What is the most effective way to use a daily, weekly and monthly planner?
Here are the best practices you need to adopt to use daily, weekly and monthly planner the right way.
Be consistent
Set aside specific time blocks for each planner and plan in advance. Doing it consistently and doing it well will save you a ton of time later. It will also help you stay focused on the task instead of wasting time thinking about what to do next.
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For daily planning, before the end of the workday, spend 15 minutes planning the next day. Ask yourself what you need to achieve the next day.
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For weekly planning, put aside 45 – 60 minutes on Sunday or Friday to plan your week ahead. Identify what activities need your attention in the coming week. Involve your partner, children and others to align schedules.
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For monthly planning, before the start of each month, set aside two to three hours to plan for the month ahead. Look at your key areas and find out where you need focus and attention.
Start with the big picture
It's best if you start with the big picture in mind. Knowing what you want to achieve in the long run will help you determine what you need to do each month to meet your goals.
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Start with monthly goals and add them to the monthly planner.
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Break it down into weekly milestones and capture them in the weekly planner.
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Next, identify the work to be done each day to achieve your weekly milestones. Add them to your daily planner.
Convert these goals into to-do-lists, schedule for each day/week and track them in the planner. Recording all the details in these planners will free up your mind to focus on the task, enable you to track your progress and identify creative ways to improve.
If you struggle with creating the big picture, try using mind maps for brainstorming and ideation.
Prioritize your to-do list
When you first start planning, you will have a long to-do list and may not know which tasks to prioritize first. To work on tasks that will give you the biggest returns, use Eisenhower productivity matrix to divide your work into important/urgent quadrants. The Eisenhower Matrix, also referred to as Urgent-Important matrix is a productivity, prioritization and time management framework designed to prioritize your most important work by categorizing tasks according to their urgency and importance.
Use time blocking
Pomodoro method is a time blocking technique which is extremely useful for boosting productivity and getting things done. Pomodoro technique helps you break down your big goals into small tasks, limit distractions and build more consistent work habits. It keeps you focused on the one next thing you need to do rather than feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the work ahead of you.
Once you have the to-do list for each day mapped out, use the pomodoro technique to complete your tasks.
Are daily or weekly planners better?
While a daily planner helps you focus on short-term goals (what you want to achieve each day), weekly planner is more aligned with your long-term goals. Daily planner can help you identify the impact your daily work has on your week. Reviewing your week can help you examine the improvements that need to be made to get close to your long-term goals. Daily and weekly planner are most effective when used together.
How do beginners use planners?
If you're just getting started on using planners, incorporating them into your life will be a huge advantage. Here are some tips to get started:
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Identify your planning needs and find a planner that satisfies them.
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Choose a simple planner to get started. You want something that's easy to use initially without feeling overwhelmed by the things it's asking you to do.
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Don't worry about being organized or being perfect in the beginning. Write down everything. Give the process some time. The best thing about digital planners is that you can print, write and make changes as many times as you want. Use the start, stop and continue framework to learn and improve.
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Block time to plan your day, week and month. Using the planners consistently is key to getting better.
How do I fit everything into my day?
Most people struggle with trying to fit everything into their day, you probably do too. You may think the problem is lack of time or just too much stuff on your plate. But are those the real reasons why you're struggling to meet your daily goals?
Not really.
The real problem is not prioritzing work that actually deserves your time and attention. Not being able to meet your goals even though you may be working extra hard not only leaves you feeling exhausted at the end of the day, it also crushes your confidence and motivation to keep trying.
Instead of trying to fit everything into your schedule, do this:
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Divide your work into important and urgent. Use the 4 quadrants of The Eisenhower Matrix to do it.
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Use daily, weekly and monthly planners to schedule all important and not urgent tasks. This makes you spend time on work with more long-term value.
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Free up your time by identifying work that can be delegated.
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Say no to work that doesn't add value and simply wastes your time.
Using the right framework along with the right planner will help you with better prioritization enabling you to achieve your goals by staying productive and focused.
What are the advantages you get by writing your daily weekly and monthly planner?
Here are the 10 benefits of writing your daily weekly and monthly plans:
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It helps you keep track of where you're spending time and the progress you're making.
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Enables you to focus on important activities.
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You tend to procrastinate less by keeping your commitments in writing.
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Removes overhead of decision making enabling you to stay focused on the task at hand.
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Serves as a reminder of all the good work you're doing.
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Instead of trying to do too much or everything yourself, it enables you to delegate and prioritize only work that adds value.
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Enables you to break down your monthly goals into weekly milestones and daily tasks.
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Planning upfront also removes the stress that comes from not being clear about what to do each day/week.
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You get better at time management and planning, two very important skills to do well at work.
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You feel in control of your time and schedule which brings a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment.
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