How To Plan Your Day

Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution – Brian Tracy.

Even if this is partially true, and I am inclined to believe its mostly true, imagine the time you could save over a life time if you started planning?!

I honestly believe this is one of the main reasons why I seem to get so much done compared to a lot of other people. I don’t think I’m a harder worker or have some special talent other don’t, I simply take time to plan things out.

My husband is one of the hardest workers I know and since he doesn’t plan very much (yes, I get the irony…) his days are often a hectic mess and he loses a lot of time to things he might have foreseen if he had done some more planning.

Goal planning, yearly planning, monthly planning, event planning, occasion planning and yes, day planning.

It all adds up to a heck of a lot of time saved and headaches avoided.

Today I want to share the 5 step process I go through to plan out my day so I can be prepared, organized and optimally productive.

Just before we get started, make sure you have a good planner to do this in. I use the Life Book planner, which I created myself because I couldn’t find one that worked well for me. So many planners lack the necessary space to plan properly. You can check out the Life Book here, or download the free mini version here to test it out.

1-Whats already scheduled

Look at your monthly calendar and see what is already booked or scheduled for today. Write that into today’s schedule.

2- Non-negotiables

These are the things you do, often daily, that take time and must be done. We often forget about them when planning our day because they are part of our normal routine but we have to take them into consideration before we create a to-do list so we know exactly how much time we have. So add in any non-negotiables, like school drops off, kids sports practises or meal preparation.

3- To-do List

Looking at how much time you have left in your day, create your to-do list. Look at your weekly, monthly or Master to-do list and decide what should be done today. Start with the most urgent items and add in whatever else you have time for (2-4 items max). If you want, identify any other task you will do IF you have time.

4- Identify your frog

Brian Tracey coined the term Eat That Frog which basically means you should identify and do your most important task of the day first. There are a few reasons for this; 1, since the longer the day goes on the more likely life is to get in the way, it ensures it actually gets done; 2, getting done the task that is the most important first takes off the pressure and makes you more productive the rest of the day. So figure out which task that is and schedule that in first or as early as possible.

5- Loosely schedule in the rest

Lastly, schedule in the remaining tasks on your list at the general time (morning, afternoon or evening) you plan on doing them. Being too rigid with your schedule by putting everything at super precise moments puts a lot of pressure on you to have the day go perfectly and if there is one thing we know, perfection is a myth. You are setting yourself up for failure by doing this because you will likely get off track, get overwhelmed and stressed because things are not going according to plan. So just pick a general time.

Bonus tip:

Start this the evening before so that you have time to prep anything necessary in advance. This is actually a super important step. I get asked all the time if we should plan in the evening or the morning of and I always say both. Start the day or evening before and then finalize it the morning of.

This may all seem like a long process but I promise you, once you get used to doing it, it only take 5-10 minutes tops! Especially if you have already started planning for your week on Sunday, which I also recommend.

If you would like more great content like what you read here, make sure to follow me on IG @organized_owl or on FB @organizedowl.

Happy Planning

Jennifer

How To Avoid Decision Fatigue

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

If you are human, you have experienced decision fatigue.

Every tiny piece of information or data our senses pick up on throughout the day becomes a decision. Your brain has to decide what to do with each one, even if that’s to ignore it.

And in today’s world, where we are bombarded with hundreds of thousands of bits of information daily, most of us experience decision fatigue every day.

Consciously we might not realize why it is that it can be so hard to decide what to eat for supper but often it’s because your brain is simply tapped out.

And if you’re an enneagram 9, this happens even faster, amaright fellow 9s?

So how do we get around it with the seemingly unavoidable stream of data coming our way?

Like this: by doing the following to reduce the amount of decisions we need to make each day.

1-Protect your focus

Remove or reduce the amount of technology around you when you are working. Constant dings and notifications are not only tiny decisions you have to make, they are a huge distraction.

Wait until later in the day to catch up on news and scroll social media. Delay taking in new information as much as possible until the bulk of your work is done.

2-Plan in advance.

Planning is simply making decisions in advance. Plan out your months, weeks and days in advance so that the amount of decisions you have to make in the moment are greatly reduced. Its also far easier to make decisions in advance then it is in the moment because the pressure is off. With a solid plan you can move through your day smoothly, simply following what you mapped out.

