How do I organize my day?
Have you ever been at the end of a day and wondered what in the world happened? Where did your time go? The best way to prevent this from happening is to plan ahead and organize our day.
But look. There will still be a few days here and there that are crazy and we are putting fires out. However, if we plan our days, this will not be the norm.
So where do I start?
First, we have to prioritize what is important for us to get done. While there may be 10 things you need to get done, pick the 3 most important things. I use my Full Focus Planner for this. (Use THIS link and the code SHELLEY10 to save 10% off your order!)
Next, be mindful of how many hours are in your day. Look at your calendar. Do you have a meeting that will take 2 hours? That’s almost a third of your work day. Do you have an appointment? If you’re like me and work from home, think about the things that you might have to take care of at home. Truly realize how much time you actually have to work with in your day.
What are your daily tasks that you get done each day that can set you up for success? What are daily habits that you want to do. I write them at the bottom of my planner each day. These can change throughout time.
Here is an example of my daily tasks:
Clean (fill in the blank). I have a weekly cleaning schedule. This is a 10-15 minute task that keeps my house clean.
Vitamins - this is a one minute task, but it’s very important to my health. I write it down so I’m sure it gets done.
Laundry - another 10 minute task that keeps my house in order. One load a day keep the laundry piles away. :)
Read - this is a task that can take 5-20 minutes. It’s what I allow in the day. Reading in an important habit and something I find relaxing, so I take time for this at some point each day.
Piano - this is my personal goal right now. This changes throughout the year. Right now I have a goal to practice one song a day.
These daily tasks are separate from my morning routine - Bible reading, prayer, coffee, getting ready and from my workday startup and shutdown.
Find your cadence. This moves us into the last portion of organizing our day. The more you do this, the more you will see a cadence in your day. I find it important to focus on at least 2 of my Big 3 tasks first thing during my work day. Getting the most important things done first will create a successful day.
Find where a break works for you. After cranking out those big tasks I like to take a mental break and go change over or fold a load of laundry. I might quickly get my cleaning task done. And then I will fix a cup of coffee, read a chapter in my current book, check my emails again and get back to work.
Your cadence will be different from mine. Find what works for you.
One of the biggest productivity tips that I have found to work for me is to get the most important tasks for the week done early in the week. I also get those done as early in the day as I can. We are creating a buffer for margin. Life will happen. And if we wait until the end of the day or the end of the week to get our most important things done, we will constantly feel like we are running behind.
Here is a sample of at Tuesday:
Wake up - morning routine
Get the kids up and started with school
Workday Startup
9AM - First Zoom call of the day.
Work about an hour with my 1st grader on school
Do 2 of my Big 3 Tasks
Break - laundry, clean, read (if I didn’t already read my book during my morning routine)
1PM - Next Zoom meeting
Last Big 3 tasks and any other tasks I can get done
Dinner Prep
Last time checking emails and planning my next day (Workday shutdown)
Dinner
Get ready for church
Get to church early to get some tasks done there
Bible Study
Home, nighttime routine and pickup
Bedtime
Thankfully not all of my days are this full. If all goes to plan I occasionally have some slower days at the end of the week.
I can assure you that taking time at the end of today to plan tomorrow will add margin in your life for the good things!