Do You Plan Your Days?

[Jes]

Do you plan your days ahead of time? If so, in how much detail?

[XeutonMojukai]

I plan my day like this:

I realize I should do something, I make time for it, and I make a mental reminder (which I've trained to never fail).

But if I decide to do something random otherwise, I just do that.

I have an infinite progression of varied urgencies that is intuitive enough that I know what is changeable and what is not compared to a new possibility.

Other than that, every day of my life is free.

~ David

[Andrew Brunelle]

I really need to start doing this. If I just go on the fly, I tend to waste time. But if I have a plan to start out my day, I usually accomplish more. For me, the key to accomplishing more and having a productive day is waking up early, getting some exercise, and then relaxing for a bit, and then getting into my real "work." I just need to start a schedule. It will come with time. Going back to college will help me get back into the schedule thinking. Best of luck to you.

[oldbiker]

hello...
i think that planning my day is very important but i dont have effective ideas about that
i wish that somebody can give my some practical ideas

[Sam988]

I just plan it vaguely, mostly because i'm not a victim of lack of time yet; when i start something like a business that takes more of my time i'll start organizing it better.

[MadHyeNa]

Yes, but vaguely/more sporadically.

This is fantastic. The 4 quadrant time management grid is powerful. Use it.

[Trustme]

The benefit of planning the day is that it forces you to be realisitc with what can be achived. At least if you have a realistic approximation of the time that is needed to finish a task.

What's problematic is (at least for me) - if you have a strict timetable. How do you compensate when you get behind. Do you reprioritize or just move the tasks ahead back? That's what's keeping me from planning too much on a daily level. I haven't found a solution to this problem yet.

[MercuryLime]

I try to plan my day in 10-minute chunks. For every 10-minutes, I purposefully tell myself that I only have 10 minutes left to live, and I've got to get as much done as possible. If I live a life worth living, my life will be renewed for another 10 minutes.

But even without that induced scarcity, I've found it's so much more effective to plan my day (esp. in short, 10-min periods). I think it's a crutch, but it's still better than the alternative. Ideally, you wouldn't have to plan - you would just do what was most important - but at least in my life, I haven't demonstrated that ability yet.

[LifeFirst]

Yes, I have specific tasks that I want to get done during a day...sometimes I get them done...sometimes I don't. That's just the way it is.

[openeyes]

I make a point of cutting out whatever isn't particularly enjoyable or bringing me closer to my goals, and as a result have a fair amount of free time most days, usually only needing to plan on accomplishing 1-3 things per day (whether it's a 65+ mile bike ride, a few hours with friends, or going through a speed reading lesson), leaving the rest wide open for whatever pops up. Triage can be an important skill in time management.

[Shamou]

I do little day planning... except for a list of "Things to do today..."

However, I did carefully define what my values are... so, whenever a decision as to what to do with my time comes up... my values (and priorities) automatically direct me to the most productive and appropriate path...
.

[Peter S C]

I like to spend some time in the morning thinking about the day ahead. Typically I will have a few appointments or tasks that have to be done that day. I'll also have a few things I want to do, but which I won't lose sleep over if I don't get them. So yes I have a plan, but it is not particularly detailed - I would feel too suffocated if that were the case.