Planning
Good planning is the first and most essential step to ensuring a productive, successful, and good day. A well-planned day reduces stress, as you don’t have to be worried about not accomplishing tasks.
Creating an effective schedule is like putting together a favorite recipe. There are certain ingredients, or elements, that go into an effective plan. As with some recipes, there is room for flexibility. Components can be changed or adapted based on individual needs. The key to an effective schedule is structure and flexibility.
Breaking down your day into a timeline of the tasks you want and need to complete can make your day feel more manageable, increase your productivity in tackling your responsibilities, and ensure you have time to do the things you enjoy.
Everyone deserves to engage in free-choice, unstructured activities. Having a structured day will assist in getting your daily responsibilities done, leaving you essential time to unwind and choose enjoyable activities on your own or with friends and family.
The key is that you must plan and execute the tasks independently. Without these two essential factors, one cannot function independently.
How Do You Plan Anything?
Although the specific steps differ slightly from person to person and depend on the type of plan you're creating, there are general steps to ensure a good result. The steps in the planning process are:
- Develop objectives
To plan anything, you must determine what you want to accomplish during a period (a day, a week, the next few hours). A long-term strategic plan might focus on broad achievements that require many steps and skills to accomplish, while a plan for the day might target trying a new method of tracking your hydration or ensuring you get housework done.
- Develop tasks to meet those objectives
Once you have an objective in mind, you must develop a list of required tasks to meet that objective. If you want to ensure you get housework done, what steps are needed? You MUST keep in mind your deficits and make sure you incorporate measures to compensate.
- Create a timeline
What order makes the most sense for accomplishing the tasks? If you don't organize the steps in an order that will lead to the outcome you desire, you can't possibly achieve that outcome.
- Determine tracking and assessment method
How are you going to know if you're keeping on track? How will you remember that you are even trying to meet an objective? This will vary depending on your needs and abilities.
Day Planner
An External Aid for Memory and Executive Function
Notice how the planner has specific sections to help you plan your major needs.
What You Should Put In Your Planner
This is an example of what your planner should look like.