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Elif Duran
How do you plan your day?
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I believe that it's important to remember that we only have 24 hours in a day, and essential to use this time wisely by planning and organizing our activities. What are you doing to plan your day? Do you use any tool or follow specific methodologies?
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Best
1. Open up my task manager tool (Trello & Notion) 2. Sort as calendar 3. Prioritize due to deadline 4. Time blocking in my calendar 5. Make a large coffee and there you go!
Elif Duran
@alara_akcasiz Clean steps šŸš€ Do you reflect your day at the end or check yesterday's remaining?
Maciej Czajkowski
@alara_akcasiz If you only prioritize due to deadline, you never do tasks, that are strategically important. Those tasks are never time sensitive, so it's very easy to postpone them forever. Unfortunately, that leads to a never ending loop of putting the fires down. How do you deal with that?
Mayank Jain
Setting up the day, before anyone starts, over a cup of coffee! We have our monthly and weekly tasks set out clearly. Just reflecting on both first thing in the morning and planning the day helps a lot.
Elif Duran
Thank you Mayank! I am curious about how do you plan your 8(working) hours, do you estimate which task is gonna take how many hours, do you track your time?
Nithin Jawahar
I plan on a weekly basis. For example, since we're launching LaunchPedia this week, I and my co-founder got on a call yesterday, created a checklist on taskade to note all the tasks and divided them between each other with deadlines. Now we've started working on them based on the deadlines.
Elif Duran
@nithin_jawahar Hey Nithin, congrats for the launch šŸš€ The question that I am curious about: There are lots of tasks in a board, and maybe same deadlines but, how do you plan your day? By choosing a task and just start? Do you assign any time for the tasks, for example it will take 3 hours then I will do this...
Brenna Donoghue
So many great approaches here. I'm such a big fan of time blocking and doing so the night before. Nothing is better than starting Monday morning with a clear plan for the day already in place!
Ramon Williamson
I practice Review/Preview. How it works: (1) I stop at 4PM* each work day to ask and journal 3 questions: What did I do right today? What did I learn? What will I do differently moving forward? * I set the 4PM time as a constraint to stop overworking. (2) Next, I set priorities for my (next) work day: 1 big thing 3 important things 5 quick things (3) I track all this in a daily/weekly progress journal and, leverage accountability to stay consistent and improve work flow. Itā€™s also important to know that I pre-structure my day by blocking out time for three distinct activities in my calendar. This way I have containers for what matters and a framework for uninterrupted focus and consistent progress. ā€”ā€” Background: I originally developed this approach because I needed a way to self-manage as an entrepreneur. Later, I taught the method to my life coaching clients. Iā€™m building out Zero Resistance Productivity to guide implementation. If youā€™re curious and want to try it, just ask. Iā€™ll share the work-in-progress beta. Feel free to DM me on Twitter and mention this post.
Elif Duran
@ramonwilliamson It is amazing Ramon, thank you for sharing your routine. Do you stick with the time interval that you assigned for tasks? Do you track how many hours it takes? I am curious about the reflection at the end of the day, and how to improve tomorrow's session specifically. How to get better at estimating which task will take how many hours and set them clear.
Brenna Donoghue
@ramonwilliamson Yes, I am such a big believer in reflecting at the end of the day and planning the next. Starting a day with a plan in place already, makes it such much easier to just get into it. Love you reflection questions.
