You haven’t started planning your day.
Maybe you’re waiting for the right tool, or the right system.
Nah, most are probably just being lazy.
I know I have been.
But I’ve also learned that you don’t need much to go through the process and reap the benefits.
You don’t need a fancy planner
I don’t care if you think you need an app or a great paper planner. You’re wrong.
You can plan your day with a blank sheet of paper or a note on your phone.
You could write your plan using your finger in the steam that builds up on your shower door. Trust me, that’s better than doing nothing at all.
Sure, good tools can help, but more often than not you’ll get too caught up in the tool and forget the purpose: ordering your mind.
You don’t need goals
You don’t need to have any big goals to plan your day.
If you haven’t been doing it, do it now.
As you grow to trust yourself with a day, you’ll feel more confident setting goals for the week or the month.
Without goals, though, you have lots of freedom when planning your day.
And you can take care of all the little things that create chaos in your life: bills, leaky faucets, cleaning your room.
You don’t need a long term plan
If you do have goals, you don’t need a long term plan to achieve them. At least not to plan your day.
Just pick one small activity that will move you closer.
Maybe that one thing is making a long term plan, but it probably isn’t. It certainly doesn’t need to be.
You don’t need a predictable schedule
Not sure what your day will look like? No worries.
Even doctors or engineers “on call” can plan their day.
Remember, the plan is not set in stone, nor is it a commitment.
Many days, my plans are just sets of tasks I’m going to do in groups, but I may take the groups in very different orders. For example, Saturday’s often include yardwork, time with family, work on my hobbies, and errands. They all go into the plan, and then I play it by ear as the day goes by.
You don’t need a calendar
Likewise, you don’t need a calendar.
I think people get the idea that your calendar IS your plan for the day. If anyone can send you a meeting invite, that just means you’ve given other people control over your time.
Obviously, if you have appointments or meetings that you set up previously, include those when you plan your day.
But make each one a deliberate choice. And if you say yes, but wish you didn’t have to, well, now you have something you can work towards on a larger time frame.
You don’t need a master task list
Trust me, the stuff that is important will make itself known.
And over time, you can nip stuff in the bud, if you’re thinking ahead. But the only people who can’t fill a day with stuff they already know needs to be done are still living at home with their parents.
So, what do you need?
Desire, five minutes, and a place to write it down.
Still have excuses? Let me know what they are.
All out of excuses? Go plan the day.