is to start writing to do lists and then going back and numbering them in the order of the most important task as #1 and then moving down to the lease important.
Prioritizing your day helps you ensure you are accomplishing the most important tasks. Which is necessary for improving your daily productivity.
Step 6: Plan for in between and down times
This step is one you will want to slowly work on as you work on planning your days for improved productivity.
It’s easy to plan your day by including essential tasks and scheduled meetings and events.
But in order to really improve your daily productivity through planning you will need to eventually learn to also plan for your buffer times and down times.
If your day involves a lot of driving to and from places you will need to plan for those times to be realistic about what your day looks like. (P.S if you want a more productive commute time then read this).
You will also need to learn to plan for down times. No one can or should be constantly productive for 16+ hours a day. Down time is essential so you can avoid burning out!
So you will need to learn to schedule and plan for some down time in your days because it will actually help you be more productive.
Step 7: Re-evaluate as needed
The final step to plan your day for productivity is to re-evaluate as needed!
This is something I talk about a lot when it comes to routines and productivity. Because things change and your life is constantly evolving which means re-evaluation is essential.
For a new daily planning system like this I recommend re-evaluating after 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and then any time you have a major life change.
Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate your system and process even if it used to work for you. Life changes happen and that means you need to make sure your planning routines and systems still work for you!
For more posts on planning check out these:
- 5 Reasons Your Planner Isn’t Working
- 25 Helpful Lists for Planner Girls
- 7 Tips For Using A College Planner
For more posts on productivity check out these:
- 12 Habits To Add For A Productive Morning Routine
- 125 Productive Things To Do During Free Time
- How To Be More Productive And Less Busy
- How To Be Productive When You’re Not Motivated
Thanks for reading! These 7 steps to plan your day for productivity should help you start to have better planned and more productive days!
Korra-Shay
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