Are you being productive every day?

“Fail to plan, plan to fail” – as the old saying goes – this is very much true!

I like knowing what I have coming up in the next week. I also LOVE stationery. Being able to use something pretty like the planner in the above photo helps turn a routine task into something a lot less boring.

Stationery addiction aside – planning and organising my time allows me to not get overwhelmed by the things I need to get done.

Planning allows you to make time for the things that really matter. You get more time in your day to focus on the important things and in turn you will feel happier, even on a Sunday night!

Where do you start? If you are not in the habit of organising your week try the below:

Create regular slots during the week where you can sit down to review your planner to look at up-coming events. For me Sunday and Wednesday evenings work best as they are less hectic.

How do you plan when you have what feels like a never ending list of things that need to be done? Here’s how:

Step 1: Create a master to do list by taking a piece of paper and writing down everything you need to get done e.g book PT session, buy lunch ingredients and so on. I tend to do this on Sunday evenings before I wind down for bed. Remember this list isn’t to remind of you of what you haven’t done but simply to get all the tasks out of your head and allow you to organise yourself!

Step 2: – Using your master to do list, open your planner/calendar app and add the tasks into your day/week. I would add no more than 3 or 4 tasks per day unless you really need to do more. This will help you to simplify your day and make it more manageable. Next tick or cross things off the master list once you have added them into your day to day planner.

Step 3: – Make sure you check your calendar or planner in the morning to know what you need to get done. From here you can tick off things as you complete them or cross of things no longer needed.

Planning ahead is a habit that takes time at first but the main thing is to know what you need to get done and what is important to help you move forward.

Tips to get ahead:

· For monthly planning set aside a day or two in the last week of the month to look at the next month and prepare for events e.g birthdays, anniversaries and parties.

· Keep a yearly calendar for birthdays and make sure they are in your diary at the start of the year. Make sure to set reminders a week or two before to give you time to buy gifts or event plan.

· Want to minimise the time it takes to get ready in the morning? Pack your bag the night before. This eliminates morning stress and will set you up for the day. For example when I do an exercise class the next day I pack my bag the night before. It reduces the time it takes me to get ready and I have no excuse not to exercise!

Have a go and let me know how you get on.

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