How to Plan a Day: Productivity and Time Management Tips

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Being productive is essential, as it means you achieve more every single day. A productive person can complete more tasks than an unproductive one, moving you one step closer to achieving your long-term goals. 

Learning how to plan a day is a fundamental aspect of being productive. You should know what needs to be done and when. It lets you create a manageable schedule where you avoid wasting time. Sadly, few people know how to plan a day and be more productive. So, here are some simple steps to follow:

Review what is on your list tomorrow

Planning a day begins the night before with a review of your to-do list. Look at what tasks you must complete, then order them based on importance. From here, you can arrange a schedule that deals with the high-priority tasks before the lower priority ones. 

It’s common to do this in the morning rather than the night before. However, this is a mistake, as you waste valuable time in the morning. Do it before going to bed at night, providing a clear structure for the following day. 

Jot down what you want to do tomorrow

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. When you’re aware of the main tasks for tomorrow, jot down what you will do to achieve them. In essence, you’re making a more refined to-do list that breaks things down and gives you a set of small goals to achieve. 

As an example, let’s say your list for tomorrow states that you need to follow up on your leads. That’s a pretty general thing to do. So, jot down what you will do to achieve this: What methods of communication will you use? Which leads will you contact first? What are your aims? As a consequence, you’ll see your day slowly start to take shape and have a more productive schedule. 

Which long-term projects will you work on tomorrow?

While short-term projects will consume a lot of your day, you should always make room for long-term ones. This allows you to chip away at long-term projects day by day. It’s a mistake not to plan for the future every single day. You need to set aside some time to work on your future projects, or else you’ll never achieve them. 

Every night, decide which long-term projects will get your attention tomorrow. Then, fit them into your schedule. This is a low-priority task as you’re dealing with a long-term thing. So, it should come after your short-term assignments have been taken care of. 

Imagine a successful day.

Visualization is a powerful productivity tool. Think about what you need to do tomorrow for it to be a successful day. This is one of the best ways of understanding how your day should shape up. In essence, you figure out what goals should be met for success to be achieved. For example, you imagine a day where you make 50 sales. This gives you a clear target to aim for, and you can build your day around achieving this. 

Don’t make the mistake of imagining an unrealistically successful day. Is it possible to make one million sales and generate a profit of $10,000 in one day? For most people, it isn’t. Visualize your success, but be realistic with it, or else you’ll achieve nothing. 

Get plenty of sleep

Sleep helps your body relax and feel energized for the day ahead. Always set yourself a bedtime every single night. Try and stick to the same time each night, allowing your body clock to settle. Ensure you’re getting at least eight hours a night as well; this is vital for your overall health. 

Getting plenty of sleep can help you avoid extra stress as well. In turn, this makes you feel more energized every morning, allowing for a more productive day. You also give yourself a set time to wake up, ensuring that you make the most of the hours ahead of you. 

Eat healthily

Always be sure you plan to eat healthily every day. A common mistake is not to give yourself time to eat. As such, you opt for the fastest option in the small window of time you give yourself. In turn, this leads to eating bad foods that aren’t good for your health. 

Instead, make your lunch the night before. This gives you quick access to food, but it also provides you with healthy food that fuels your brain. Eating good food supplies you with more energy, allowing you to feel focused. You should eat lots of protein and fiber as these nutrients fill you up. Therefore, you don’t get those distracting hunger pains all throughout the day, allowing for more focus. 

Related: What Magic Mind does

Exercise

Similarly, set time aside every day to exercise. Make this a priority, as it is so beneficial for your physical and mental health. Exercise makes you feel happier and gives you a boost of energy. At lunch or before going to work, half an hour of exercise is all it takes to yield the benefits. 

If you’re consistently inactive, you start feeling stressed and in pain. Your body gets sore from sitting in a chair all day, and your mind begins to wander. Exercise provides some relief from your work schedule, almost like giving your body and mind the jolt it needs to find focus. 

Try a productivity drink.

Finally, you can add a daily productivity drink to your schedule. Substitute your morning coffee for something like Magic Mind. This productivity drink is full of ingredients designed to stimulate your brain and enhance concentration and cognitive activity. With its help, you can manage your time a lot better by feeling like you can concentrate on tasks and avoid distractions for longer. 

The chances are, you will fill yourself with sugar drinks or caffeinated beverages for energy. Unfortunately, these don’t last long and add very little to your day. A productivity drink can give you some much-needed energy alongside other brain-boosting benefits. 

To conclude, planning your day helps you manage your time more efficiently. Pay attention to the advice listed above, as it will help you add more structure to all of your days. As a result, you will get more work done and spend less time distracted by little things of no significance. 

Are you Looking for ways to increase your productivity? Magic Mind shares great insights on mental sharpening and offers the world's first Productivity Drink to help.