Ramon Williamson
@elifduran Itā€™s all about thinking differently about time and how work works. Then developing the mindset and supporting skills and behaviors. I think about work as purpose (why Iā€™m actually doing this or that), playbooks (learning and optimizing the approach), practices (ongoing activities I do over and over, things that help me be at my best and the fundamentals that are essential in the business), and projects (a set of activities that produce a ā€œproductā€ from my work). Within projects, there are micro tasks connected to specific knowledge and skills I must get good at or outsource to others. These tasks are modular and show up in many different projects. Iā€™m really tracking and improving a series of micro tasks vs 1 big project, and improving thinking and building playbooks. This is how you become the most valuable person in any room. Letā€™s break this down: Iā€™ve found that there are 7-10 primary projects and maybe 50 micro tasks in my work. I use a timer when I work to track time and also because it helps my focus. The time blocks prefilled in my calendar for ā€œcompletionā€ of projects and tasks are 90 minutes. The breakthrough for me was understanding which tasks really matter and documenting the time for the micro tasks, also assigning times to the daily 135 (1= one big thing that takes 60-90mins, 3= three important things that take 25-50mins, 5= five quick things that take 5-15mins). This helps me schedule in tasks efficiently. For bigger projects, I break the project down to 25 minute cycles, there are 3 per 90 minutes. Iā€™ve learned over time that certain tasks take x amount of time so knowing this helps me plan better. Iā€™ve also shifted my thinking from how long an overall project takes to how much time Iā€™m giving the overall project and the micro tasks within the project. That constraint is helpful to me. The end of day reflection is 3+1 questions answered in a project journal shared with a coach. I trained my coach in my method so they know how to coach me. I do the same thing with my coaching clients, and teach entrepreneurs and managers of remote teams. The thing thatā€™s helped me and my clients most is knowing what really matters and what to improve. Mostly I find itā€™s refining and speeding up completion of micro tasks and paying attention to the flow in my system and checklist. I make a checklist for every project and micro task. This makes me very efficient and I donā€™t need ti be creative. I wasnā€™t very good at estimating time. I got better by defining the outcome of a project, overcoming overthinking, perfection, and procrastination, making a checklist for each primary project with all the micro tasks, doing the project and tasks and timing it. Because I break everything down, Iā€™m actually timing tasks within a bigger projects. So I donā€™t think in terms of how much time to write an essay, I think in terms of how much time for each step. What I discovered is that many of the steps or micro tasks are modular, in other words, they are part of other projects so when Iā€™m doing a new project and that step/task is in the checklist I have a better idea of the time. One final note: Notice I said I donā€™t need to be creative. Itā€™s important to get you needs met outside the work you do. Most of the nonsense and drama you see in work is people trying to get their emotional and self worth needs met. When you get all that stuff handled outside work, you can focus on what matters and find joy in the process. This is being a craftsman vs whatever you call yourself now. Useful? Let me know.
Ramon Williamson
@brenna_donoghue Thank you Brenna. The two most important things Iā€™ve learned about this are (1) put it on your calendar as an appointment and (2) answer the focusing questions in 1 place every time.
Akriti Nayal
1. Write down To do's on my notebook and the reminders 2. Check the google calendar meetings 3. Opening huddles for the day to keep track of the entire teams things to do Doing all of the above a day prior helps to better move ahead individually and as a team
Elif Duran
@akriti_nayal Hey Akriti, do you analyze your time spent on tasks?
Janusz Mirowski
1. Make a to-do list: Write down everything that you need to do for the day, including both work tasks and personal errands. I am using trello for that, but It can be a notebook. 2. Prioritize your tasks: Not everything on your to-do list will be equally important. Determine which tasks are the most urgent or time-sensitive, and focus on those first. 3. Set specific goals: Rather than simply trying to "get things done," set specific, achievable goals for yourself. For example, rather than just "work on project," set a goal of "complete the first draft of the project proposal." 4. Plan your time: Consider how much time you have available to work on each task, and plan accordingly. You may want to use a calendar or scheduling app to help you keep track of your time. 5. Stay flexible: Things don't always go as planned, so be prepared to adapt as needed. AND MY FAVORITE: Take breaks: It's important to give your mind and body a break from time to time. Schedule in some time for breaks or activities, whether it's a quick walk outside or a longer period of relaxation.
Vijay Singh Khatri
You can follow my plan for the day: šŸ‘‰ Review your long-term goals šŸ‘‰ Identify your priorities šŸ‘‰ Make a to-do list šŸ‘‰ Schedule your time šŸ‘‰ Review and adjust
Elif Duran
@vijay_singh_khatri Hey Vijay, do you use any tools for this flow?
Selin Anil
I write everything down in my agenda - both professional and personal plans. So I can get organized and also force myself to keep a healthy balance!
Elif Duran
@selin_anil I think the pen and paper are irreplaceable, the feeling of intention and completion; but if I want to see what I did specifically on a day, I get lost.
Selin Anil
@elifduran by agenda I meant digital version ;-) I also need to have retroactive visibility on what happened each day, that's why i sometimes even correct my meetings & activity in my online agenda a posteriori!
