Organizing your days in advance allows you to manage time more efficiently. With proper planning, you can achieve better results, while reducing the likelihood of missing important commitments or being distracted by minor factors. As much as it may seem easier to deal with commitments as they arise, over time you may end up being disorganized, feeling overwhelmed by events and risking forgetting some important things. Setting and sticking to a daily agenda can take some effort, but you'll soon be glad you did. In addition to feeling less stressed, you will feel that you have gained more control over your life. Organizing your day allows you to better regulate your behaviors as it gives you the opportunity to notice what has been done and what still needs to be done.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Organizing Your Daily Agenda
Step 1. Get a calendar or diary
Make sure you have enough space to record all your commitments. There are agendas divided by weeks, days or even hours. Alternatively you can use your laptop. Choose the tool that best suits your personal needs. Whatever choice you have made, respect your commitment. Remember that it is better to organize your commitments using a single tool, rather than dividing the different areas, for example work or school, using different means.
- There are also many versions of digital calendars for mobile or computer that allow you to synchronize all your devices, so you can access your calendar wherever you are. There are also numerous apps that help you organize your day with notifications and reminders.
- It is best to choose a calendar, digital or paper, that offers some extra space in which to add any notes. Your notes will help you keep track of not only what has already been done, but also how you acted and / or how you felt. For example, next to "Go to the gym", in addition to putting a confirmation signal after you have done so, you may want to add a note similar to "I walked an extra mile, I was thrilled!". Adding custom notes allows you to be more aware of your behaviors.
- If you intend to switch from a paper calendar to a digital one, the first few days you may have the impression that it is a tool with too frenetic rhythms; do not give up, it is normal, it will be enough to have a little patience to get used to the new system. You can initially choose to use both, to make sure you haven't made any mistakes that cause you to forget something or risk repeating the same action twice.
Step 2. Plan your schedule
Using an electronic calendar you will have the possibility to differentiate the different commitments with different colors. For example, you could highlight work-related charges in red, study-related charges in blue, housework in green, leisure events in orange, and sporting events in pink. If you prefer to use a paper diary or a computer, you can do the same using colored pencils, markers, highlighters, fonts and backgrounds. After diversifying the many types of activities scheduled, you can continue giving them the right priority.
Looking at the calendar after organizing and coding your commitments with different colors will help you understand which activities are taking up most of your time. For example, you may notice that there are large areas of red (work) and green (housework), while pink (exercise) is almost absent. Noticing this lack of moments dedicated to physical activity could motivate you to review the organization of your days to try to give space to the care and health of the body
Step 3. Set your priorities
Determining which are the most important tasks, which should be done before the others, and which ones that can wait is a fundamental step. An example will help you better understand the need to prioritize. Let's say you have to take two exams, write a report, write an essay, and take a presentation in one week. Woh!
- Ask yourself questions to figure out which tasks should be done first and how long they will take. Which of these commitments has the earliest deadline? Which of them will take the most amount of time? Which are the most relevant in terms of long-term results? For example, speaking of grades, which ones will have the greatest impact on your final rating? What are the assignments that involve the greatest effort?
- Basically, you will have to decide which factor you think is most important regarding the tasks on your agenda: the deadline, the amount of time it takes to complete them or their value. Nobody knows better than you what your abilities and your primary goals are; adopt a priority system that conforms to your needs.
Step 4. Highlight the most urgent commitments
Once you have decided how to set the right priorities, you will need to put your decisions back on the calendar. Review your appointments for the day to add an "A" next to those that need to be completed first, a "B" next to those that need to be completed within the day, a "C" to those with a weekly deadline, and so on.
Step 5. Set a time frame for each task
Add a note about the amount of time you feel it takes to complete each assignment. For example, you might expect to study (2 hours), exercise (1 hour), write two emails (30 minutes), take the dog out (30 minutes). Organizing your schedule so that you have time for each of the tasks listed is the key to success. An overly busy schedule, lacking realistic time expectations, is almost useless, as well as a significant cause of stress.
Remember to also plan the time you need to travel. For example, at the end of the study, before you can start training, you may have to drive for 20 minutes to get from the library to the gym
Step 6. Also consider the "downtime" between activities
Generally, most people tend to underestimate the time it takes to complete their commitments. Contemplating the preparation phase that precedes each activity, and the rest phase that follows it, will also help you organize your day more accurately.