The absolute easiest way of doing this is by using a great planner. Check out the one I use here. You can also get a free mini copy here to test it out first!.

3-Habits.

You never have to decide to do something that is already a habit because its automatic and that’s why habits are so powerful. Create habits of things you do regularly so they are one less decision to be made.

The key here is for these things to be true habits. Meaning, you truly do them without thinking for the most part. If you still have to consciously get yourself to it, its not a habit yet. Building healthy habits can take some time and its important not to try creating too many at once. Start slowly, using habit stacking and one at a time, automate those things you do daily so they take less energy and mind power.

If you experience decision fatigue on a regular basis, you now know what to do to about it! Of course, its going to still happen from time to time because #life, but the goal is to avoid it occurring on a daily basis because its tiring and wastes a ton of time.

Jennifer

How To Create Business Systems To Save Time And Energy

Systems make life easier.

Its that simple. It may not be glamorous or it may seem boring to you, but if you take the time to implement various systems into your business, you are going to save a ton and time and energy.

And more time and energy for enjoying life IS fun and glamorous!

So here’s what you do.

Figure out where you need them

What areas of your business seem to take more time then they should? Or where do mistakes or confusion happen often? Basically, you are looking for the problems areas. The things that take too much time, don’t get done efficiently or don’t get done well.

Create the system

Now its time to actually create the system. If this is something you do often, then this won’t take a lot of time. Just make sure you are thorough and don’t forget any steps. It helps if you do this while actually doing the task.

List out all the things and/or steps included in this task.
Put these things in order in which they should be done.
Look at each step and see if there is a short cut or quicker way of doing it. If you need to, ask experts, business friends or do some research.
Look at each step and see if there is anything that could be done in advance (planning) to make things more efficient.
Rewrite the order of the steps with any new changes from step 3 and 4, being really specific about how to do each step. Create, set up any new things you need to in order to be able to follow your new system. (ie: file folders, documents, memory aid, planning space, etc)
Keep this list to refer to whenever you do this step until it’s memorized as well as to use as SOP should you hire someone to do this in the future.

And there you go! You might have to modify or add things in after a couple of times through because its normal to forget the little things sometimes.

You can create a system for almost anything you do in your business, should you feel the need but some of the first or most common ones are:

Content creation
Social media posting and engagement
How and where files are saved and used.
Quick access to commonly used links, lists and other information.
Graphic creation

And lastly, a planner system. This is probably the most important one to create as it is the secret sauce to staying organized, managing your time and well and being able to prioritize and stay focused on what matters. The solid foundation to a great planner systems is a well designed planner.

And I don’t mean pretty design, I’m talking useful features and an effective layout. A planner that has what you need as well as the space to be personalized is the golden standard and the Life Book planner has both. Check it out here.

Systems are meant to make life easier but sometimes they can seem overwhelming to put in place. Head on over to the work with me section if you would like some help!

Jennifer

Unexpected Things That Make You More Productive

There are of course, the obvious things that make a person more productive, things like batching certain tasks, creating a schedule, getting rid of distractions, etc.

But there are some surprising things that can make a big impact on how much you get done and the great thing is how easy and simply they can be to implement.

So let’s get right to it, because after all, you’e got stuff to do!

Putting LESS on your to-do list. Overwhelm can seriously get in the way of getting things done.
Getting dressed. Doesn’t have to be office attire, but putting on an outfit that feels put together signals to your brain it’s time to be productive.
Your view. Looking at a sink of dirty dishes from your desk in the kitchen? Not helpful.
Lots of natural light. Unless you are a serious night owl, having natural light in your work space energizes you.
Tackling the big stuff first. Ok, so this may not be so surprising if you’ve been following me for a while but doing the bigger, often less desirable tasks first makes you so much more productive the rest of the day. It’s like a weight gets lifted off your shoulders and you get a shot of adrenaline. Seriously, try it, you will see.

Of course, none of these replace some of the classic producvity powerhouses, like using a planner, but they can give you a surprising boost.

