When is the best time to plan your day? Well, everyone is different. Let's take a quick look at some of the different possible times:
1) Early morning before you go to work.
2) Lunch time
3) Mid-afternoon
4) End of the work day
5) At night just before you go to bed
I have prepared my daily plans during each of these times. Here has been my experience with each:
Morning
I have found the morning to be one of the least effective times to create my plan. Here's why:
1) When I get up in the morning, I want to get my day off to a quick start. If I take the time to plan in the morning, it seems to disrupt my momentum. I would rather review the plans I prepared the previous day instead. It's quick and keeps me focused on what I have chosen to do.
2) If I plan in the morning, I haven't been able to take full advantage of the sleeping hours when my subconscious mind is working on what I need to do the following day.
3) As part of my plan, I like to review the progress I made in the previous 24 hours. I find this is easier to do in the day the activity took place.
Lunch Time
This is my favorite time to plan. I find when I plan at lunch:
1) I already have a number of important tasks I can list as accomplishments.
2) It keeps me on track through the entire day. If I find that I have strayed from my original plans, I have a significant part of the day still remaining so I can take corrective action.
3) It frees up my evening for other things (e.g., family, friends, exercise, reading, relaxing, etc.)
4) My plan is ready to review before I go to bed so that my subconscious mind can start working on what I want to achieve the following day.
I also find that if I use my lunch time to plan, I'm much more consistent in preparing my plan every day. When I choose one of the other times, I find it's much easier to find reasons to skip preparing my plan.
Mid-afternoon
This is my second best choice for many of the same reasons listed for the "Lunch Time" block. I don't like it as much because it can eat into my productive time. But by doing my plan shortly after lunch, at least I still have some time to take corrective action if I need to.
End of the Work Day or Dinner time
By this time, the day is pretty well gone--unless I want to work towards my goals in the evening. I'd rather spend this time with my family and friends or just relax.
Before Bedtime
This is my second least favorite time. For one thing, I put out a lot of energy during the day. By the time I'm ready for bed, I'm ready for bed. I'd rather use this time for quickly reviewing my plan for the next day and just get to sleep so that I will have all the energy I need for the following day.
In order of preference, here are the times again:
1) Lunch time
2) Mid-afternoon
3) End of the work day or dinner time
4) Just before bedtime
5) Early morning before work
Of course, the most important thing is to actually plan out your day regardless of when you choose to do it. Experiment with different times and pick out the one that's best for you.
If you are interested in learning about the planning system that I have developed for myself (what I call my RAP--Results-focused, Action Plan), you can ready about it at http://www.poweraffirmations.com/rap.htm. It's a simple system you can use with any planner of your choice (or even just a notebook). You don't have to attend a seminar to learn how to use it. There's no audio program or thick book to study. The information is laid out on the page above. The information is free.
This is the one system I have used that allows me to stay focused on my desired results, measure my progress daily, and is quick. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to complete your RAP in 15-30 minutes.
Copyright (c) 2005 Bill Marshall - All rights reserved. Feel free to republish this article provided you include the copyright information and the weblinks where possible.
For practical self-improvement tips, visit http://www.poweraffirmations.com/rap.htm. Get my new free e-book, "Power Affirmations: Power Positive Conditioning for Your Subconscious Mind"
Ancona limousine airport .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareStill awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue),... Read More
Do you feel guilty about all the publications you purchase... Read More
"I find it interesting that the very cape I tried... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
Recently I was working with a new client who had... Read More
It's easy to waste time on things that seem urgent... Read More
Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
"If you control your time, you control your life" -... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More
In this fast and crazy world, we want to multi-task... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind... Read More
Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More
We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and sometimes... Read More
Does it ever feel like there is never enough time... Read More
If you're like most people, you want to get better... Read More
One of the most challenging situations people face when planning... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More
Buffalo Grove cheapest limo ..A working manager needs more than time management.That old saying,... Read More
It's been said, "That no one has enough time yet,... Read More
Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More
There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
One of the biggest problems most people have when it... Read More
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More
One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More
And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind... Read More
I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
How many of us are guilty of "Putting the cart... Read More
Time is our greatest and most precious asset. Time is... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
There are times, when I am driving in my car... Read More
Number Yourself: Count yourself as an important individual. You are... Read More
My job in Chicago began with three months of probation.I... Read More
OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More
As a small business owner, does the following paragraph sound... Read More
Most of us have a to-do list ? some of... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
Time Management |