How to Plan Your Day to Maximize Productivity

 

 

Today, I’m going to show you how I plan out my day to maximize productivity + Freebie included!

 

HHave you ever taken the time out to make a to-do list… only to find out at the end of the day, you’ve got nothing on that list done?

 

DDo you feel that most of your day is spent doing less of what you WANT to do and more of what you HAVE to do?

 

AAre you one of those people who “don’t have enough time” to spend on your passion or with God because of your work, life, or family responsibilities?

 

What if I told you that you could get it all done in a day?

 

You see, it’s not that there is a lack of time. Everyone gets the same 24 hours.

Really, the key problem is that there is a

(a) lack of priorities 

(b) lack of discipline.

 

To develop a discipline for productivity, it’s going to require something from you.

 

So, if you’re willing to put in the work, let’s get started!

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This blog was inspired by Jordan Fun Page’s post on how she uses block time to plan out her day! You can view the video here! 

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FIRST, Download my freebie here below to get started!

DAILY PLANNING SHEET (pdf doc)

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Here’s a rough draft example of how I set up my day. Generally, it’s a little more detailed, but this gives you an idea of how you will complete the worksheet.

So get your paper and your pen, & LET’S GET STARTED! 

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First, you have the NIGHT BLOCK.

Any productivity guru will tell you that a productive day requires a productive night-before.

You can wake up as early as 3am, but if you don’t take time out the night before to plan out your day, you’ll still wake up with no focus or direction for the day.

So, your day does not start the day of.

Your day starts the night before.

 

So, you’ll first want to plan out your day the night before

NIGHT TIME BLOCK

FOCUS: _____

TIME :______

Tasks: _________

EXAMPLE:  NIGHT TIME  BLOCK

FOCUS: PLANNING

TIME : (9pm-11pm)

Tasks:

• Plan out your clothes, food, etc for the following day
• Set your top 3 goals/priorities  for the next day
• Jesus time
• Journal/Read/RELAX

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Next, you have your morning block.

This will consist of everything you have to do before your main events of the day (i.e. Work, Class, etc.)

Now, for some of you, I know you like to sleep in as late as possible (myself included)

But, if you can commit to a morning routine, the rest of your day will go by much more smoothly.

When you don’t have a morning routine you feel rushed, depleted, and then you get home in the afternoon with an never-ending task list to complete.

Your morning routine literally sets the pace for the remainder of the day.

So, try to get up early and make your morning a productive one!

For those of you that already get up early for work, then you’ll need to swap and commit to a productive afternoon routine.

The point is to set a routine and stick to it. No matter if it’s 30 minutes or 3 hours.

MORNING BLOCK # 1 :

FOCUS: ______   

TIME: ___ AM – ___ AM

Tasks: __________

EXAMPLE: MORNING BLOCK # 1  

FOCUS: ME TIME & AM routine  

TIME: 6:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Tasks:

• Wake Up
• Meditation/Devo
• Journaling/Morning thoughts
• Tea/Coffee
• Workout
• Get dressed
• Cook/Eat breakfast
• Morning commute to work/class

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So, again, during these times, you ONLY work on these allotted tasks.

Please note, I do not have answering emails, scrolling through social media, or talking on the phone during this time. So, that means that it’s not allowed during this block.

It’s OK to have downtime, but make sure you’re SCHEDULING downtime.  

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Next, we’re going to work on our AM WORK block.

For some of you, this may be Morning SCHOOL block.

Regardless, this will be the AM block for your main day event.

It’s my personal tip to ALWAYS DO THE HARDEST TASKS first! Get them out of the way before that afternoon slug hits.

AM WORK BLOCK # 1

FOCUS: ______   

TIME: ___ AM – ___ AM

TASKS:

Example: AM Work BLOCK # 1

FOCUS: WORK/SCHOOL  

TIME:  8:00AM – 12:00PM

Tasks:

• Hardest tasks for the day
• Class
• Answer/Respond/Write EMAILS
• Meetings
• Create

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Next, you have your LUNCH BLOCK.

Depending on your responsibilities, this can either be a DOWNTIME block or a work block. This is a great work block opportunity for those who want to work more on other passions. I personally use this time to work on The Rough Draft and my personal consulting site. But, you can also use this time to socialize, be on social media, etc.

LUNCH BLOCK

FOCUS: _____  

TIME: ___ AM – ___ PM

Tasks:

Example: LUNCH BLOCK

FOCUS: DOWNTIME  

TIME: 12:00PM – 1:00 PM

Tasks:

• Eat lunch
• Make phone calls – personal
• Social media time
• Respond to texts

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Next, you have your PM WORK BLOCK.

Now that you’ve gotten all of the hard stuff done in your AM work block, you can kind of relax a little in the afternoon (if possible).  But, you’ve just eaten lunch, and you’re probably ready to go home. So, take this time to do the less stressful tasks if your schedule permits.

PM WORK BLOCK

FOCUS: ______  

TIME: ___ PM – ___ PM

   Tasks:

EXAMPLE: PM WORK BLOCK

FOCUS: Work and Planning 

TIME: 1 PM – 4 PM

Tasks:

• Less stressful tasks
• Study
• Commute back home

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Next is the AFTERNOON  or Early Evening BLOCK.

Now, this block may vary. This block will include wrapping up your day, going back home, getting ready for dinner, cooking, grocery shopping, etc. This will mainly include the tasks you need to do before you “get back to work”. For some of you, you may want to relax after coming home. This may be downtime for some of you. Whatever works!

Just make sure you set your tasks and stick to them. Nothing more, nothing less.

AFTERNOON BLOCK

FOCUS: _____  

TIME: ___ PM – ____ PM

Tasks:

EXAMPLE: AFTERNOON BLOCK

FOCUS: Home duties 

TIME: 4 PM – 6 PM

Tasks:

• Commute home
• Workout
• Grocery Shop/Cook/Dinner
• Social Media
• Shower/Bath/Glass of wine
• Journal about your day

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Then, we have our EVENING BLOCK

Now, I know you may be tired from a long day at work or school…

but really this next block is really what separates people from surviving to thriving.

For some of you, this may seem like free time, but really it shouldn’t be. Use this time to either work or serve others with your time.

Don’t just get on the couch and watch TV. Try taking a new class. Try working on your passion. Go have dinner with someone. Get involved with an organization in your community.

This block is what separates you from pursuing your passion to just “working and coming home”.

So, for those of you that say “I don’t have time to do xyz, this is your block time to start working on it.”

Now again, this block time may not be 6pm-9pm for you.

The goal is to set aside 2-3 hours a day for your productivity or “pursue your passion” block.

 

EVENING BLOCK

FOCUS:  

TIME: ___ PM – ____ PM

TASKS:

EXAMPLE: EVENING BLOCK

FOCUS:  SIDE BUSINESS &/or SOCIAL

TIME: 6 PM – 9PM

TASKS:

• Work on side hustle/passion
  Learn something new/Take a new class
  Study
• If social: small group, church, dinner with friends, attend organization meetings

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THEN, YOU DO YOUR NIGHTTIME ROUTINE that we already mentioned & REPEAT!

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& there you have it!

A day filled with productivity!

Where you worked hard, but you also got to have some downtime!

 

The point is to take out time for both WORK & PLAY.

The work will never stop.

So be sure you’re finding a healthy balance between both WORK + LIFE

 

Again, THIS is just AN example. You will need to adjust this based on your schedule and needs.

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Be sure to go check out Jordan’s video on this block time concept!  You can view the video here! 

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Until next time!