A Daily Routine Example along with 8 Daily Time Management and Organization Tips to Design Your Most Productive Day, Every Day!
Designing my Day in the Morning
Each day of the week once I have done my morning routine, I need to prepare in order to truly be ready to start my day. This is my daily routine that I need to complete before I start my day, since my day is based on this daily organization.- Sunday Night: Make a Weekly To-Do List
While I’m at University, I set this To-Do list up based on classes. I order the classes based on when I have them each week because usually the assignment, reading, or essay is due during that class period. Underneath each class, I list the to-do such as an essay or reading I have to complete, along with any sub to-do's and the amount of time I will allow myself to work on that task. - Each Morning: Make a Daily To-Do List
I Set up a to-do list of what I plan on getting done TODAY, based on my weekly to-do list. I set up my daily to-do's based on their priority. For example, if I plan on doing essay research and I have three readings to do, only one of which is actually important for class, I will make sure to do the important reading and then essay research first. This doesn’t mean I ignore the other readings completely (well sometimes it does), but it just means less time needs to be put into them when it may be sufficient to simply skim through the reading before I go to bed the night before that specific class. Especially in University where you are buried in work, it is all about delegating and prioritizing and needs to be done vs. what can be done later if at all. - Set up my Calendar - Weekly and Daily
Weekly Overview:
Again, I try and do this Sunday night. I put in everything from appointments, to meetings, to personal dates with friends, etc.
Daily Overview:
Once I have made my daily To-Do list, I set up my calendar accordingly. I see what times I have blocked out for classes, meetings, or appointments and from there I schedule in blocks of time to do each of my To-Dos for that specific day. You could of course to a daily overview for each day of the upcoming week Sunday as well; however, I find that there is so much that changes during the week that it is better to plan each day on the day or the night before at the earliest. - Find a Work Space that Feels Productive
This is a BIG one for me. I need to feel like the space I choose to sit down at for a couple hours feels like a focused area and environment. Sometimes I like being at home at my desk, and other days I want to be in the quiet basement library in a tiny cubicle forced to work by the silence, and some days I want to be in a busy area like a cafe where a lot is happening. A lot of my productivity is also based on the environment I am in, so find one that suits your needs. - Begin the First Task and Start the Timer
I try my best to focus on one task at a time and not let myself get overwhelmed by everything else I have to do after this. I am the type of person who likes to feel as though I have control over all my work because it prevents me from stressing so much. However, it is so not helpful for my productivity when I am switching between this assignment and this reading. Therefore, it helps to look at one assignment at a time, but because of this I also try not to give myself a To-Do of writing a full essay in one day, and instead I break it up over a few days. Then, I can feel in control and also get all my other work done in-between and on the side as well.
8 Steps to Having a Productive Day
Everyone’s day looks different based on their job, schooling, environment, living situation, etc. This post is a bit different than the morning routine since this is simply how to plan your day whereas the Morning Routine post was about what you can incorporate into your morning to make the most of the early hours and create a positive mindset for the rest of the day.
The following steps can be implemented in order to create a productive day. The main way to do this is by creating a daily plan on how to tackle everything that you have to do!
1. Preparation is key
There are a few different steps I have in order to prepare (listed above), but most importantly these steps give me an overview of what my day is going to look like. The best way to prepare is to write out everything you have to do. If you're not a huge fan of organizing, write your to-do's out on a separate sheet of paper first and organize them nicely later on - whatever you have to do to create an overview of your tasks.
The main thing is that you write it all out so that you can prepare for your day and your week. If you just have all these tasks floating around in your head, you will constantly be distracted and skip from one task to the next without really finishing them. Catch all those thoughts and to-dos and write them out! Write them down on paper so that you don't have to waste energy and memory space remembering what it is you need to do.
2. To-Do Lists are your new best friend
To-Do lists are a great way to have an overview of everything you have to do. They help remind you constantly that you have tons of work to do, but at the same time they calm you down and remind you that you’ve got this... At least if you've done them in an organized manner.Write your to-do list based on topics, rather than randomly listing to-do's at random and mixing up tasks that belong together. The topic, class, or assignment can act as your heading and you can list all the to-do's that belong to that topic underneath the specific heading.
3. Big to-do's vs. sub to-do’s
I have weekly to-do's that I write out at the beginning of the week, as well as daily to-do's that I list daily based on my weekly to-do's. In my weekly to-do list, I have major headings, for example, “Journalism Essay”. However, then I will have sub-to-dos that come underneath the Journalism Essay. This will look something like this:
This to-do list set up allows me to have an overview of the major assignments and as well as the sub to-do's that have to get done in order to complete the entire assignment. This not only outlines all of the aspects you need to make time for, but it also allows me to check off a lot of sub to-do’s from my list... It helps me feel productive! There is a mental celebration that occurs when you check things off because you can see how much you are getting done. Therefore, waiting to check off the “one big major to-do” because that is the only thing you have listed, can create a draining unproductive feeling. Sub to-do's in general also help me maintain a focus of all the important steps that I must take to complete the task.
4. Prioritize lists and assignments
Write out your “to-do’s” for the week or day in order of importance, or simply number their importance after you've written out your list. This ensures that each day you go down the list in order of whats most important. You can divide your weekly list into each day of the week so that you have a clear to do list for each day based on your priorities.
5. Time yourself - Done is better than perfect
Beside each of my weekly “To-Do’s” I have also written how much time approximately I will be dedicating to each assignment (see above example). I know that some are very important and need to be given a lot of time such as big essays or important readings, whereas others can be skimmed through or completed in 30 minutes. Set a timer for yourself and aim to be done with that assignment or that part of the task when the timer goes off. This is the hardest area for me to strict about because the timer will go off and I will keep pushing up the time and resetting the timer. This partly defeats the purpose of the timer because my goal was to be done; however, resetting the timer at 5 or 10 minutes and knowing I only have a few minutes left does motivate me to work faster and add those few sentences or ideas quickly. Over time, this method begins to alter the way you work because you will start doing your tasks in a way that you will be done after the 45 minutes that you are giving yourself to complete it.
If you are a perfectionist, this can be an incredibly difficult concept to incorporate into your work. I try my hardest not to be a perfectionist. I am constantly reminding myself that there is no such thing as perfect … there is always a different way to write a sentence or present an idea. But at the end of the day, it is better to have it done so that you can dedicate the rest of your time to other things that are important to you, instead of stressing about one little sentence.
DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. Just DO it!
6. Color Outside the Boring Lines
Some people love to color coding and some see it as a waste of time. I would never turn down the option of adding fun colors to my lists, but often it becomes a form of procrastination and my task becomes organizing my list rather than doing my work. Seriously though, I could sit and organize and color code my “to-do’s” all week long, but then I wouldn’t get anything done.
It’s important to write out the list in an organized manner and then simply GET STARTED. So I am here to tell you that you can add color with very little hassle. I pick a color for each week. Use the colors to stroke things out, write the headings, or add important dates on your calendar. Make it pretty or fun or whatever your goal is, but don't let it take over. Just make it neat and readable, with a few fun colors!
7. Stroke it Out.
Cross it out when it's completed! This can act as a mental achievement because it feels so damn good to just cross things off your list … it creates a sense of accomplishment! It can also motivate you to move on to the next to-do and move through your list like the productive focused badass you are!
8. Be DONE!
Let it go. Move on. And don't forget to give yourself time to do things that make you happy. Even if you love your work, life is not all about work!
Comment or contact me with any more questions, suggestions, or ideas you may have.
More declutter posts along this focus of work, organization, and time-management are underway, so if that interests you, come visit more often!
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