Most
people are unproductive because they haven’t created a clear plan for
their day. This lack of clarity quickly leads to procrastination as the brain doesn’t like ambiguity.
When you lack clarity on precisely when you’re going to do what, your brain will use this moment of ambiguity to talk you out of doing the hard work and do something easier instead (such as watching a funny YouTube video). That’s why scheduling your day is so important.
The Power of Scheduling Your Day
By
pre-determining when you’re going to do what, you remove the need for
decision-making within the moment as you’ve already created a precise
plan in advance. Psychologists call this an ‘implementation intention’.
In
other words, by scheduling your day, you’re much less likely to
procrastinate. That’s a big benefit for such a simple routine.
Scheduling Removes Ambiguity
When you schedule a task or activity, it becomes real. No longer is it this vague ‘somewhere today I want to workout/read/meditate/write’ — which usually doesn’t get done because it’s too ambiguous.
Only
when you attach a time to a task or activity does it become a real
appointment with yourself. Before that, it’s just a wish — something you
can easily talk yourself out of.
When you schedule your workout, it’s much more likely you’ll get off the couch and go for a run.
When you schedule your reading, it’s much more likely you’ll stop watching Netflix and grab a book instead.
And
when you schedule your important tasks, it’s much more likely you’ll
work on it instead of wasting time with email or social media.
By
scheduling an activity, you make an appointment with yourself, and you
should honor this appointment the same way you’d honor an appointment
with other people.
How To Schedule Your Day For Optimal Productivity
My
#1 rule of scheduling the day is that I schedule my most important
tasks for the hours in which I generally have the most energy — and my
lesser important tasks for the hours in which my energy tends to be
lower.
According to research, for most people, the morning is peak energy time (but it differs per chronotype).
During your peak energy time, your willpower is stronger and your brain
has more energy to focus deeply, think clearly and solve difficult
problems with more ease.
According
to Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the
University of Southern California, most adults perform best in the late
morning when it comes to cognitive work.
As I experience this as well, I schedule my 1–3 most important tasks in the morning. This way, I’m a lot more effective and efficient.
According to recent research led by Robert Matchock, an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University, most people are more easily distracted from noon to 4 p.m.
That’s
why I schedule my lesser important tasks such as email, answering
comments, phone calls or meetings later in the day — after I’ve already
completed my most important work.
Tip:
I like to batch produce these tasks (lump them together) so that I can
get them done in a time-efficient way, without splitting my focus or
letting these tasks get in the way of the tasks that truly matter.
Furthermore,
I like to use different colors to schedule different type of tasks. For
example, my personal appointments are blue, my workouts are green and
my work-related tasks are yellow. This way, I quickly see what’s coming
up next.
Now Do It
Change only comes from taking action — not just by knowing. Therefore, I highly recommend you follow these 3 steps for your next workday.
Step 1: Schedule your most important tasks for when you have the most energy.
Step 2: Schedule your lesser important tasks for when you have less energy (preferably lump them together).
Step 3: Schedule personal appointments (lunch, dates, etc.) and habits (exercise, reading, etc.) using different colors
Download my free guide ’27 Productivity Hacks For Superhuman Performance’
to learn how to get more results without working more hours, achieve
your personal & business goals 372% faster and gain more free time
(without feeling guilty about it).
No comments:
Post a Comment