Being in a good mood from the very morning, getting everything done and doing it productively, receiving only positive emotions, not forgetting about rest and yourself - this is probably what our ideal day looks like. What about the regular one? Urgent work, rush, a carload of unfulfilled tasks and severe fatigue in the evening. Agree, this option is much closer to reality. What is the problem? Why can't we live according to an ideal plan? What's going wrong?
The answer is simple: incorrect preparation of a plan for the day or lack thereof.
Why is it important to make a daily plan?
Imagine an ordinary morning: you open your eyes, check your phone, wash your face, have breakfast, and drive along your usual route to work. You always have this minimal initial plan that brings the system to life. Thanks to him, you don’t waste time on unimportant things. What if you make a plan like this for the whole day? It is not necessary to write everything down minute by minute; it is enough to make a list of tasks and meetings, plan the important, separate the urgent from the non-urgent. Yes, at first glance, it may seem complicated and it seems that such planning keeps within strict limits. But, on the contrary: the more clearly you see your day, the easier it is to deal with canceled meetings, rescheduled errands and other unpredictable factors. After new tasks appear, you are not lost, but know where they can be inserted without wasting time and stress. In essence, the daily plan is our confidence and fulcrum.
Planning tasks in a CRM system
If you need to not only plan your personal time, but also take control of tasks related to transactions and clients of your team, use a CRM system.
In S2 CRM you can assign any task to yourself or a subordinate in two clicks. Call the client, send him a commercial proposal, prepare an agreement - the task will automatically appear in the schedule. When a task deadline arrives, the employee will receive a notification within the program, by email, phone or Telegram. If the deadline is overdue, the system will notify the manager.
In S2 CRM you can view the tasks of a specific employee.
In CRM, you can plan the implementation of large projects that consist of dozens of sequential tasks. The program will remind you of current tasks every day and signal if you have forgotten something.
Jedi techniques: help in correctly drawing up a plan for the day
If you feel like you don’t have time to do anything, at the end of the evening you feel like a squeezed lemon, and every day you feel overwhelmed both in your work and in your personal life, then something is definitely going wrong. Your day will not be perfect without time for yourself and relaxation, without a feeling of satisfaction before bed.
How to close this problem? There are many methods, one of them is the use of “Jedi techniques”. And this is not about the battle on light beams with disorder, but real working techniques from the book of the same name. Before I discovered this method, I didn’t think about how often we use the expression “not enough time.” Now I realized that what we lack is not time, but intelligence. If we learn to set clear and achievable goals for ourselves, will we really struggle with this?
The main idea is this:
- We take on tasks that “seem to be burning,” but in fact nothing will happen if we postpone them until later or don’t complete them at all
- We do the little things and the routine, but don’t have enough energy for the important things. Perhaps you should start delegating?
- We don’t set aside at least 1 hour in the morning for an important, focused task. I emphasize: IN THE MORNING, before all matters, first of all. Otherwise, the routine will shift it again and the task will remain on your waiting list.
- Be sure to set aside a time when no one should disturb you and vice versa, when you can be available to everyone.
Task list (or to-do list)
Our heads are constantly swarming with thoughts about unfulfilled tasks and events. When the brain is filled with “in”, it cannot function productively. When you write down tasks, you free up your brain. This is why it is useful to make a to-do list.
Find a list-keeping app that works for you. Use the popular Todolist, Evernote, Doit.Im. If you are not comfortable with applications, take a regular notepad or diary.
Write down your upcoming tasks down to the last detail. Check your diaries, notes on your desktop and sticky notes, reminders in your phone. Collect everything in one place.
How to work with “inbox”?
During the working day, our brain effectively thinks no more than 3 hours. And the maximum time to concentrate on information is, at best, only 40 minutes. But there is a state of “flow” that can stretch this time and increase it. What's the point? In energy.
After all, you can do everything on time and schedule, but at the same time feel exhausted and tired. Or you can “save thinking,” and thereby save both resources at the maximum: both time and energy. This is exactly one of the main components of an ideal day - balance.
Probably one of the main sources of such energy-time gaps should and can be called “inbox”. That is, everything that awaits a solution from us: messages in the messenger, unsorted work tasks, unread books, money transactions, unwritten ideas and other everyday tasks. And the most annoying thing is that they need to be resolved a little faster than usual.
