Are you frustrated by your lack of productivity? Do you wish you could get more done in less time? You want to be the best in your field but not at the expense of the rest of your life.
If you want to be able to fully live your life while also excelling at your work then you need to improvise your productivity.
Don’t worry if you have no idea where to start with smart time management. Keep reading to learn more about how to schedule your day for maximum productivity.
How to Schedule Your Day Effectively
We are all busy. But are we busy doing the right things? In order to schedule your day to be the most effective you must make sure you’re scheduling the best activities.
Start With Why
Simon Sinek has popularized the idea of starting with your why and then working from there. When you know why you’re completely a hard and lengthy project, knowing your why will get you through the messy middle.
There will be a time when you don’t want to do the important work. It is more tempting to check email and social media, but when you know your why you are much more likely to follow through and achieve your goals.
Establish Your Priorities
Once you know your why you can narrow in on your priorities. You can prioritize everything, when everything is important, nothing is important. How you do this doesn’t matter as much as doing it.
Whether you use Eisenhower’s matrix or narrow it all down to your one thing as Gary Keller recommends in his best selling book. Regardless, pick your method of establishing your priorities and don’t do anything else until your priorities have been accomplished.
It’s not enough to be busy all day. You must know that what you’re busy doing is moving the needle on your projects and goals. To increase your productivity, you must first ensure you’re being effective so you know you’re working on the right things at the right time.
How to Schedule Your Day for Maximum Productivity
Once you know that you’re working on the right things, you need to spend some time improving your work habits in order to increase your productivity. From your routines to your schedule, it must all align to move the needle forward for optimum performance.
Create Routines
From your morning routine to your evening routine and everything in between, you must create routines to be the most productive. As much as we don’t like repetitive tasks, much of our workday is made up of them.
Put them together and create routines so you know what to do and when to do them, creating routines cuts down on decision fatigue which will improve your productivity. Don't check your email each time you hear the bell ding.
You're not Pavlov's dog. Set a time in your schedule and always check your email at the same time. Don't allow other's people priorities to ruin your productivity.
You can check it first thing in the morning to ensure you aren't missing any fires. then again in the evening before you close out for the day. The time isn't important, what's important is that you are in control of your inbox instead of the other way around.
Use Block Scheduling
Multi-tasking can zap your productivity faster than the jelly donut you had for breakfast. To get the most out of your work-time you need to create a schedule and group like projects and tasks together.
To get a larger project done, break it down into smaller tasks, and schedule them on your calendar for the same time each week. Then you know on Tuesday at 2 pm you have a 3-hour block of time to focus on your project.
Block it out on your calendar so you or your team doesn’t inadvertently schedule any appointments for meetings, and focus on your project.
Make the Most of Small Pockets of Time
The Pomodoro method isn’t new, it was first established in the 1980s and has taken the productivity world by storm. To get the most out of your most productive times, break your work up into short 25 minute sprints.
After 25 minutes get up from your desk and take a 5-minute break. Repeat this through your focus block mentioned above and you’ll see your productivity soar.
So, during your block scheduling and short work sprints turn off your notifications, clear off your desk, and get to work. You’re sure to see an increase in your productivity when you follow these tips.
You can also read more now on how we’re changing the shape of the modern-day legal industry through increased productivity and fewer billable hours.
Set a Smart Schedule With These Tips
Stop stressing out about how to schedule your day for maximum productivity. And start making the most of the time you have to be the best.
It’s not good enough to simply be busy all the time. To be the best in your industry, you must ensure that you’re busy doing the right things. When you establish your why and focus incessantly on your priorities, you can ensure that you’re climbing the right mountain and will reap the benefits when you get there.
You also don’t want to spend your entire life working. So once you know you’re working on the right things you need to take the time to improve your productivity. Get more done in less time through routines, block scheduling, and short work sprints. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done and still excel in your field.
Final Thoughts
For more great information on smart scheduling and other efficiency topics, check out the other articles on our blog. We have a wide variety of articles on productivity, time management, and efficient meeting guidelines.
For more great information on smart scheduling and other efficiency topics, check out the other articles on our blog. We have a wide variety of articles on productivity, time management, and efficient meeting guidelines.