“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”
Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur
One who doesn’t know where is their time is going, they also aren’t able to know where their lives are going. Our life depends on how we spend our single day. If we spend our day effectively, our life will definitely become easier, joyful and interesting. But if we waste our day or don’t use it effectively, our life will become harder, painful, and boring. It’s all depends on you what you want from your life.
Everyone has got the same time. They all have 24 hours in a day. But the difference is how one manages their day, and time. If you are able to manage your days by planning effectively, you will be able to achieve much in a short time. Your stress will reduce, time will not waste, your reputation will grow and you will get more opportunities in your life.
I know that you are a person who wants to plan your day effectively so that you can get maximum results from your work. Day planning may be different for everyone but I am going to present to you the most effective and people-friendly method which will compatible with almost everyone.
Steps to Plan your Day Effectively
Make a TO-DO list
If you ask any leader, winner, or achiever what is their plan for the day, they will tell that their day is pre-planned and they know what and when they have to do. When you start to plan out your day effectively, the first thing that comes to your mind is where to start. So, you must start by making a TO-DO list that is always in front of your eyesight. When you keep your work in your mind, you put yourself under stress, tension and you have to remember what and when you have to do it. But when you write it, you are free from stress, tension and your mind is able to work more efficiently. Thus, you are not controlled by day but the day is controlled by you.
Using the To-DO list increases the efficiency of the day by 20 to 25 percent i.e. your productivity increases a lot. There are many benefits to having a to-do list. So, whether you are a student, employer, employee, or even a housewife, you must have your to-do list.
Schedule your day a night before or at the start
Before going to sleep, you should make your TO-DO list for the next day. It is the best time to make your TO-DO list. If you schedule your day the night before, you will have better sleep because your mind will be free, relaxed and you already know what you need to do the next day. Thus, instead of thinking about what you need to do, you will put your free mind to work the next day. As far as possible, you should schedule your day what and when you have to do every day. This will make you more energetic and stress-free and you will see that the day is controlled by you.
Prioritize Your Tasks on the A, B, and C Method
There are tons of scientifically proven ways to make a to-do list that suits people with different mindsets. The most popular methods adopted today are ABC System, Urgent/Critical Matrix, Action/Priority Matrix, Pareto System, and Inventory System. But if I share a complicated method and you won’t be able to use it, it will be of no use to this article and your time. So, I have come up with a method that is very simple, easy to use, and very generic. This method is called the ABC system.
When we mix up our urgent and important tasks, our time management goes awry. In the ABC method, you have to classify your tasks into three categories based on their priority, urgency, criticality, importance, and benefits. In the first category (Category A), you will place tasks that are urgent and require immediate attention. These tasks may be unplanned or may result in big losses if not done. Category B includes tasks that are not urgent but are always important to you. These tasks are related to your goals, personal and professional life. Tasks that are neither urgent nor important today but may be done in the future fall into Category C.
Examples-
| Category A | Category B | Category C |
| Pay Fees | Respond to emails | Give time to hobby |
| Mail report to Boss | Buy grocery | Organize Room |
| Meeting | Team Briefing | Wash Vehicles |
Keep sufficient margins and breaks
Almost everyone makes mistakes in planning their day in the beginning. People over-plan their day and later they find that it is not working for them. Thus, they leave the current routine and re-adopt the old schedule. So, you should not plan your day so strictly because you can meet any emergency or may complete any task that can take extra time than usual that results in breaking your schedule. It is very important to have enough margin and breaks in your TO-DO list so that you do not get stressed. You should always have some spare time in a day. If this time is not used for any task, it will be your bonus time, you can use it wherever you want.
Apart from this, it is very important to spend time with yourself. You should also spend your quality time with your siblings, parents, spouses, or loved ones. It will boost your energy and make you happy and more productive.
Evaluate Yourself
To plan out your day or to do any task effectively, you should evaluate and check yourself from time to time. As you know, the more effective our time management is, the more productive our day will be. To maintain your time management, you should make day logs and evaluate which task is worth it and which is not. If any task/activity is not adding any value to your life, you should not give attention to it. You can add another activity in that place that is adding value to your life.
You should always observe what is going on in your personal and professional life, is your hard work points to any positive response, what can be added to your daily life to make you more productive, etc. You should always find out new solutions to make your life simple and easier.
Make it Habit
If we practice any skills like driving a car or playing cricket, etc repeatedly, we eventually become better and better. In the same way, making and following a TO-DO list is also a skill. The higher you will practice, the better you will be. So, you should make a habit to take immediate action according to the list. Thus, like other skills, time management skills will be a part of your life. You will feel a positive difference in your life, relation, career, and in the balance of your life.
Conclusion
If you plan your day effectively, you will have to compromise on a lot of things. For example, you may have to skip parties, weddings, tours. But believe me, it will be very helpful for your career in the long term.
Now, let’s summarize this article so that you can understand it in a better way. In the first step, you have your plan written. You can use notepad, mobile apps to make it easier. In the second step, always try to schedule your day before going to sleep last night. If it could not be possible for any reason, schedule it at the start of the day. In the third step, prioritize your day by ABC method as it is a very simple and easy-to-use method. In the next step, don’t plan your day too tightly or for only show off, plan with the practical aspect that is possible to follow.
In the next step, evaluate yourself and try to make yourself better every day. In the last step, make it a habit by practicing regularly.
I hope, you will know how to plan out your day effectively for maximum productivity. If you find out this article helpful, share your views, experiences, and ideas in the comment section. It will be helpful for us as well as our readers.
Thank you.
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