- It is always best to overestimate the time it takes to complete an assignment, even by just a few minutes. As a rule of thumb, expect 25% more time each time. For example, if you plan on doing a task that takes 4 minutes, schedule 5 on your agenda, if it takes 8, plan to have 10, and so on. As the hours go by, these minutes will add up, creating a time gap that will help you not to be late and not to be left behind.
- Review the key assignments for the day and ask yourself if they involve fulfilling some ancillary tasks. If the answer is affirmative, do not forget to put them in the diary. For example, do you think that after exercising in the gym, you will need to take a shower? Do you often stay chatting in the locker room for up to fifteen minutes? Many of those who routinely go to a gym admit that, despite having a one-hour workout planned, they end up staying longer than two hours.
Step 7. Plan some free time
Fix it at the end of the day, you can use it to dedicate yourself to minor tasks or any unexpected events. Having some free time, today or another day of the week, will allow you to start working on future commitments. Any additional tasks could include, for example, seasonal rearrangement of the closet or documents relating to household expenses. While these are low-priority tasks, with no fixed deadline, that do not cause stress, you will be happy to have completed them.
Part 2 of 2: Stick to Your Daily Agenda
Step 1. Check your daily agenda
Get in the habit of analyzing it every evening and every morning to better prepare for the upcoming day. In addition, set a daily time, for example after having breakfast or while on public transport that will take you to work, in which to carefully review what needs to be done, what has already been completed and what should be added if necessary.
- Taking a few minutes to carefully inspect your to-do list before diving into the frenzy of the day could help you refine your organization, while also giving you the motivation to get started with grit!
- Use your cell phone or computer alarm to remind you of certain tasks or appointments. For example, medical and dental visits are usually scheduled well in advance, so it might be useful to create a reminder to help you remember when there's about a week left, so you can plan your schedule accordingly.
Step 2. Carry out your commitments in order of priority
Your agenda should clearly show the priorities set according to your personal criteria, so be sure to stick to them consistently.
Step 3. Modify your plans according to the needs of the moment
As important as it is to try to stick to previously established schedules as much as possible, sometimes something may happen that requires a change. If an urgency, complication or obstacle arises, try to postpone flexible or less urgent tasks to the following days.
However, try not to postpone your schedule too often or too easily, to prevent it from building up irretrievably over the next few days. If you find that you often find yourself in this situation, try to schedule more time for each task of the day, rather than forcing yourself to change the plans for the following days
Step 4. Add a check mark next to the tasks you have completed
Doing so will give you a great sense of satisfaction! Also, remember to move any unsuccessful commitments to the next day.
Step 5. Give yourself a reward
Whenever you manage to stick to your agenda, fulfilling commitments, it's important to reward yourself for doing it right. After completing the day's tasks, use positive reinforcement, such as making yourself a hot bath, watching your favorite TV show, or eating a piece of cake, to celebrate your merits. Knowing that you have done your best, you will feel satisfied and fulfilled.
Step 6. Assess the need for any changes
From time to time, it will be important to review your schedule to see if it continues to meet your needs. A very effective way to do this is to analyze it while also paying attention to your mood and feelings. In general, can you notice a high number of check marks that make you feel positive and productive? If so, the way you organize your days is most likely ideal for you!
- Conversely, if you find that your schedule is often shifted to the next day (and then to the next day, and so on), which is why you tend to frequently feel disheartened, most likely, the best thing to do is to change the way you work. you organize your agenda.
- Identify problem areas by analyzing past pages for unfinished assignments. In the case of things that you think are important, such as exercising, it may be necessary to re-evaluate and rearrange your priorities. Likewise, you may need to reconsider the amount of time scheduled for each of your commitments. For example, instead of giving yourself two hours of time each morning to prepare, consider reducing it to just one hour three times a week so you can do 30 minutes of jogging.
- Understand that having to rearrange your schedule over and over again is completely normal. Developing an efficient routine that is ideal for your needs takes time and patience.
Advice
- Your time has an important value. Organizing your days effectively will help you make the most of it.
- Planning your schedule may help you notice some patterns that have so far gone unnoticed. For example, you may notice that on Thursday mornings you tend to wake up feeling very tired because you are late with friends every Wednesday night. Once you recognize this habit, you can make changes to help you feel better. For example, you could go out on a Friday night so, without giving up having fun, you will avoid arriving tired on Thursday morning.
- Organizing and respecting a daily agenda allows you to be more efficient and productive as it imposes fixed times on your commitments. This means that you will no longer be able to use the excuse "There is not enough time!".
