Is your daily schedule causing you to feel stressed to the max because of the never-ending to-do list that you can never seem to complete?
Do you continually move tasks to the following week and then when the time comes, you push them out again to a later date?
Unfortunately, this style of time management is practiced by most people.
Operating in this manner probably makes you feel as if you’re wasting your time and that you’ll never get caught up.
If you feel helpless and on the verge of giving up any hope of gaining control, don’t worry.
The solution to your overwhelming schedule is to implement the use of a daily planner.
A daily planner allows you to manage the most important aspects of your life, all from an at-a-glance viewpoint, without using confusing and complicated methods.
Are you ready to discover five steps on how to use a daily planner effectively?
Ok, let’s do it…
1)) Brainstorm Your List Of To-Dos
Before you implement the use of a daily planner, you must first brainstorm a list of your most important tasks.
Brainstorming sessions allow you to get everything out of your head, which is a great way to minimize the chance of forgetting important tasks.
Use the medium of your choice to jot down your brainstormed items, whether that be typed on a computer or mobile device, or good old-fashioned pencil and paper.
Memory Joggers To Help You Brainstorm:
- Priorities
- Important Dates
- Meetings
- Appointments
- Health Needs
- Household Needs
- Family Needs
- Pet Needs
- Vehicle Needs
- Business Needs
2)) Pick Out Your Top Priorities
After you’ve made your list of all the important to-dos that you must get done, now it’s time to pick out the top 3 to 5 priorities.
Your priorities are the tasks that must be completed ASAP.
Examples Of Top Priorities:
- Bobby’s Allergy Appointment
- Meeting With the Work Manager
- Take Fido To The Vet
- Call HVAC Tech & Schedule Repair
- Get your Car Oil Changed
- Plan Anniversary Dinner
- Plan Larisa’s Birthday Party
You must do everything within your power to complete your priority tasks because not doing so can cause a lot of pain and destruction, which is why you must complete them first.
Don’t forget about the 80/20 rule which is derived from the Pareto principle.
According to Wikipedia, The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes.
Other names for this principle are the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity.
This simply means that 80% of the results that you get in life will most likely come from 20% of the effort you make.
This is why you must complete your top priorities first because they may be responsible for 80% of the results you get.
3)) Use A Daily Planner To Get Organized
Now that you’ve brainstormed your list of to-dos and picked your top priorities, it’s time to put them into a Daily Planner.
While there are many options, using a downloadable and printable daily planner is the easiest low-tech method to help you take control over your daily schedule almost immediately.
If you’re the techy type and prefer software, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using mobile apps or computer desktop programs.
What’s important is that you do not attempt to manage your daily schedule in your head, which has been proven to be disastrous and only creates stress.
Whatever type of daily planner you decide to use, make sure it contains at least the following data fields:
- Name
- Date
- Top Priorities
- To-Do List
- Schedule
- Notes
Pro-Tip: Write your task in the most concise and descriptive manner possible. For example, don’t write “Meeting”, instead, jot down “Meeting With John To Discuss Q2 Budget.”
Being specific allows you to know at-a-glance what tasks are without having to guess, especially if you are overwhelmed.
When you have a lot on your plate, it’s easy to forget what a specific task is about if you don’t make it descriptive enough.
4)) Schedule Your Tasks
Now that you’ve brainstormed your list of to-dos, picked your top priorities, and chosen a daily planner, it’s time to schedule your task.
Your daily planner will become your workhorse which you will come to heavily rely on to take control of your daily schedule.
You’ve already done the hard part.
Just transfer your Top Priorities and To-Do List Tasks onto your daily planner.
And that’s it!
5)) Check-Off Completed Tasks
At this point you’ve done all of the heavy liftings with brainstorming your list, picking out your top priorities, choosing your daily planner, schedule your important tasks.
Now the only thing left for you to do is to get it done.
Have you heard the following saying, “Ain't Nothin' To It But To Do It?”
I want you to notice that feeling of empowerment and a sense of control every time you check off a completed task.
The feeling will be exhilarating, knowing that you’re finally taking control of your daily schedule.
Conclusion
You just discovered 5 Steps On How To Use A Daily Planner Effectively, which gives you the power to control your schedule.
There are entirely too many things to do nowadays with no end in sight.
Since these laundry lists aren’t going anyway, the best approach is to buckle down and find ways to manage them.
And one of the easiest ways is to implement the use of a daily planner.
These little workhorses are inexpensive, easy to use, and can help you get your life back.
If you use a daily planner consistently, you’ll begin to discover a lot of hidden time in your schedule as a result of better time management.
Just think of what you could do with all of that extra newfound time…
You’d be able to go on those much-needed date nights, spend time with the kids, hang out with family and friends, be more productive at work, and all while drastically reducing your stress levels.
I’d say that using a daily planner has its benefits, right?
What are you waiting for, start using a daily planner today.
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