In our crazy world, doesn’t it feel like a day where you get nothing done means, well, absolutely nothing? That’s not true, but those days you want to get everything done can be hard if you don’t prepare. So, in the name of tackling to-do lists, I’m going to share a few tips to help it happen.
1. Use a Daily Planner
I own the Day Designer by Whitney English and I love that every day is it’s own page. There’s something that really helps me with seeing every hour on the page and being able to write down when I need to do assignments, when I work, when I have classes, etc. Whitney English actually put out a printable version of it that you can try here.
With these, you don’t have to fill out every hour, but filling out the critical things you have to do shows you where you can fit in things that ought to be done.
2. Write Those To-do’s Down!
Whether you do it on a sticky note (like I do up there) or you have a nice pad that you carry around, when you think of things you need to do, write them down! As an author, I’ve lost lots of good plot ideas to the depths of my mind, to never find them again, which now makes me a firm believer that whether it’s a plot idea or remembering you need to pick up milk – you need to write it down.
3. Pace Yourself
Don’t try to overpack your day with everything you think you need to get done. If you write all those things down, you’re more likely to take one look at it and shut down in fear because it’s a lot! I’d say to only do four or five tasks, depending on the amount of time you have. If you finish, great, keep tackling a few, but don’t try to make yourself superwoman!
4. Plan the Night Before
Mornings are tough. There’s something about the bed wanting to keep me in the morning, so I usually plan my day the night before, so I can get right to work, or class, in the morning. I think that planning at night also gives me a good way to go to sleep, knowing I won’t be scrambling to figure out what I need to do in the morning.
Those are just some of the ways I help myself really get the most out of my day, but everyone is going to be different. You can also check out these business or blog productivity tools to help you get things done or five ways to squeeze more time out of your day for some extra productivity boosts!
Do you plan your day or do you just go with the flow?
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