Don’t try to change your habits yet. The purpose of this step is just to give you an idea of how you’re using your time right now. Be honest with yourself about how you spend your time – you can always improve your habits later. Make a point to clarify the purpose of certain tasks. For example, you may spend two hours on the internet on both Monday and Tuesday. However, Monday’s time may be spent on Facebook and gaming sites, while Tuesday’s time is spent learning more about the skills you need to reach your goals. Include this in your tracker so that you get a better picture of how you’re using your time.
Take your personal goals into account, as well as external responsibilities like your career or your schoolwork. For example, your long-term goal might be to finish your degree, while your goals for today might be to attend class and finish writing a report.
For instance, you might find that you focus best in the morning, or you might only hit your stride when the sun is going down.
For example, you might realize that you procrastinate on the internet too much. To fix this, you could install an app that blocks distracting sites, or you could give yourself a shorter window for web-surfing every day.
Stay flexible. You may need to adjust your schedule in the future.
For example, you might be inspired by someone like Benjamin Franklin, who got up at five o’clock every morning to plan the day ahead. [7] X Research source
For example, you may decide to wash your dishes every other night in order to create time to complete a task needed to meet your goal. Ask yourself these questions: Is every task on my list urgent? Are the tasks on my list within my purview or do they belong elsewhere? Am I spending too much time on certain types of tasks? Are there tasks that I should delegate? Are all of these tasks really necessary to the overall outcome?
Be thoughtful about what you put on your to-do list. Only include tasks that matter to you and that you’re prepared to actually do. Group similar tasks together to maximize your to-do list. For example, consider combining your errands. Rather than running to the store for every little item, group errands together. Three to five items is a good length for a daily to-do list.
When you write your plan down, you won’t have to expend energy trying to remember it.
Obligations like classes and meetings might prevent you from working during your most productive time of day. If you can’t change your schedule, look for the second-best time of day to do your important work.
If you tend to get sidetracked, look for ways to block out distractions. Close your door, put on noise-canceling headphones, or go somewhere without Wi-Fi to get your work done.
For instance, you might want to create a new morning routine or a weekend meal prep routine. When you can do simple tasks on autopilot, you free your mind to focus on more challenging things.
Look over your schedule to make sure you have time. Ask yourself if the new addition is worth giving up something else.
For example, you could catch up with your family every day over dinner.
For instance, you could get up twenty minutes earlier every morning to meditate, or you could set aside Sunday evenings to work on a hobby.