Speaking of planners, you do have one, right?…

If not, thats the absolute first thing I recommend you doing. Head on over here to check out the one I use, the Life Book Planner. It has all the features you need (Master to do list, important dates page, budget page, complete goal planning section, meal and exercise planning, bullet journal tracking and more) and none of the fluff you don’t. Most importantly, the design allows you to personalize it to YOUR unique life and needs. Now thats a planner worth getting excited over! (Full transparency; I created this planner. Initially, for myself because I couldn’t find a planner that really worked. Then I realized there were probably a lot of people just like me and they NEEDED this planner in their hands)

Got some Q’s or just want more awesome tips and tricks on how to live more organized and productive? Find me on IG @organized_owl or FB @organizedowl.

Jennifer

Why You Need To Write Things Down

There’s a magic trick to getting things done, staying organized and achieving your goals.

Want to know what it is?

Writing things down on paper.

Not on your phone, computer or tablet.

And certainly not on the imaginary to-do list in your brain.

It may sound silly if you are not in the habit of using a planner or writing out your goal plans but hear me out:

Science has shown that actually writing things down improves cognitive function, more specifically the ability to learn new things and memory.

What does that mean?

It means that you are more likely to not only remember and understand, but also actually DO the things you write down.

Which translates to less stress, more clarity and increased productivity.

So basically, feeling zen while achieving your goals.

Have I convinced you yet?

If you are still on the fence or would like the exact scientific explanation, I highly recommend you spend a couple of minutes researching. Google will provide you with all you need to know.

Start with writing in a planner that has the features and space for you to write ALL THE THINGS down.

If you are looking for a great planner, check out the Life Book planner. Complete goal planner and day planner in one, the Life Book is going to be your writing secret sauce to success. Go to www.organizedowl.com to learn more and get your copy.

Jennifer

My Favourite Planner Accessories

I’ll admit it, I’m not a huge sticker person (nor, sadly, do I have any drawing artistic abilities). If using stickers gets you to use your planner and you enjoy doing it, thats awesome. However, I don’t think its necessary or even helpful for a lot of people. I find most people, like myself, get all excited about them at first but then either forget to use them or they become more like a chore.

But if that’s your jam, stick away!

There are, however, a few things I use with my planner that I absolutely LOVE and believe to betray helpful in keeping you organized and productive. (** I am not an affiliate or benefit in any way from recommending these items, I simply truly like them!)

Pilot Frixion Erasable pens. Pens that erase, need I say more? Ok, you get to have the organized, easy on the brain colour coded system you want AND have it not get ruined by white out marks. Because #thingschange.

Post it notes. For the notes you need to remember AND take with you on the go.

MildLiner highlighters in colours that match my pens. They come in a ton of different colours and shades, have a pointed end and a flat end and are slim like a pen so you can fit several into your pencil case.

A really good pencil. No clickable lead pencils, just a good ol’ fashioned H2 pencil.

That’s it!

It’s basically stuff to write with and some sticky notes. Nothing complicated, but often it’s the little things that makes the biggest difference. Of course, you can use other brands, these are simply the ones I like best.

The common denominator here is that it is all things that fit into the system I use with my planner. A system that makes it easier for me to stay organized and for my brain to assimilate the information I’ve written down.

So if stickers do that for you, then go get yourself some shiny new stickers!

Jennifer

How To Make Sure You Use Your Planner

Don’t waste your money on another planner you don’t use!

I heard someone say the other day that planners are like personal assistants and I couldn’t agree more.

Mine absolutely runs my life!

Of course, making sure you use it is the first step to making your planner your most important employee.

So here are 3 tips to making sure you actually use your new planner.

Make sure the planner is well designed

And I don’t mean pretty. I mean the layout is designed in a way that truly works AND it has the features you really need, like customizable spaces and planning pages. One whole page per day may give you lots of room each day, but its hard to organize your week and have a clear idea of whats going on when you can’t see it all out in front of you. Make sure the planner you choose lets you customize it to suit your unique life and personality.

Put all the things in it

Its not simply for your schedule. Your planners needs to contain things like habit tracking, planning, to-do lists, important dates to remember, reminders, deadlines and more. Having all these things organized in ONE place is the secret sauce of a planner that really makes your life easier. Having it all in once place gives you try clarity and helps you to avoid forgetting things and double booking.

Create a planner habit

Make sure to set up a new habit of using the planner. Otherwise, when the novelty wears off, you will stop. Not sure how to create a habit that sticks? Check out this blog post that explains how.