And yet, how can you solve them when you don’t want to?
- If it takes no more than 5 minutes to solve a problem, do it right now.
- Work according to the Pomodoro method. For example: 30 minutes of fruitful work, 10 minutes of rest and back to work.
- Disable unnecessary notifications while working.
- Keep everything around you in order: chaos is very distracting and prevents us from focusing on one thing.
- Separate “thinking” from “doing”. Think only at the moment of making a decision, then do it and not think at this moment.
- Set minutes for rest or to “go have tea” as a task, limited in time and requiring completion.
Benjamin Franklin Method
Benjamin Franklin was the son of a soap maker, but thanks to self-organization and discipline he succeeded in many areas: politics, diplomacy, science, journalism.
He is one of the founding fathers of the United States of America - he participated in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the country's constitution. Franklin's portrait appears on the $100 bill, even though he was never president of the United States. He is credited with the authorship of such catchphrases as “Time is money” and “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
Time was truly of the essence for Franklin.
Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for time is the fabric of which life is made.
Benjamin Franklin
At the age of 20, Franklin developed a time management system for himself that he used throughout his life. Contemporaries called it “Franklin's pyramid” (sometimes the name “productivity pyramid” is also found).
At the base of the pyramid are life values. These are moral guidelines in solving any problems. Franklin called them virtues.
For himself, he defined 13 virtues: temperance, silence, love of order, determination, frugality, hard work, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, calmness, chastity and meekness.
To work on himself every day, Franklin started a special notebook in which he devoted a page to each life principle. He lined each page into seven columns (days of the week). Then he drew 13 horizontal lines according to the number of virtues.
Thus, every day he focused on one of the virtues, and in the evenings he noted in boxes the mistakes made on the path to “moral perfection.”
The next step in Franklin's pyramid is the global goal. It is based on life principles and answers the question: “What do I want to achieve by N years?” A global goal for a doctor, for example, may be to become the head of a department before the age of 35, and for a manager to launch his own startup.
Benjamin Franklin is truly the forefather of to-do planning. He always stuck to a routine and planned out literally every step he took. Therefore, further in his pyramid are:
- master plan - step-by-step instructions for achieving a global goal;
- long-term plan - goals for the next 3–5 years;
- short-term plan - tasks for the next year and month;
- weekly and daily planning.
All steps of the pyramid are located sequentially - each next one rests on the previous one.
Conclusion
To organize your day using the Franklin method, you need to decide on the fundamental principles of life, set a global goal and make a plan to achieve it.
For long-term and short-term planning, you can use one of the electronic tools or keep a paper notebook and implement a “Quick Notes” system.
Schedule
There is an opinion that after graduating from university, the daily routine disappears from a person’s life forever. This is partly true, but in a good way it is useful not only for schoolchildren or students. Of course, you shouldn’t maniacally schedule every action you take in seconds, but ideally you should still have some time boundaries.
For example, you need to pick up a tax certificate. Look at the operating hours of the desired department and schedule yourself approximate hours at what time it would be best for you to be there. Or another situation: your boss asked you for a report urgently, today. Review your actions in your head and objectively set yourself a deadline, then it will be much easier for your brain to complete the task.
Attention ! Try to objectively estimate the time spent on tasks. It is better to plan it with a reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances.
How to make a plan for the day: example
Let's jump right into an example. I repeat that you can keep a daily plan either schematically or in great detail. I’ll show you my version, which is easy to customize for yourself and, if something happens, change plans without harming your time and nerves:
From 8.00. until 10.00. My morning begins. Mandatory items: checking messages on your phone and quickly responding to messages (no more than 5-10 minutes), time for yourself (15 minutes in the bathroom), breakfast (no more than 20 minutes), some activities (no less than 15 minutes), selection outfit + light makeup (no more than 20 minutes), urgent matters (no more than 20 minutes). That is, in essence, these are all the morning rituals that need to be done for a good start to the day.
From 10 to 10.30. Time spent on transport. Be sure to include it in your plan for a complete vision of your day.
