How to design your day and boost your productivity -

How to design your day and boost your productivity

Posted on 2 November, 2021 by Lyndsey Segal in Business Coaching

Do you find there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything on your to-do list done and run your business?

We all have the same 24 hours in the day in the day but how we spend them is key to managing our workload and maximizing our productivity.

Knowing how to design your day will help you to be proactive, intentional and focused with your time so you can achieve more and have time for what matters most.

“Success is the product of daily habits – not once-in-a-lifetime transformations”
James Clear, Entrepreneur and Author

Here are some top tips to help you design your day with both productivity and wellbeing in mind:

Start the day with 1 high priority goal

Ask yourself ‘what is going to be the highlight of my day?’ and write it down.

Choose the most urgent thing especially if you are time-sensitive (what needs to be done) but also most satisfying (what you want to get done).

Practise time blocking

Time blocking is the practice of planning your day in advance hour by hour, batching similar tasks together. It’s like creating a specific to-do list but knowing what you’re going to do, when you’re going to do it and for how long.

Prioritise your tasks

The reality is we’re not going to be productive all day every day so prioritising our tasks will ensure our high priority tasks gets done.

Prioritise tasks based on urgency (due date/time) and importance (linked to your goals).

Embrace your power hours

Knowing when you work best is one of the most effective ways to supercharge your productivity. Use your peak times of productivity (based on your energy and attention levels) for your deep, focused work. Eliminate interruptions and distractions during these times.

Schedule breaks

Breaks help to:

*restore focus and motivation

*consolidate memory and learning

*boost creativity and productivity

Aim to get away from your desk for a few minutes every hour. Stand up and stretch, look outside the window, have a drink, grab a snack, play with a pet.

A walk or other forms of exercise during the working day can be re-energising and help to manage stress.

Review your day

At the end of your day, review your task list, email and meetings. Celebrate your successes and plan the following day.

Ask yourself ‘What are the highest priority items that need my attention tomorrow?’

This will help you to plan and design the next day with clarity and focus and will help to prevent procrastination.

The success of tomorrow begins with the planning of today.

I hope these tools, tips and techniques will help you design or redesign your day and maximise your productivity.