How can you effectively plan your day and week for maximum productivity?

Very important to identify the no compromise list of things that are imperative to be done. How much ever we plan there will always be something which crops out of nowhere and takes up the much crucial work space. Hence the list of tasks that cannot be postponed. This should be revised every week to make sure the last on the list get to the top someday !!

If you think of your week as a flower arrangement, your first step would be to place the big, show-stopping flowers in the center and then arrange the supporting stems around them. Same idea here. Plan your week around your most important initiatives. I suggest having no more than three important tasks to execute on in any given week. The fewer things we give our full attention to, the more we accomplish. And, the more we achieve, the more momentum we feel. Of course, in addition to your major items will be more minor ones and those can be fit into your calendar around the larger projects and into smaller time slots. Flesh out the main projects by defining what is to be accomplished, what success looks like and the steps you will take.

You have 8 working hours and it is a do or die situation .. always remember to maximize instead of prioritize ... The more you maximize the more you earn from them.

True that the key objectives must be clear and well thought and documented. Finance leaders can be easily flown in flood of tasks if objectives and priorities are not set. Whenever anything comes up, just assess it with the objectives and figure out whether it is only you who can sort it out?

Creating a well-thought-out plan for managing your day is crucial for achieving productivity and success. -A plan acts as a roadmap, guiding you through the day and ensuring that you stay on track towards your goals. -It helps prioritize tasks and allocate time wisely, avoiding procrastination and focusing on tasks that have the greatest impact. -Additionally, a plan helps avoid overwhelm and reduces stress by breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, providing clarity and purpose in your work.

When something is not on your calendar, it's more likely that you won't do it for many reasons, the most obvious being that it's not top of mind. How easy is it to get through a day without exercising if you don't really want to? I suggest writing out everything that you need to do each week. Then characterize the activities and prioritize them. Which are most important? Can some be combined with each other? For example, you may see that you need to make phone calls to a vendor, to your colleague and to you doctor. It might make sense to batch those calls together and block time on your calendar for them. After you characterize and prioritize your tasks for the week, the final step is the most important - calendarize them!

Schedule 10 mins per day and 30 mins per week for planning. The 30 mins helps you to plan and prioritize the tasks in the coming week. The daily 10 minutes helps you to review, fine-tune and finalize your daily schedule. It helps you to be more effective. Build the habits and it will become a routine.

In my own journey, I've discovered that task batching and timeboxing my calendar are secret weapons in the battle for productivity. You don't need to aim for perfection. What truly matters is getting started and committing to refining your process. Picture this: with each small 1% tweak you make, your productivity gets a turbo boost. Enjoy the thrill of continuous improvement, and brace yourself for the astonishing results. You will unlock a level of productivity you didn't know existed!

Schedule time for strategic activities that contribute to your long-term goals. This could include planning, skill development, or relationship-building.

For individuals with a penchant for procrastination, effective task scheduling remains a key strategy for improving productivity. Breaking down larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks and establishing clear deadlines can provide a structured framework. Prioritizing these tasks based on impact and alignment with overarching goals enables a more strategic approach to scheduling. Acknowledging and addressing the underlying reasons for procrastination is essential. Recognizing tendencies toward perfectionism or a desire for optimal efficiency allows for targeted solutions. Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which breaks tasks into focused intervals, can mitigate the inclination to delay.

In this fast-paced global marketplace, flexibility and adaptability are vital skills within the workplace. While making a plan and working the plan are best practices in project management; the ability to pivot and (re)prioritize a new focus have become the vital skillset for achieving success. At the start of the workday, workweek or project, there should be a clear set of acceptable expectations for measuring success and/ or completion within a specific and realistic time period. Therefore, it is important to incorporate Deming’s plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle of continuous improvement to track the progression of (daily) tasks and emphasize the importance of thinking proactively for mitigation failure, non-compliance and adherence to plan

Be mindful of your energy levels throughout the week. Schedule more demanding tasks during periods when you are typically more alert and focused.

The next time you find yourself saying "it would be quicker to do it myself than to train someone else to do it," I invite you to do what I call "delegation math." Take the number of hours you spend doing that task each week and multiply it by the number of weeks you work. A 1-hour task performed every day, 49 weeks each year, will suck up 245 hours. Even if you spend 10 hours training someone to do it, you still net a whopping 235 more hours to be productive at a higher level. Same thing with automating tasks - create templates for emails you commonly send. I have a cancellation policy that I must gently remind clients of from time to time. I came up with a fine-tuned message and now have that ready to go if I need it. Make life easier!

