Day planning is an incredibly helpful productivity strategy. But there are many ways to do it. This webinar goes over why day planning is so beneficial and how you can find a day planning method that works for you.

1. Overview
• What is day planning & Is it right for you?
• How to stick to a day plan
• Day Planning 101
• Strategies & Tips
• Pitfalls

2. what is day planning?
What image do you get in your head?

3. what is day planning?
An unplanned day:
8:00 There is so much to do, where do I start?
8:10 I could do this.
8:30 Finished. Now what?
8:31 (FB anxiety session)
9:20 I should get work done. What should I do now?

4. what is day planning?
An unplanned day:
Now what?
Now this
A planned day:

5. Is day planning right for you?
Short answer:
Most likely!

6. Is day planning right for you?
Possible objections
I tried it and it did not work for me
Try a different day planning method
My days are unpredictable
Adjust your planning method
I don’t have time to plan
Planning saves time
I am terrible at planning
Even more reason to practice to get good at it
I dislike the idea of following a plan
Valid. Try an ultra flexible plan.

7. Is day planning right for you?
Conclusion
If you are struggling with productivity or stress,
focus on establishing a day planning a habit.
Best case scenario:
Your life is changed forever.
Any case scenario:
You will have learnt a lot about yourself and how to build
a good productivity system for yourself.

8. Benefits
•More Efficient
•Reduced Stress & Overwhelm
•Beat Procrastination
•Better Prioritization
•Peace of Mind
•Builds skills and awareness
Separation of Planning & Doing

9. How to stick to a day plan
A good day plan is one you can stick to…

10. When to plan your day?
First thingLast thing

11. Day Plans 101
Getting answers to:
What do I do today?
When do I do it? (optional)

12. Day plans 101
Considering Flexibility
Flexibility spectrum
High Flexibility
(Daily to-do list)
Low Flexibility
(Tasks on a calendar)
trade-off
The point of day planning is to reduce flexibility,
but just the right amount.

13. Day plans 101
High Flexibility Example

14. Day plans 101
Low Flexibility Example

15. Benefits
•Little to no interruptions
•Little to no spontaneous work
•Great time estimation skills
•High discipline
•Affinity for structure/plans
•Awareness of pitfalls (consideration for all limitations)
•Healthy mindset
Low flexibility requires:
Should you start with high or low flexibility?

16. Day plans 101
Levers to experiment with
Time Specificity
Are tasks assigned to specific times?
Variability
How many different things are you working on in a day?
Granularity
How detailed are my steps?
Specificity
What area to work on, what project to work on
or what task to work on?

17. Day plans 101
Preparations
Day planning helps you get work done
Preparations help you day plan
Preparations -> Day Planning -> Working

18. Day plans 101
Preparations
Available time Things to do

19. Day plans 101
Preparations - Organize your tasks
•Pick from a weekly list/monthly
•Have a list sorted by urgency
•Have a priority system
•Have tasks/projects sorted by category
•Have tasks/projects sorted by type

20. Day plans 101
Preparations - Organize your time
•Which time of the day is your peak focus time?
•Which time of the day is your low energy time?
•What time do you want to stop working?
•How much time do I have available each day?
•How much can I work every day?

21. Day plans 101
Preparations - Rules
•Every Monday afternoon I do admin tasks
•I write from 8-10am
•I do one project per week for my three main work categories
•I schedule 3 hours of active work per day.
•I focus on one big task per day and 2 small ones.
Predefined rules for your day plan, reduces
decision making, saves energy and time.

22. Day plans 101
Considering Limits
How much time do I have?
How much time can I work?
What is the limiting factor for you?
Time or Energy?

23. Day plans 101
Time Limit
Exercise: Take a calendar and block out all time
that is already taken:
Appointments, sleep, hygiene, eating, transport, health habits.
Then block out mandatory leisure time:
time to do something fun, spending time with loved ones.
Calculate how much time is left and multiply by a factor of 0.2-0.5 to account
for inefficiencies and natural break times.

24. Day plans 101
Energy Limit
Exercise: Track each tasks you are actively working on for a few
weeks. (Helps to plan them first ;) )
Make sure to stop the tracking when you are taking breaks.
Did a pattern emerge? How many hours can you work per day?

25. Strategies & tips
•Easy to compare planned vs. unplanned
•Time to get used to planning
•Morning determines the rest of your day
Just plan your morning

26. Strategies & tips
Break up your day

27. Strategies & tips
Give some tasks fixed times

28. Strategies & tips
Use time estimates

29. Strategies & tips
•Few easy/short ones to get momentum going
•The most important task
•A task that is weighing on you
Which tasks to tackle first?

30. Strategies & tips
Schedule rewards + fun times first

31. Strategies & tips
Have a bonus list

32. Day planning pitfalls
Putting too much on your plate
Consider time AND energy limitations
Err on the side of “scheduling too little”
Turing all intentions into “shoulds” in your mind
Everything in your life is a choice
Trying to squeeze everything into one day
Add week planning
Planning the “perfect” day
Be realistic about your life and where you are at
Ignoring breaks and leisure time
Plan time off and fun activities, not just work

33. The hard part about day planning

34. AND FINALLY
•Day plan is about making an intention
•Try out things as the need arises
•Take your time
Keep it simple

35. Questions, Feedback, Requests?