I’m alive by the way……
If you’re like me you probably have a lot on your plate and find yourself trying to do too much every day. You try to cram everything in and the second you start procrastinating it all piles up and gives you even more to do tomorrow. It can all be very overwhelming and stressful in the end.
The secret to overcoming this and getting everything done is to plan your day. Take some time to write a schedule for yourself that will list everything you plan on doing and at what time you plan on doing it.
Writing a schedule for yourself makes things a lot less stressful because you know that everything you want or need to get done will get done. It will help you have a more productive day and put you light years ahead of someone who just creates a list of things they hope to get around to some day.
But just so you don’t fall into any of these traps, here is a list of things to NOT do when planning your day.
Underestimate The Time It Will Take To Do A Task
We all want to get as much stuff done in as little time as possible. When we do we often plan too little time to do each individual task. By underestimating the time it will take you to do something you hurt yourself in 2 ways.
First you end up cutting into the time you set aside for other items on your schedule. This means you are going to have to either; push everything back and work longer then you hoped or you are going to have to not get something done. Either way it can lead to added stress in your life.
The second reason you should not underestimate how long it will take you to do something is because it doesn’t leave any room for the chaos of life to come through. Traffic happens, emergencies happen, important telephone calls happen. When you give yourself plenty of time to do things, you are better able to cope with new events as they happen.
Make The Schedule That Morning
If you make your schedule that morning, it is easy to procrastinate writing your schedule and lose a few hours watching T.V. or being lazy in the morning before you get up and start thinking about your day.
My most productive days happened when I planned everything the night before because I can just get out of bed and get moving.
Schedule The Hardest Thing Last
Another thing to avoid when planning your day is to schedule the hardest thing last. If it is the hardest thing to do then obviously you don’t want to do it.
By scheduling it last, you will start putting it off, and working longer on things that are more enjoyable, just so you can avoid doing the hardest thing on your schedule.
When you plan your hardest thing first it makes the day a lot easier because you knock out your toughest challenge early on. From then on it is smooth sailing and you might get done with everything quicker than you expect since there is not some unwanted task waiting for you at the end of the day.
Forget About Yourself
It is easy to get caught up in all the things we need to do and completely ignore ourselves. But if we don’t remember to take care of ourselves, who will?
When you plan your day make be sure to make room for things that help you grow and prosper like exercise and reading.
Also make sure to schedule some time to relax with your family and friends. Getting work done and working for your goals, will help you grow, but never forget to make time for the people in your life who are important to you as well.
How do you plan your day?Photo credit
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{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
These are very practical tips and I do adhere to them. I especially like the last one about making time for yourself. This is where overall balance comes in. I always schedule in time for my workout, my dogs, some recreation, etc. As for the first one about not underestimating time required for projects, this is one that I try my best at but there are times when I do get caught with projects that take longer than originally thought. This does happen especially with new projects. For example, when I created an online video program, it did take longer than I thought. This is just how we learn from experience. We just have to be flexible enough to accommodate whenever such longer tasks do occur.
Exactly Clint! Especially whenever we are going to do a new task which we haven’t done so far, we should not put a rigid time tag to it. This way things will be smooth.
Jane Sheeba recently posted..Simplistic Approach Is Your Best Time Saver Ever
You should schedule the hardest things last because this helps you have energy at the end of the day.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
TrafficColeman recently posted..Selling Your Own Stuff | How I Made 20K In 10 Months
Ya and hardest thing first could be a great de-motivator.
Jane Sheeba recently posted..Simplistic Approach Is Your Best Time Saver Ever
Planning the night BEFORE is a must for me haha!
If I don’t I totally get distracted by emails and all that, I have no focus and just jump from one thing to the next and before you know it, 4 hours have passed and nothing productive has been accomplished.
But if I make sure to plan my tasks before bedtime, I’m far more focused and productive during the day.
Thanks so much for this.
Sean recently posted..The Best Weight Loss Cleanse
Sean I can perfectly “see” what you mean. I have been like that earlier. I used to get up with no plans for the day, no goals on what to accomplish that day and take tasks as they come in. At the end of the day, I would not have accomplished one task fully; though I would have put my hands on 5-10 tasks!