Writing guides on your daily tasks to assist in delegation can be a huge help in training. It clarifies expectations, ensuring everyone's on the same page. Guides streamline processes, reducing confusion and boosting efficiency. It's a knowledge transfer—your insights become a team treasure map for success. Having the person you are training follow along and update the document can also help it stay up to date and teach them the task better, insuring interactive understanding.

Explore the tools which help you to automate. Develop your people so that you can delegate. AI or other tools definitely support you to increase your effectiveness and focus on doing high value tasks or activities. Without development, you couldn't delegate. Do not delegate when your people are not ready.

When it comes to working with superiors or the team in general, it’s important to set up individual performance management system. This could be done using a Google or Excel sheet, which should highlight goals, objectives within each goal, comments/expectations, and supervisors comment. Having such a system helps to fill up expectation gaps between yourself, team mates, and supervisors. At the end of the year or project, if you surpassed the written goals/objectives, you feel glad and confident, as the metric of comparison is with the expectations written down between both parties. This completely saves you from imposter syndrome or unnecessary competition.

It is important to recognize that saying "NO" can be a healthy and necessary part of life. While it may be difficult to turn down requests or invitations, it's crucial to understand that setting boundaries is an essential aspect of self-care. Failing to establish boundaries can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and an overwhelming workload. By learning to say "NO" when necessary, you are taking steps to protect yourself from these pressures, and ultimately promoting your own well-being. As such, I wholeheartedly agree that boundary-setting is a crucial skill that everyone should develop.

Don't forget to schedule short breaks during the day. Taking breaks can enhance productivity by preventing burnout and maintaining mental clarity.

Boundaries around work are healthy and necessary. It's not healthy to work or be reachable all the time. You need to be able to step away and take time for yourself. It's good to have the ability to say 'No'. When I've found myself with too much to do, I also would reach out to my manager to find out what could be de-prioritized or moved down the list of things to do. You don't have to do it alone.

It is always helpful to set your limitations and make them known... by blocking your calendar. Wether is be 'No-meeting' days, focus blockers or Catch-up Fridays. Firstly arrange them in your calendar with a defined set of goals of each blocked area. Set up notifications for Do not disturb or other communication preferences during this period, and automate the sessions that you have a timer and your weekly tasks present. The key to succeeding in this would be to communicate with your team and be transparent with colleagues.

Oftentimes, we're so focused on the outcomes that we fail to enjoy the journey. When you conduct your weekly or daily planning, don't forget set some time aside time for yourself! Maybe it's scheduling time for a walk, a workout, cooking a healthy meal, meditation, journaling, or reading a book. Whatever fulfills you, make the time for it. Don't get stuck sitting at your desk from 8am to 6pm without taking time for a break (you know who you are)!

This is definitely a drive for me this year and to get my team to practice self-care and mindfulness. Self-care is not selfish If we are not taking care of our selves, we will not be able to take care of others. It is that simple. In our busy schedules we must crave out time to focus. I have seen even our very computer system have programs to help us focus. I use Microsoft 365 and a tool called Viva to help with my schedules. Practicing self-care is essential for your mental health.

Love yourself so that you can love others. A. traditional Chinese concept that can be translated into English as "Self-cultivation, Family harmony, Ruling the nation, and Peace in the world.". The very first step is about the self. If you could manage well about yourself, you can manage more.

Es importante la programación de un día, sobre todo empezar por uno mismo. Agradecer siempre es una forma efectiva de comenzar una ma?ana, te llena de energía y vitalidad. El agradecimiento, de por sí, es un hábito que cultivado diariamente nos ayudará a sentirnos en calma y tranquilos de que las oportunidades llegarán sea el momento en el que nos encontremos .

One thing I have found helpful in the busy world of work, is learning to batch tasks. Picture this: rather than juggling lots of different tasks, you gather similar ones and do them at the same time. This smart approach has helped me manage my time better, make sharper decisions, and reduce stress. I've found using task batching as my secret weapon for successfully and effectively managing my tasks.

Does your workplace have a meeting policy/guide? If not set your own: - Types of meetings you should be included in - Contribution requirements - Notification period - Clear agenda

All these tips are great, but also accepting that it's not possible to get maximum productivity on every single day or every single week and not punishing yourself over it is super important to remember!

There are a few steps you can try to make more effective planning: The first step is to set goals and right after that you can write down all the tasks. Begin your day with goal-focused tasks and don't do ANY admin tasks until you have done your goal-focused tasks. Give each task a specific time slot. Write your daily to do list the night before! And last but not least try to stick to your plan.

One thing I have found useful is creating a to do list. I write it down. I plan my week on a note and put timelines to finish up the task. For some cases, I go as far as setting alarms to help me complete my task.