In other words, your planner has to deliver, otherwise you won’t keep using it and it will be hard to create a habit.

Can’t find one? The Life Book planner has the unique features and layout that will deliver big time!
Learn more at www.organizedowl.com (link in bio)

Jennifer

How To Identify Your Priority Goal (a.k.a. Your Push Goal)

Goals Goal setting Push goal Planner Agenda

The most important goal you will set this year:

Your Push goal.

If you are not familiar with that term, it’s something I learned from Chalene Johnson and the premise is simple.

It’s the goal that by achieving it, it makes accomplishing most of your other goals easier.

So how do you do this?

1- Figure out what you need

In order to achieve a goal you need one or more of the following; Money, time, a new skill or knowledge or accountability/self discipline. Look at each of your goals and identify which of the four you need for each goal. You may feel like you need a little bit of all of them but the idea is to identify the one (s) you primarily need.

2- Which one do you need the most of?

Now add them up; which of those 4 do you have the most of? Obviously you won’t likely need the same one for every single goal, but there is probably going to be a common theme. Now, is there a goal already on your list that will give you that? If not, create a new goal that will.

This goal is your Push goal and is your priority goal.

Oftentimes your push goal will be a financial goal and that’s ok! It doesn’t make you shallow. It’s simply the means by which you will achieve most of your other goals.

For example: If you were to make an additional 2000$ in your business you could hire a personal trainer to help you with your health goals, and outsource some business tasks so you could have more time to spend with your kids.

A push goal is not necessarily the goal that is most important to you, but its the goal that will PUSH you into achieving the goals that are.

See how this works?

Need a place to do your goal planning this year? The Life Book Planner is the perfect place! Complete day planner and goal planner in one, it’s been the secret sauce in achieving my goals since I created it and I know it will do the same for you!

Head on over to www.organizedowl.com to learn more about its unique features and to get your copy.

Jennifer

push goal how to achieve your goals faster

4 BIG Time Savers You Need In Your Business

Business time savers. Organized, productive.

Feeling like your biz is taking up way too much of your time?

It doesn’t have to.

Besides the fact that we so often get caught up in a lot of busy work that is not even necessary in the first place, there are a lot of time savers you can put into place to make you way more efficient.

Leaving you with time to do whatever the heck your heart desires!

The following are 3 of my best tips to help you save time in your business:

1- Automations

This. Is. Key. This one thing is going to be what saves you the most time in the long run. Everything from automated e-mail opt-ins, e-mail welcome series, on boarding for new clients or team members, to scheduling programs and tools.

2- Batching

A certain amount of the time you take to do a task is actually getting set up for that task. So batching certain work together like writing content or creating graphics saves precious time.

3- Link Page

I’m not talking a link tree for your IG, but a easy to access place (from both your phone and computer) that has all the links to all of your sites, social media pages, landing pages, blog posts and anything else you link in inside your business. Adding a link to your FB post just got a lot quicker!

4- Planner

If you don’t use a planner for your business and personal life, you are wasting time and energy. That may sound extreme but organizing and planning things out in advance inside planner allows you to work efficiently and be ahead of the ball which means more time and energy saved for other things.

Personally I recommend a planner where you can manage your personal life and business in once place. It prevents a lot of double booking and confusion and you get a much clearer idea of what exactly you have going on. Of course, detailed business plans like content planning and such can be done in a separate place but your scheduling and to-do’s are best managed in the same place your manage the rest of your life.

I know from experience it can be hard to find a planner that has space enough for you to do this. In fact, I never found one so I created my own! Its a complete day planner and goal planner in one that has unique features that you won’t find in any other planner. You can check it out here.

As with a lot of organization and time management tips, these can also apply to your personal life outside of business as well so don’t be afraid to see what could be automated or batched at home either!

Feeling overwhelmed just thinking about applying these? Let me help! If you are struggling with organization, productivity, time management or accountability either in your biz or personal life, this is for you!

Head on over here to my IG account (or search for @organizedowl) where you will find daily tips on how to get yourself, your business and your life organized and working productively.

Jennifer

What It Takes To Achieve A Goal

The secret sauce to accomplishing all you want

What it takes to achieve a goal. Goal setting. Accomplishing dreams.

Its really a shame that goal planning is not taught in schools because while its not complicated, there are a few important elements and leaving one out can make things harder then they need to be.

