How should you plan your day at work?
If you’ve ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day and you’re always playing catch-up with your to-do list, worry not.
You’re not alone.
The demands of today’s work environment has made it easy for many of us to feel overwhelmed with our daily tasks.
The good news is that with a little solid planning, you can increase your productivity, decrease your stress levels, and achieve better results.
In this article, we’ll explore how you can organize your workday for maximum productivity.
Let’s start.
The Best Ways to Plan Your Day Ahead
1. Clean your workspace
Maintaining a clean workstation is a great way to organize your day.
After all, a cluttered work environment can cause distractions and make it harder to do deep work.
To create a spotless space for work, set aside time to clear your desk of all items you don’t need.
Consider purchasing storage solutions, like file organizers or drawers, and regularly clean your workstation.
By keeping an organized workspace, you can create a more pleasant working environment and take your work to the next level.
2. Make your day actionable by writing a task list
Starting your day with an action plan allows you to set yourself up for success.
When you write down your workload—whether with a pen and paper or digital tools—you can get a better sense of time management, which you can then use to cater to all your priority tasks.
This way, not only can you better plan your day, but you’ll also be able to focus on your quality of work and get things done.
To create your daily plan, write down anything in your planner that will give you a sense of accomplishment.
Stay on top of them by categorizing them into urgent and priority tasks.
Doing this will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed for the rest of your day.
Just make sure to keep your daily planner up to date so you can maximize your personal productivity.
3. Make sure to include time blocking in your daily activities and stick to it
One of the simplest yet most effective time management skills you’ll ever learn is establishing a scheduled plan for the day and adhering to the blocks of time you’ve set.
This is especially important if you need to complete a lot of things on your plate.
By dedicating specific periods of time to particular activities, you can prioritize all the work that needs to get done and manage your workload efficiently.
4. Limit multitasking
Multitasking is a method where you’re getting multiple things done at once.
An example of this is when you’re checking your email while on a conference call or editing a document while watching a video.
While this strategy may appear effective, it’s actually counterintuitive.
In fact, research indicates multitasking can reduce productivity and increase stress levels.
So, instead of multitasking, why not focus on a single task at hand and offer it your undivided attention?
This will enable you to complete tasks more efficiently and effectively.
5. Use project management tools
There are numerous to-do list apps today that make prioritizing and scheduling your daily routine much more favorable for your work-life balance.
Examples of tools that you can use include Orrderly, Todoist, Google Calendar, and time tracking apps.
Not only do these tools help you create a clear plan for your week as a whole, but you can also track your progress and streamline your workflow.
6. Take action, rest, and reward yourself
While learning how to plan your day according to effective work habits is essential, it is equally important to take breaks, recharge, and give yourself a reward every now and then.
This may include scheduling a lengthy break for exercise or taking time off during the week to spend precious time with yourself or loved ones.
This allows you to take care of your health so you can cultivate a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that supports your overall well-being.
Avoid Stress and Increase Your Productive Days Using These 6 Planning Methods
1. Pomodoro Technique
If you’re struggling to finish a specific task quickly, Pomodoro is a method that may help.
It’s a technique that divides your workday into 25-minute intervals with brief breaks so that you can maintain your concentration on tasks that need your intense attention.
It’s a method that suits people who are so used to deep work that they need a notification to ring every hour or a few minutes, depending on the settings that work for them.
2. Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix is a productivity strategy where you categorize tasks and get them done based on their order of importance and urgency.
There are four categories:
- Important and urgent tasks (under the first quadrant),
- Important but not urgent tasks (under the second quadrant),
- Urgent but not important tasks (under the third quadrant), and
- Neither urgent nor important tasks (under the fourth quadrant).
Tasks in Quadrant 1 are those that you have to do as soon as possible since they have clear and immediate consequences.
Quadrant 2 tasks, on the other hand, are those that you can tackle as soon as you get the first quadrant tasks done.
Meanwhile, Quadrant 3 tasks usually don’t have a significant impact on your long-term goals, so it’s better to delegate them.
As for Quadrant 4, it typically consists of tasks that serve as mere distractions, so I suggest that you remove from your plate those tasks that fall under this segment.
3. Eat the Frog
Another way to start the week effectively is when you’re planning to go about your tasks using the Eat the Frog technique.
It’s a method where you zero in on the tasks that you need to finish but least want to do.
By completing these tasks right off the bat, you’ll get over the harder part of your day or week, thus allowing you to create momentum for the rest of your day.
4. The 80/20 Rule
Also known as the Pareto Principle, the 80/20 Rule states that only 20% of your efforts yield 80% of your results.
Therefore, making 80/20 planning a habit means that you can break large tasks into different categories: tasks that contribute to the results that you want to achieve, and tasks that don’t.
Once you have identified what these goal-achieving tasks are, you’ll be able to set more achievable goals in your personal or professional lives and accomplish them.
5. SMART Goals
SMART is a mnemonic that stands for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
This type of planning can help you stay focused on the things that will make you feel like you’re moving towards bigger goals.
6. ABC Method
The ABC method is pretty easy. It simply involves assigning a priority to each task on your to-do list, with “A” being the highest priority and “C” being the lowest.
This approach lets you plan the next tasks to tackle and save time every day trying to rack your brains about what to do next.
Important Things to Consider When Planning Your Work Day
Here are some simple tips to consider:
1. You need to assess your workload
It’s only human to feel pressured when you’re juggling plenty of projects at once.
So, if you find yourself in this situation, try looking at all the things on your plate.
Which of them should be your priority? How long do you think it’ll take to finish each of them?
What level of energy and type of resources do you need to complete them?
Taking these questions into consideration will make it easier for you to organize your workday more productively.
2. It doesn’t hurt to prepare for the unexpected
Regardless of our best intentions, emergencies may happen that may set us back to day one in our calendar apps.
Because of this, this tip is one that makes it vital for you to have a plan in place for unexpected situations.
By preparing for the unexpected, you’ll feel ready to face whatever may arise head-on without letting it impact the routine you’ve set.
Final Thoughts on Planning Your Day at Work Using Orrderly
A productive workday starts with careful preparation and good planning.
Luckily, Orrderrly is here to help you.
With this cloud-based project management tool, you’ll be able to build a more efficient workflow and make your tasks more manageable.
Sign up for a free account with this simple task management app now so you can better take charge of your day.