Adithya Narayanan
I used a ton of digital resources, and went back to an analog bullet journal. I spend 10 minutes each day preparing my to-do list, and 5 mins at night reviewing it. On Sundays I spend an extra 10 mins to plan my week. That's it! I'd say it's worked so far :)
Elif Duran
@adithya_narayanan1 How do you manage your unfinished tasks? Just rescheduling them? Do you interest in how many hours a task takes to finish and the difference between what you think?
Gabriel shin
call me old school but I like a good old pen & make a list first thing in the morning. Thereafter, organize time slots for the various activities. Make sure you leave time for all the chaos that occurs throughout your day.
Elif Duran
@gabriel_shin I love pen and paper, nothing gives me that feeling, but could not keep going every day though, and if I want to take a look back, there is a mess behind me šŸ„²
Tunahan Tolga Yıldız
Time management is my biggest plan for this year. I want to use Notion and Clickup. Thank you for the question, I'll follow the reply!
Maciej Czajkowski
I often do a chart, where I rate the importance and urgency of my tasks. I add that up and start from the tasks with most points. If two tasks have the same rating, I start with the one, that is more important. For instance, if I have 3 tasks, and those will be: A: 50% Importance and 100% urgency (total of 150) B: 100% Importance and 25% urgency (total of 125) C: 75% Importance and 75% urgency (total of 150) I'd start with task C, then go to A (They both have a total of 150, but C is more important). Task B would be the last one on my list. You can also create a chart and start from the top right corner and then go down.
Pablo Ignacio
Monday - Wednesday - Friday: Early Morning meeting, Gym, breakfast, read or watch something, call related, then work, work, work. Tuesday - Thursday: Early Morning meeting, rest, breakfast, read or watch something, call related, then work, work, work. Saturday - Sunday: Breakfast, walk around town or hike or museum, nothing for a period of time and later meeting friends.
Elif Duran
@pablo_ignacio What about planning your tasks for work? How do you manage that interval?
Pablo Ignacio
@elifduran in a mix between Google calendar, a physical board here in my room, notion and my phone's notes
phprunner
My usual routine: 1. Get up around 7-8am 2. Breakfast and coffee 3. Routine work till lunch: answering emails, quick meetings with the team 4. Lunch 5. Nap 6. Another coffee and creative work till 6pm 7. Something doing some personal project after dinner If I have something urgent, like sending out a newsletter, I block 1-2 hours of time around 10am-12pm to get it done.
Elif Duran
@sergey_kornilov1 Do you use only calendar app for this routine?
Matthew Kuzmin
Use a pan and notebook to determine what are the plan for today. Determine what are the main 20%. Focus on them and work on 80% if I have time.
Moon
@Elif Duran There is no one-size-fits-all approach to planning one's day, and different people may have different strategies that work best for them. However, there are some common habits and practices that many people have been known to use when it comes to planning their days. These can include setting specific goals and objectives for the day, creating a to-do list or schedule to help prioritize tasks, setting aside dedicated time for important tasks and avoiding distractions, and regularly reviewing and adjusting their plans as needed. Additionally, some successful people may also make a habit of setting aside time for self-care and relaxation, as this can help them stay focused and productive over the long term. Ultimately, the key is to find what works best for you and your personal goals and needs, and to be flexible and adaptable in the face of changing circumstances.
Pavel Kukhnavets
Having a reliable online planner at hand, you'll master your scheduling and panning abilities without extra efforts. I tried to work with simple spreadsheets or even to do lists, but the really powerful tool is a Gantt chart. Therefore, I recommend to plan your working days and daily tasks using any Gantt chart-based platform. For example, GanttPRO https://ganttpro.com/.
Elif Duran
@pavel_kukhnavets It is very interesting, I never think of using a Gantt chart to plan my day, it is something like time-blocking eventually.
Ɓgh Helmut
I open up Notion every morning and go through a short meditation, where I list my long-term, short-term and daily goals, besides a quick gratitude exercise. After that, I order my ToDo items on a Kanban board based on the daily goals in my meditation. I have a set of items grouped in categories like: - Reminders - Events - Tomorrow - Today and pull the selected items into the today category. When I finish a recurring item, it goes back to the Tomorrow column.
Krishnaswamy Anand Ganesh
I plan my day on the previous day itself. This takes not more than 10 mins and it's focussed on how i spend the first 2-3 hours of office time. After that is all unplanned