I would honestly say that of the items I am going to cover below, only 2 are non-negotiable but not having or doing the others will greatly increase your chances of giving up.

Notice I didn’t say failure…

The only way you can fail, is by giving up. You will not achieve every goal you set out to do, even if you do it all right. For some you will miss the mark slightly and for others you will make so little progress that you go backwards.

But all that is, is knowledge you take with you in the next goals you choose to go after.

So first, the 2 non-negotiables:

The right mindset and a good plan

Mindset is EVERYTHING.

If you don’t believe it, you will. not. achieve. it.

We all have limiting beliefs and if we don’t work through them they will forever hinder our progress in our personal growth and our goals.

So before you do anything else, get your mind in the right space.

Personally, I think therapy is the fastest and most effective way to do this, but do whatever works for you.

Secondly, you need a good plan. A plan that gives you clarity on what exactly you have to be doing every day to reach your goal. Now, when working on big goals its not ideal to plan it all out from beginning to end right away because you really don’t know how things are going to go, but you need a detailed plan for your first action steps.

In order to be able to make that plan your goal has to be measurable and specific and you also have to have done the research to find out what exactly you need to do.

Of course, no amount of research will prepare you for everything that may come up, but it goes a long way to getting you started off on the right foot.

If goal planning has you stymied or you’re asking what the heck does measure and specificity mean, head on over here to find out what all this means.

Nothing that is worth it, comes easy

Ok, so I fibbed…

There is a 3rd thing that is absolutely non-negotiable.

You have to be willing to put in a little hard work. If achieving goals was easy, everyone would be doing it. Certainly doing it the right way makes things waaayyy easIER but not easy. You need to be determined and you will need to apply some self discipline. Motivation will get you started but self discipline will help you get through the moments you just don’t feel like it.

And oh boy, there will be moments that you get what my husband calls the *uck-its.

Carry on, it will be insanely worth it in the end. I promise with all my heart.

The slightly less then non-negotiables

You could, technically take the first 3 things now and get to work.

But you will struggle.

I know, because I did. Big time.

The single biggest game changer (besides a mindset shift) for me was getting and using the right planner. The magic of a planner is that it addresses all of the other elements to some degree to make things easier for you.

It will make goal planning simple and efficient, it keeps you focused on your goal tasks so that you don’t need to rely solely on willpower to keep moving forward and seeing your plan laid out and you actively working on it each day will help you shift your beliefs.

And most importantly it incorporates the last important element; accountability.

A good planner allows you to plan your goals and to implement that plan AND it keeps you focused on your goal tasks by making them a non optional part of your day. Therefore, it holds your accountable.

Research shows that writing things down makes them more concrete in your mind and makes it more likely that you will do them. Also, seeing your goal related to-do’s written down in front of you every day in the same space that you write the things you have to get done in, makes your brain feel like they are as important as the essentials, like groceries and paying rent.

Basically it tricks you brain into thinking that you can’t just put it off.

Now, the key is finding a planner that allows you to do all of this. The biggest problem is finding one with adequate space to plan all your goals for the year.

Honestly, I never found one. So I made my own that has that space, as well as a monthly and weekly calendar layout that has place for writing in goal related tasks and due dates AND place to organize and track all the other areas of my life.

Essentially, it has all you need to organize your life, plan out and implement your goals and enough extra space to personalize it to suit you.

If that sounds like a wonderful unicorn that you just can’t let get away, to learn more or to get yours, go here.

(Can you tell that I’m in love with my planner?…haha Seriously though, it changed my life.)

If you already have a planner that will work, then awesome, you’re one step closer to smashing through any goal you choose!

However you choose to address using a planner, just know that you will need accountability to achieve your goals. There are several ways to do this but visual reminders, planning rewards or having an accountability partner are common ways you can build this in. You may have to play around with this a bit, but find out what holds you to your goals and make sure you utilize it.

So now you know what it takes, the only thing stopping you is deciding to go for it.

‘It’ being whatever your little heart desires!

Jennifer

Need some extra help or motivation to achieve your goals? Join my Facebook group Goals for Greatness where you will find a ton of free tips and tricks to help you reach your goals, as well as an awesome group of ambitious, like minded people just like you there to support you along the way.

Yes! I want to join the Community!