Creating a daily schedule is a valuable tool for productivity and time management. Learn how to create a daily schedule that includes a P.O.W.E.R. hour for the ultimate level of productivity!
You know this scenario: you wake up, get dressed, quickly sketch out a to-do list, start working through your list , and then BAM!- chaos ensues and nothing goes as planned. You get nothing of importance completed and you feel totally defeated (and exhausted) by the end of the day. What happened? How did everything get so off track?
While there will always be days that are crazy, you can often eliminate some of the overwhelm or disorganization with proper planning and scheduling. To be highly productive and proactively minimize as much chaos as possible, you need to have a daily schedule. Your schedule is most effective when you plan it the night before and then review it first thing in the morning.
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How do you schedule?
Those answers vary and can only be answered by you. Some people prefer block scheduling, where they block out sections of time for specific tasks. Others prefer to schedule every little thing hour by hour. Play around with your scheduling options and see what method works best for you. I personally schedule in specific appointments and then block out 90-minute sections of time for specific tasks.
Life happens and I like to try to schedule in a buffer each day to help me adjust to unexpected changes as they arise. I usually add padding after blocks scheduled for a big task or if I think an appointment may take longer than anticipated.
what does a DAILY schedule need to have on it?
People vary in what they want or need on their daily schedule. I believe a good, basic schedule includes the following things: daily appointments, top 5 tasks you need to get done, 1-2 tasks related to a big goal and a scheduled P.O.W.E.R. hour. I created a daily schedule that includes all of those items plus a project area, meal plan and gratitude section.
A DAILY schedule that works
As a mom who is obsessed with planning and goal setting, I like to use a system I created called P.O.W.E.R. Hour and my Daily Schedule Template. You can easily carry the paper schedule with you to keep you focused on several key areas.
Start with a weekly brainstorming session and list out all of the tasks and projects you need to complete that week. Then rank those tasks in order of importance and use that list each day to create your daily schedule.
Components of the Daily Schedule TEMPLATE
MOST IMPORTANT BLOCKS: 1-3
Block #1- P.O.W.E.R. Hour Time & Tasks: This section focuses on your P.O.W.E.R. hour. Schedule a total of one hour each day to work on P.O.W.E.R. tasks. It is important for you to physically schedule that hour into your day and not miss that appointment with yourself. (You can learn more about P.O.W.E.R. hour here). Most of the time, the P.O.W.E.R. hour is used for cleaning, organizing and planning tasks.
Block #2- Big Goal: This block is dedicated for your big goal for the year. (I write my big goal and my monthly version of my big goal in this block.) This block reminds you that your daily tasks are leading you closer to your big goal.
Block # 3- Big Goal Tasks: These are today’s daily tasks that you must do in order to achieve your weekly and monthly goals designed to help you achieve your big goal. For example, if your goal was to lose 60 pounds in a year, then you would need to lose 5 pounds each month and 1-1.5 pounds weekly.
Your Big Goal Tasks for that day would directly relate to that 1-1.5 weekly weight loss goal, tasks such as exercise 1 hour, drink 8 glasses of water, eat only 1500 calories, etc. Try not to have more than 2 Big Goal Tasks. More than that can get overwhelming and also stop you from doing other important tasks like your Top Tasks or P.O.W.E.R. Hour. Balance is key!
VERY IMPORTANT BLOCKS: 4-5
Block # 4- Top Tasks: The items in this block come directly from your brainstorming session. The Top Tasks that you prioritized on that list should be in this box in order of rank. Work your way down the list. If you don’t get them all completed (which is normal) then put them on tomorrow’s schedule.
Many times your top tasks are tasks that can be completed during your POWER Pockets™ time throughout your day. Not only do you get your top tasks completed, the time you spent doing them during your POWER Pockets™ counts towards your one hour of P.OW.E.R.!
Block #5- Actual Schedule: This is your hourly schedule. Insert big goal tasks, appointments, meetings, work (your 8-5 job), P.O.W.E.R. hour (and/or POWER Pockets™) and family time first. Then, schedule blocks of time for Top Tasks and Project Tasks (in that specific order). If your day does not allow for everything (and it probably won’t), make sure to at least get your P.O.W.E.R. Hour, Big Goal Tasks and as many Top tasks as possible. Project Tasks are always bumped first. Be sure you get your most important tasks and big goal tasks accomplished first because those are the tasks that will change your life!
LESS IMPORTANT BLOCKS: 6-8
Block #6- Project Ideas & Plans: This block is utilized if you have a big project to work on- like cleaning out your closet. I suggest creating a plan to breakdown the project into smaller, easier tasks. Some weeks, you’ll have projects and other weeks you won’t. If you don’t have one planned that week, use that space for notes.
Block #7- Meal Plan: Meals planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Block #8- Thankful For: This block is for daily gratitude. It helps you remember all that you have and all that you are thankful for. It is nice to reflect on something good for a few minutes each day.
Get Started!
That’s it! I know that was a lot of information, but it’s pretty simple, right? There are a lot of lines on this schedule, but it is intended to simplify your day, help you prioritize what is most important and be a valuable productivity tool to help you achieve your goals. Planning and scheduling are imperative to productivity. We all have a schedule, but one that keeps you focused on your big goals and dreams is important! This kind of schedule helps you prioritize your tasks before and after work and schedule in family time. It is a schedule designed to keep you balanced and create the life you have always dreamed of.
START SMALL!
This schedule has a lot of information to digest. If scheduling and planning is new to you, start small. First, start by writing down your daily appointments and add a 10-minute tidy-up into your schedule. Second, write down 1-3 tasks or errands that you need to complete. (I suggest using POWER Pockets™ to complete those tasks). Third, as you get more comfortable working off a schedule, add more of the areas on the daily schedule template like adding a full P.O.W.E.R. hour and a big goal for the year. Gradually work your way up to using most of the areas on the daily schedule. The goal is to help eliminate your overwhelm- not create more!
You’ve Got This!
Remember, planning and scheduling can be daunting sometimes. Life happens and sometimes our schedules go right out the window. It is okay. Keep trying. Each day, it will get easier to find your groove and what works best for you. You don’t have to use each block or even this system. I just encourage you to find a daily schedule that keeps you focused on big goals, works well for you and is something you can stick with.