From 10.30 to 13.00. Brainstorming: I solve the most important work issues, get creative and completely immerse myself in work. If you are making a plan for the day, it is better to write in more detail, entering each task. For example: call a printing house, write two posts, make a video about a new glider, etc.
From 13.00. until 13.40. Dinner time.
From 13.40. until 14.00. A short walk or chat with colleagues.
From 14.00. until 18.00. Immersion in work: here it is better to write down every task and meeting again. Don't be afraid to get a little hung up on the little things, it will be useful.
From 18.00. until 19.30. Training/English courses/other useful activities.
From 19.30. until 21.30. Time with family/friends/outing. No matter how introverted you are, always leave room for a fun part of the day. At least an hour.
From 21.30 to 22.00. Preparing for tomorrow: write down tasks for the next day, summarize in your diary, think about what to wear to the meeting tomorrow and what to take with you.
From 22.00. until 00.00. Rest and preparation for bed. This includes nightly beauty treatments, showering, reading books or watching an episode of your favorite TV series. Anything that will help you relax and get ready for tomorrow.
Of course, if you are a mother on maternity leave or a student who combines study with work, you won’t be able to stick to this schedule. In this case, draw up a rough schedule for the day the day before, taking into account at least the most important and priority.
Part One: Defining the Problem
Recognize the problem you are facing
Sometimes the hardest part of creating a plan is that you don't know what the problem is. Often the problem we face creates several more problems. Trouble, as they say, does not come alone. What you need to do is find the source of the problem. And this is exactly what you need to deal with.
Your mother won't let you spend four weeks at a friend's mountain cabin. This is a problem, but where is the source of this problem? You got a D in algebra. And this is precisely the reason why your mother does not let you go to a friend's house for the holidays. And this two is exactly the problem you need to solve.
Determine what result you hope to achieve by solving your problem
What goal do you hope to achieve by solving the problem? Focus on achieving your goal. The rest will come by itself.
Your goal is to improve your math grade to at least a B. At the same time, having improved your knowledge in mathematics, you hope that your mother will let you go to a friend's house for the holidays.
Find out why this problem occurs
Which of your habits contributed to the problem? Take some time to analyze the reasons for the problem.
Your problem is that you got a C in math. Think about what could have led to this: maybe you talked a lot with a friend in class. Or they didn’t do their homework in the evenings because of football training, for example.
Consider external factors contributing to the problem
Many problems arise due to something you do. But don’t forget about external factors working against you. Let's look at an example. You received a bad grade in math that needs to be corrected. This may be due to a misunderstanding of the teacher's explanation of the topic, rather than because you were talking to a friend.
Important tips for creating the perfect plan to get everything done
It seems that we already know everything about the ideal plan. Not really. There are several important details that will help make everything even better and more productive:
- Plan your day the night before or in the morning. This is the most optimal time, when ideas are still relevant and, if possible, it will be easier to make adjustments.
- Don’t forget to mark each completed task with a tick or marker, and also summarize the results.
- Every evening, analyze the past day, what caused difficulties, why you couldn’t do one thing and why another didn’t cause such problems.
- Remember to separate important tasks from unimportant ones, urgent from non-urgent ones. This can be done with special symbols directly in the diary.
- Distribute your tasks evenly throughout the week.
- If you couldn’t complete one of the tasks, don’t worry. Reschedule it to another day convenient for you.
And finally
As you noticed, we analyzed all the tricks and techniques in this article using paper lists as an example. There is nothing wrong with planning things on paper: this is the most accessible and completely workable option. However, we still recommend thinking about using organizing programs for computers or smartphones.
Electronic lists have several serious advantages over paper ones:
- They are easy to correct and edit.
- Tasks in them can be rearranged as desired, sorted, grouped and filtered according to various criteria.
- Programs allow you to set up task repetitions so that they appear on your list on the right day.
- If necessary, the program will remind you of the task at a certain time.
Today there is a huge selection of programs and services for planning cases, so you can choose the option that best suits your tastes and needs.
Where is the right place to make a plan for the day?
You can plan your day anywhere you want. But if you want it to be truly detailed and functional, then it is better to opt for a diary.
Diary notebook
Binding:
gluing
Designed for:
3 months
Price:
590₽ View
Diary on a spring
Binding:
spring
Durable:
4 months
Price:
990₽ View
