The key to having a productive and fulfilling day lies in planning your time according to your goals and recognizing what hours of the day you’re feeling your best. At these times you are able to do your best and most creative work or have your most focused study sessions.
Here's how to plan a productive day - let’s break it down to 3 steps.
Optimize for focused work
Everyone knows if they are a morning or a night person. If you are able to get into flow right after waking up, this is probably when you should be scheduling your most important tasks. On the other hand, if you know your focus peaks in the afternoon, you should plan accordingly.
Time-blocking
Staying on task is easier when you are doing one thing at a time. This is why you should split your day into blocks dedicated to one type of task. For example, if you’re a student, you may time-block a few hours for writing, an hour for reading, and a period for revision.
During these blocks of time, you will be focusing only on the given topics and it will be easier to optimize your schedule for focused work.
Time your sessions and take breaks
We often forget to schedule breaks and this tends to lead to burnout - fast. Make sure to time your focused sessions and take breaks every 30 minutes to an hour. This will make it easier to stay on task without wandering because you know that a break is coming.
Check out this Pomodoro Timer that you can use in your browser, or the Forest app for your phone.
While motivation seems to come and go, having a steady daily routine will help you stay focused on your goals.
Do you struggle to maintain a daily planner? Let me know in the comments which tip you should apply first!