Jane Sheeba recently posted..Top 10 Tips For Effective Time Management
Hey Shaun,
Planning really is critical. Being your own boss takes a lot of discipline and it’s easy to put things off or get overwhelmed due to lack of planning. You have to be strict about setting a schedule but also a bit flexible as you say in case of unexpected situations.
Darryl Burma recently posted..Bloggers Beware of the Comfort Zone Police
Darryl, I’d usually instruct myself to be flexible if I am doing some “new” kind of work which I am not familiar with; for which I don’t know what could be the challenges I might have to face. For regular day to day tasks, I know the time scale.
Sounds like a good strategy to me Jane.
Darryl Burma recently posted..5 Quick Tips On How To Go Broke Fast By Blogging
Hi Shaun, I like all your tips. I also write my task list at night, and I organize my task list with the hardest tasks first because I have enough energy in morning.
Jose recently posted..BlackBerry Torch
Jose you seem to be going in the right direction. Good luck.
Oh my goodness, that picture! Glad to know puppy’s alive and well. I always plan the best when I do it the night before too, because no matter how much I *think* I will do in the morning, it’s just too easy to procrastinate once it comes.
Natasha
LOL Natasha I know what you mean. But you need to take an oath to sincerely stick to the plan LOL.
good post, having a good schedule will keep you busy and productive.
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I alwyas forget about myself and that’s why I am single and I don’t have a family. I work and follow strictly all the schedule that I have. I disagree that we should put the ahrdest thing at the end as i usually put it at the beginning of teh day when I have strength to fight it or overcome it.
Oh that’s another perspective of it. I am glad that you could tackle the hardest thing first. But for some (many actually) the hardest thing first and the challenges associated with it might drag extra time and effort; the effect can be that the rest of your plans might get ruined and this can be a de-motivator.
But it always depends on how you look at it
Yes life is about balance between work and play. You want to be able to plan your day so that you get as much done as you can in as little time as you can. You also want to take a step back here and there to spend some time for yourself.
Shaun recently posted..Overcoming Perfectionism
Oh my gosh I so need help in the planning department. While I’m no procrastinator, I do jump from one thing to the next. Planning and noting a schedule would make my day so much more productive. For me the hardest thing is to estimate the time each task will take.
Thanks for the motivation.
kathy recently posted..Has Cloud-based Computing Made Employee Relocation Unnecessary?
Kathy I sure do understand. Allotting a time slot for every task is probably the hardest thing to do with planning. But it should be an issue with only new tasks you do. For routine tasks you can always estimate the time, hopefully
shaun
nice post, its just like you are plan your next day before going to bed, i would say jot everything down make a proper list for ur next day and work according to it. well most of the lazy ppl like me dont follow there list….:D
Free newswire recently posted..Private Label Manufacturing | Label Dietary Supplements
We all have to work on our “laziness” but I think the best way around it is to stay active and keep moving. It is much easier to keep the momentum going then it is to start up again. =)
Shaun Rosenberg recently posted..Overcoming Insecurity
As a personal development coach I work with so many people that are paralyzed by everything they have to deal with. They have an endless list of projects to work on or that they need to complete. They come to me completely overwhelmed. just as you show here, my advice will always be “Plan your day” before you start it. I get them to spend ten minutes and write down what 3 – 5 things they are going to get done today, so they no longer just react to circumstances. But as you also say they have to plan to create a healthy balance, so that they can give time to all areas of their lives.
Larry Lewis recently posted..Use Self Reflection to Get Some Direction
Yes, it is amazing how much more you can get done by actually planning ahead of time. Balance is also a great thing! I like planning time to do other things like exercising and “having fun” in my life because (while I love my projects) there is more to life than just working.
Shaun Rosenberg recently posted..Overcoming Insecurity
Hi Shaun -
Great advice! But what do you do if you schedule the hardest thing first, take too long on it, and don’t end up having time to do half the other things you wanted to do?
Rosie -{-@
You can never tell how long something is going to take. Ideally I like to plan more time to do something then I think it will take. That way if something happens I have more time to deal with it and it is less stressful.
