Being productive is something I'm sure we all strive for, and it all starts with planning your day effectively. Your productivity is definitely maximised when you have a list of goals and tasks you want ticked off at the end of the day, and today's post is going to be about how I plan my day!
These tips are what I find helpful on a daily basis, and I hope they can help you out too!
THE NIGHT BEFORE
I've said this in a previous post, but your productive day starts the night before. There are a lot of things you can do to in the evenings to make sure the next day starts off on the right foot.
First of all, you want to make sure you have a system that you can use to write everything down. Currently, I use my bullet journal and my Google Calendar app. You may also find a planner useful too!
In my bullet journal, my weekly spreads are very simple and not decorated much at all. I write down the tasks that I need to get done the next day and I categorise them by the type of tasks they are (more on this later).
With my Google Calendar, I add things like meeting with friends and events going on that aren't to do with regular day to day activities. I love this app because I can colour co-ordinate everything and move something to a different day if something new comes up. I also love using it to set goals and add reminders. If you don't have this app, download it or use the desktop version and try it out!
To make sure I am actually going to be productive, I categorise my tasks. I do this by grouping all of my cleaning tasks together, then writing down my blogging tasks, then my shopping tasks etc. Grouping them together like this leaves you with more work done in the long run; if I do one task in each category at a time, then by the end of the day, I may not have finished everything I wanted to do. However, if I do all of my cleaning tasks then more onto all of my blogging tasks, I'll have finished them all.
Another tip I have is to write in the important tasks first, then follow up with all the extras. If you work or you're a student (or both!) then this will definitely help you. Colour co-coordinating them with highlighters or pens will also help you see what is really important and what can wait.
The reason you should write your tasks down the night before is because when you wake up, you have no excuses to give yourself when it comes to the day ahead. Everything you need to accomplish is right there written down and it removes any unnecessary decision making in the morning that will cause you to feel unbothered.
WAKE UP EARLY
Waking up early really starts your day off on a positive foot, and if you have a lot to do that day, you can really maximise your time by waking up a few hours earlier. If you have a lot to do, then do try it out!
The act of waking up early itself can make you feel accomplished right off the bat and it can give you the motivation to get your tasks done too!
HAVE GOOD MORNING HABITS
I think that building good morning habits will also motivate you to get your tasks done. Easy things like breakfast, making your bed, or reading can boost your mood because of the things you're getting done as soon as you wake up.
I have a whole blog post about the healthy and productive morning habits I have adopted, and you can read it right here!
Those are my tips for how to plan your day effectively to maximise your productivity. These are things that I do myself and they really help me out!
Do you have ways you plan your day? Tell me below!