Using a Planner to Manage YOUR Time
It is your time and you deserve to make the most of it. Plan it, and make it happen! You want to travel, plan it for it. Want to make more money, plan it for it! You want to get in better shape, PLAN FOR IT! Using a planner to help you plan for what you need to get done allows you to have more time to plan for what you WANT to do! Many people consider using a planner to be boring, but I know that if you try my suggestions you will be getting more out of your time and planner!
What I Do for a Planner…
I may be considered a Millennial, but for my time management, I go old school. Pen and Paper! I still use the calendar on my phone as it is good for alerts and on the spot note taking. But I plan my day and rely on my planner. This first question is what planner do I use? Well I am big in to getting up early and starting the day, so I need a planner that starts early. For that I recommend the Passion Planner Dated Jan-Dec 2018 – Daily Agenda, Appointment Calendar, Gratitude and Reflection Journal to Increase Productivity and Achieve Goals – Compact Size (A5) Sunday Start (Black)
The First Step!
Commit to writing everything down. Especially starting out, you will have the notion that it is too small of a task to write something down. Until an act becomes a habit, write it down. No matter how trivial you think it is, write it down and commit to continuing to write things down.
The Second Step!
Plan out your day the night before! Write everything down that you need to do. This will help you get everything ready for in the morning that you would usually be running around and stressing about making you late in the morning. Be it gym clothes, papers for a presentation, or whatever just get it ready as to not let it cause you to be late in the morning! Already off to saving time!
The Third Step!
Organize your tasks to do in your “free time”. By free time, I mean the time that you have outside of your meetings, and phone calls. This is when you complete your to-do list. It helps to organize your to-do list by importance and accomplish the hardest tasks first. **Side note – only touch a task once. Once you start on a task, commit to it and do it fully. Don’t stop until you are done, this helps curb any procrastination.**
The Fourth Step!
See step two! At night, recap. What got done, how well did you stick to your plan, and what could you have done better? Plan out the next day and move anything that you did not get done on your to-do list to the next day. Maybe move it up the priority list as you did not get it done today.
FURTHER RESOURCES:
One of the absolute best books I have read on time management is by Lee Cockerell. Lee has had countless jobs that require the upmost in time management, including being a Executive VP of Disney World Resorts. Lee has written the book Time Management Magic
Lee recommends using the Daytimer as a planner. I have used the Daytimer and I really liked it. However, I find that the Passion Planner suits my needs and personality better.