If that doesn’t work and I don’t have time to do everything then I have to decide what the most important things on my list are and at least get them done.
The hardest thing is normally one of the most important things to do. If I did it last and it took too long then I probably wouldn’t end up finishing it. If I did it first and it took too long then while I may have to push other stuff back I know I at least don’t have to worry about doing the worst thing anymore.
Hi, Shaun,
you are right, the best way to plan a day is to make schedule…but not just any schedule, it has to be a realistic one. The most common mistake I am doing is actually the one that is on top of your list-I underestimate the time needed to finish some job in particular.
Once that is done, there is no getting back…time has already passed, and so the whole schedule for the day seems to be not so useful anymore.
Kristina L. recently posted..Shiekh Shoes Coupon Code
I agree, life happens! Sometimes it can take me longer to do a task then I originally thought and then it throws off my whole day and messes up my schedule. When I plan more time then I need to do I it normally keeps me a lot less stressed out and I like to think that it helps me to do a better job on the things I want to get done too. =)
Jane: I think I forget about myself sometimes, or I have been one to forget about myself in the past. Lately I’ve been doing better with this, but everyone has to have some time to relax . I used to try to work myself to death, and I was seeing positive results believe it or not.
I stopped trying to work myself to death, because it can quickly take the passion away from things that should be fun. Everyday I still work hard, but I know when to take breaks and not over do things. Yeah, my progress is moving as fast, but it’s worth it to not be stressing myself out.
Just my 2 cents.
God bless,
William Veasley
William Tha Great recently posted..The Lesson Of Mr. Wise Guy!
before going anywhere planning is must … on of the most important tip is time management. you have said most practical things to do…i will apply with me in very next trip to California
Bobby Mayer recently posted..Refrigerator Repair Redondo Beach
I’m glad my article has helped you out. Have fun in California, it’s a great state!
Nice article..i liked the part most where you said about not scheduling the hardest thing last! I am habitual of postponing the hardest thing….that results in me avoiding it everytime and carry the burden of it on my head while even doing simple things that I would have enjoyed otherwise. I ll definitely keep your tip in mind, thanks.
Martin recently posted..Anti-aging
I think we all have a problem of wanting to schedule the hardest thing last. Often times we can drag out other things we are doing just so we can postpone doing the hardest thing. But doing it first just makes sense to me.
Thanks for the information. Failure to plan truly means that the person is planning to fail. The information is a top notch…
Olawale Daniel recently posted..How to Send Google Plus Posts To Twitter Automatically
Yup, planning your day can put you light years ahead of those that don’t
I plan may day in a very simple way. What I’m doing is do what I did yesterday for today. What I’m really serious about planning and budgeting is when my family have a scheduled out of town trip I make sure that everything falls on schedule because if not then it will cost an unplanned expenses and will make my wife pissed off. That I don’t want to happen.
adam recently posted..MyPhone Cellphone Models, Pricelist, Website
LOL, yeah I agree, planning ahead of time is a good idea and can save you a lot of money and headaches.
Great article, very useful and informative. A constant mistake I always make when planning a day, getting all the simple and easy jobs done, getting tired and leaving the hardest job until last. This method leaves me unable to complete the final job as its a big task and also by the end of the day my energy has run low. Your post is a great way to pick things up, thank you for sharing!
Diane
Diane recently posted..How To Relieve Stress
I’m glad my article has helped you.
Scheduling the hardest thing last might work for some people, but if i do that i’ll never ever finish it. Really, never. I’m the type of person that pulls hard in the beginning and gives up when it’s close to the finish line.
Amit recently posted..How to Become a Certified Forklift Trainer
I totally agree. That is why I was saying NOT to schedule it last =)
Shaun Rosenberg recently posted..Overcoming Insecurity
Oh man, that picture scared me for a minute! I need to work on making the plans the night before, because I agree that I’m always a lot better at getting things done when I’ve done this! I just have to find the motivation.
Planning your day is very necessary if you do not want to waste time. It is said that failing to plan is planning to fail. So if you do not want to fail in your activities you need to plan in advance.
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