Let me save you time by giving you what I learned about planning properly that will help you immensely if you start applying it.

When you want /have to do a lot of things in life but you seem can’t find the time.

You start looking for ways to do that. That is when you stumble into the

productivity world to maximize and get things done whether that started when you’re at school or work.

And when you get into business productivity becomes so relevant and important.

because there’s so much you need to do with the limited time that we all have.

and becoming productive starts with planning.

You can’t be productive /get things done without a plan and goal.

Planning is the first step after knowing where you’re going (i.e. goal)then comes action(i.e getting into the car and driving)

as you take action to boost your productivity and how to get there.

I dreamed for so long and didn’t know what to do to get to those dreams.

that’s when I looked at how to do that which lead me to set goals, plan…etc

My Journey To Proper Planning Didn’t Happen overnight but It Took Years

And I Am Still Working On Getting Better At It

I started like many of you using a paper calendar, a to-do list and a wall calendar that’s it for so long.

My to-do list techniques varied as I kept trying to make it better to get the things I want to be done.

it helped of course but

I was frustrated by how much I wasn’t getting done.

First, I started to just throw a bunch of stuff on it

then I categorised and tried adding how long a task would take

(i.e the period of time in which I can get the task done in it).

Prioritize It, after that I tried the 3 tasks method, …

in hindsight, I can see the many problems it caused me

A to-do list can be useful but when it comes to planning it can trigger your perfectionism tendencies +

plus you can easily choose the non-needle mover tasks first

and that leads you to the end of the day without actually getting what matters done.

it can trigger all or nothing( wanting to do it all),

after I fed up with it

I started getting into using a calendar/time blocking but I was approaching it in a way that made it harder on myself

for instance,

if unexpected distractions from others or myself occur and I wasn’t able to avoid them or deal with them and get back to work

I get frustrated because in my mind things should go well and as planned because it can’t be any other way which means in my dictionary I’ve failed

>>>

feel unmotivated I start thinking that (things ruined, what’s the point I’ll skip this week start fresh next Monday)

when I look back at it, there are two reasons

1- is that I was in an“all or nothing” mentality toward planning .so rigid I either do it as planned at the exact time or I need to start over

2-subconsciously, I didn’t trust myself that I always Felt What I Am Doing Is Wrong Because I Wasn’t Going Anywhere or as fast as I want,

therefore,

I need someone to spell everything for me, to tell me what I need to do because I’m used to listening to everybody except myself

(not understanding that what makes something(method, tool, principle..etc) work is my brain)****

which led me to go back & forth between a to-do list and scheduling.

when I get frustrated with one I get back to the other

( search for ways to be productive, plan then find people talking about using time blocking.

I made so many mistakes when it comes to planning that lead me

>>>

to be on my own way and not get things done 

Here are some of these mistakes 

 1-Scheduled only biz stuff

2-not adding rest to your schedule who needs it, right???!!!

3-getting back into using a to-do list when things don’t work out as planned

4-planning too much and stuffing my calendar

5-abandon the calendar/plans if “mess something” and wait for next Monday to start fresh

6-skipping weekly reviews because the week didn’t go as planned

7-feeling resistant to reviewing and planning and making it a big deal and waiting for it to go before you do

and so many more

I was in my own way.

I barely was doing what I really want/everything I want

until I started to plan probably 

Things changed and I started to get things done compared to what I used to do which was nothing much. 

let’s dive into how to plan properly!!

here’s exactly WHAT I do to plan probably that you can do too to uplevel your planning, therefore, your productivity  subsequently >>> you’re getting things done cabaplitlity

how to plan properly

a reminder: the best method in the world won’t help you if you don’t take into consideration your human nature + mindset

here are the deets

1-set a goal for the year then milestones for the quarters then goals for the months

2-stop using a to-do list for planning & switch to a calendar altogether

3-Plan Macro To Micro. Get More Detailed As You Go Down

>>>>

Expand On Planning As Follows Quarterly, Monthly Then Weekly(Go From Big To Small).

Braindump What you Need To Get Done On Paper

>>>

Then Choose What Is Really Important That I Need To Do And Schedule It 

As For The Monthly And Quarterly Just Write Goals & Bigger Tasks ( You Don’t Need To Make It Complicated By Trying To Write Everything Just Write What Comes to You)

In The Weekly Planning Where You Exactly When To Do Them & Make Them Into Smaller Tasks.

4-time blocking/scheduling with flexibility 

meaning don’t be rigid with your plans. move things around in your calendar

as the day goes on and makes changes as you see fit when at the moment each day as you learn and make plans

5-when planning takes into consideration other things that happen in life

eg. your job, your family, your downtime, your hobby time…etc.

6-being open to making changes to your schedule

and adjusting instead of throwing the towel

7-Categories Your Tasks Into Important, Urgent, Unimportant, Quick, And Long Tasks

so, it becomes easy to choose what to do and approximately how long each one will take

do what is important first. group quick tasks together, add more time for the long tasks or further divide them.

8-not over-plan your days with unimportant & important tasks.

be realistic about what can you do in the amount of time you have and focus on what is important first.

9-learn to identify needle mover tasks so, you get what matters done

then Put them On Your Calendar

10-prepare for the obstacles that may come up

(internally aka procrastination, limiting thoughts..etc & externally aka someone interrupting you, family emergencies …etc)

11-do weekly, monthly & yearly reviews to improve and get better by understanding yourself.

Will Expand On This In The Upcoming Article

to do a yearly review read this article

and this is a free workbook to help you plan your year & quarter

12-make things workable by adjusting throughout the day and

imaging what you will do throughout the day and whether what you planned is applicable or not

13-understanding why you did or did not do something, why you followed through or did not

hence you can improve and make changes accordingly taking into account not only the action

but what you thought is what lead you to it

14-accepting that procrastination won’t be eliminated but I can reduce it to 70 or more

15-make it simple by not using many tools & programs and so-on

16-commit to getting what you planned done

after each planning, session write why you are committed to achieving and completing what you planned no matter what

I used to just mentally say to myself that I’m committed but I saw that it wasn’t working that’s why I switched to journaling about it to make absolute

17-embracing your limits in time & energy as you’ll get to learn as you work on getting out of your own way & becoming productive

that

you won’t be able to do everything you want and desire but you can do what you really really desire

18-accepting that you won’t do it perfectly even when you know all the steps.

it will take time for your brain to adjust, practice then get feedback to improve & so on.

19-acknowledging what is working and learn from it as much as you do for what is not working

20-exploit deadlines as they help you not condescend and know more about your thoughts

21-getting out of the perfectionist mentality gradually toward the growth mindset mentality when it comes to getting better at planning & following through.

perfectionism is the reason behind why many tips & tactics in productivity don’t work for you

but what is perfectionism really??? here is a guide on what’s perfectionism and how to overcome it

to your greatest success

Wafaa