How much time do you spend planning each of your days? If you are like the majority of people, you spend no time planning. You wake up and slip into your same old routine. At the most, maybe you take some time to jot down a few important things you want to accomplish. If you want to boost your productivity and get more done in the same amount of time, you should consider effectively planning your day using these nine tips:

1.  Make it a Habit

You can't get the full benefits of daily planning unless you do it routinely. Planning your day the night before or the morning of is the best time to do it. Make it a habit by doing it regularly and at the same time each day (or night).

2.  Embrace The Ritual

Once you have created a daily planning routine, it is time for you to embrace it truly. Don't treat your planning as a chore. Instead, find a quiet and comfortable spot, pour yourself a coffee or get a snack, and enjoy your planning time.

3.  Choose The Right Tools

Make sure you have the right tools to plan your day. For example, some people like to use a pad of paper, and others prefer a bullet journal. Don't be afraid to embrace technology as well. Dozens of apps can help you plan your day.

4.  Make a To-Do List

Planning your day has to be more than visualizing and mental notes. You need to write down everything you want to complete. The easiest way to do this is to dump all your tasks into a to-do list. These lists don't work for everyone, so find whatever solution works for you. The end goal is to get your plan out of your head and onto paper.

5.  Properly Prioritize Your List

Once you have a list of things you want to accomplish, it is time to prioritize it properly. First, figure out which of your tasks are most important and most urgent. Focus your time on the tasks that check off both of those boxes (important and urgent).

6.  Combine Your Plan With Productivity

Now that you have a list of prioritized tasks, it is time to schedule them for your day. A great way to do this is to use a popular productivity method like "Pomodoro" or "Eat the Frog." If you aren't interested in a method like this, you should at least create deadlines for each of your tasks.

7.  Build-in Flexibility

When you are scheduling your day, make sure to leave yourself some buffer time between tasks. You never know what obstacle might pop up and slow you down. These buffers are also important because you should be taking regular breaks. Taking regular breaks allows you to reenergize and refocus for maximum productivity.

8.  Reward Yourself

You don't have to take a spa day after every task you finish, but regularly rewarding yourself is an important step for productivity. As humans, we respond very positively to rewards. So rewarding ourselves for a job well done is a great way to keep us motivated.

9.  Include Time for Retrospection

When you are planning out your day, it is important to schedule some time for retrospection. This wind downtime gives you a chance to look back at your day and honestly assess. What worked? What didn't work? What adjustments could you make for the next day?

FAST-ACTION STEPS

1. Find a planning tool that works for you. For example, consider a simple pad of paper, a bullet journal, or some sort of planning app.
2. Choose a productivity method. Figure out what time management method works best for you. Some of the most popular methods are Pomodoro, Eat The Frog, and Time-Chunking.

Plan your day for tomorrow. Now that you have the right tools take some time right now to plan your next day.