Life moves faster than we can hold onto it. Everything going on in your life can overwhelm you to the point where just trying to figure out what to do adds to the stress.
Thankfully, there are ways to properly manage your time for maximum productivity and fulfillment without stress. Over the years, I’ve learned how to plan my day to accomplish my daily tasks while also maintaining boundaries. Here are some tips I want to share with you.
Make a Habit to Plan Regularly
The more often you plan out your day, the easier it becomes. Start each day with a gameplan in mind, so that you spring out of bed and start making the most of your precious time. For most of us, the day starts with a healthy dose of caffeine, breakfast or a shower. For me, I’m usually getting my son ready for school or taking Marley out for a walk.
Build a habit to jump out of bed and immediately into a small project to prepare for the day. And once the grogginess lifts, write down what you need to complete.
Get into the habit of journaling or planning your day on paper. Writing it down puts those tasks at the forefront of your attention.
Put in a little bit of extra time to complete each task so you do not feel rushed. This list does not need to be an exact itinerary. You can shift the tasks around as you feel the urge to complete them. Their order does not matter so much as their completeness.
Start small, with just a few of the tasks you need to complete before piling your plate high with hobbies. Alternate projects so that each one receives equal attention without sacrificing your goals.
Start With the Essentials
When planning out your day, figure out what you absolutely need to complete that day. It could be meeting with a new client or onboarding a new team member. Whatever it is, prioritize your essentials and work the rest in around that.
Write down the things that absolutely need priority and give yourself a healthy estimate on how long they will take. And leave in a good deal of breathing room.
Think about how much time each day gives you, from waking up to going to bed. Plan for time spent cooking and eating and subtract it from the total. Never let self-care take the sideline.
Your health and your well-being take precedent overall. Everything else can work itself around that.
Once you get the big stuff down, write goals that could take a backseat to the priorities. Keep them on your plate and prepare to start, but do not feel rushed to complete them.
Remember that Rome was not built in a day. Think of many of your projects as recurrences in your schedule. You do not have to finish them in one day; chip away at them over time.
The worst thing you can do is try to get it all done in one day. If that is the case, what would you do tomorrow?
When in Doubt, Change Gears
The inevitability of roadblocks frustrates and annoys even the most patient individuals. Sometimes you just cannot complete the things on your list, but accepting that takes the stress away.
Maybe you ran out of paint while remodeling your kitchen. Maybe a serious case of writer’s block interrupted the end of your story. Instead of wasting time and energy fretting over the unchangeable, switch gears.
Keeping some projects open simultaneously allows you to jump from one project to another whenever something bogs you down. No more paint? Start getting dinner ready. Conference call fell through? Read that self-help book you have been putting off.
The answers to many of life’s problems come when you give them space and focus on something else. You only control so much in your life. Worrying about things out of your power needlessly stresses you out.
Throwing in benchmarks, such as spending a certain amount of time on a project over the course of a week, keeps you focused on your goals.
Work in Your Down Time Around Your Chores
Life’s distractions keep us from achieving greatness. With endless streaming options, staying focused takes almost as much effort as staying productive.
Instead of taking time away from your goals to relax, work those distractions into your day. Watch your favorite show while working out or doing dishes, and listen to your favorite goofy podcast on your commute.
Multitasking allows you to stay productive while still enjoying yourself. Of course, do not let these enjoyments get in the way of your priorities.
Overall, start small when planning out your day. Focus on the essential tasks and then work on your projects. Soon enough, you will be living each day to its absolute fullest without a hint of feeling overwhelmed.
I hope these guidelines will help you plan your day to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Let me know what you think in the comments below and contact me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.