Do you ever wish that you had just a few more hours in the day? Just a few.. that’s all we’re asking for right? I mean really, how early can you possibly wake up in order to squeeze just a couple more hours out of each day?
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So if you’re like me and you’ve maxed out the number of hours you can safely stay awake vs. sleep but you’re still needing more time – I’ve got some help for you.
Planning.
Yup, that’s it. Simple planning. But not planning haphazardly, planning mindfully and with intention.
After implementing these steps it’s safe to say that I’m happier, less stressed, and really productive. Heck, you could even say I’ve added some hours to my week. 🙂
Related Post: 10 Tips for Using a Day Planner to Maximize Productivity
Ready to make an improvement in your life? Want less stress, less worry, and more free time?
Read on for tips on how to use your planner in order to improve your life.
What Daily Planning System is Best?
First you need to decide what type of planner system you want to use.
This one is completely up to you.
You’ll need to ask yourself a lot of questions like:
- Are you a paper or a digital type?
- Do you like a vertical or a horizontal layout.
- Would you like one big square to write in or hourly divides?
Look through some of your old calendars or planners.
- What did you like about them?
- What did you hate?
- Were there elements in them that made you stop planning?
Evaluating these aspects will help you hone in on what type of daily planner or calendar you should choose.
Try not to get distracted by all the pretty bells and whistles on some planners. Instead, focus on the core layout.
Related Posts:
- Staying Organized with the Erin Condren Life Planner
- 10 Tips for Maximizing Productivity with a Daily Planner
- Erin Condren Horizontal Layout: What it Looks Like & How To Use It
Make a Habit of Using Your Daily Planner
First, you need to get in the habit of writing EVERYTHING down.
Second, develop a routine of putting your loose notes into your planner.
Your system will work best if you take about five minutes per day to enter all your random notes and appointments that you’ve been jotting down into designated time slots.
Keep your planner or calendar near you at all times. This makes it easier to add tasks as they come up.
Have a Planning Day
Designate one day a week where you will sit down and go over your planner.
Planning Day:
- Enter all loose notes into your planner.
- Plan out your next week.
- Move any tasks that weren’t done to the next week.
Having a planning day ensures that we get appointments and events on our calendars (instead of on random post-it notes.)
My planning day is on Monday. I used to plan on Sunday night but I found that wasn’t working because Sundays are usually reserved for family fun around here. If we were having too much fun, I wasn’t getting my planning done.
Now I incorporate my planning day into my Monday workday routine.
Make an alert on your phone to remind you about planning day.
While you’re at it, make a daily alarm to check your planner once a day. Try to do it at the same time everyday in order to make it a habit.
This may seem like a lot at first. Just take it step by step, until daily planning becomes a habit. You’ll feel less stress, have more free time, and improve your life just with this simple hack.
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Any advice on hoe to go from planning to doing? It’s all written out: the to dos, the whys and the whens but I have a difficult time moving past the planning stage.
I am definitely a paper planner person. I have been using Franklin Covey for years and I love it. I used to use a two page per week spread, but this year I jumped to a page per day, and I’m planning to get the two page per day for next year, I just need lots of space! And yes, I have to write EVERYTHING down! If I ever lose my planner I’ll be in big trouble.
I need to get better at doing this. Right now I have papers with lists on them all over the place. I even bought a planner, just haven’t used it. I feel so disorganized right now and it’s driving me insane!
I can not reccomned planning enough! If I don’t plan my days, NOTHING gets done! Between being a regular housewife and having 4 kids under 5 and running a blog, NOTHING happens if I don’t plan my day! You do a great job giving tips and how to do it! While I plan I don’t actually have a real planner and I seriously need to invest in one, because those little slips of paper disappear!
Haha yes, I’ve fallen victim to the lost slip of paper before. 🙂