5 tips to plan your day

I thought I'd share some strategies that I start off using with my time management coaching clients. In fact, recently one of them told me, "I can't believe it; I actually have a life again". This was after we started incorporating some of the principles I'm sharing with you below.

1. Block out any appointments
Don't only block out the actual time of the appointment; add "getting ready" time and travel time before and after the appointment.

2. Do high priority items first
For a business owner, it could mean working on an income-producing activity and for a stay-at-home mom, it could mean planning your menus for the week.

3. Add in your routines
Do you have an evening routine and a morning routine? Routines help your day run smoothly because they're done on auto-pilot. Some people do a load of laundry every day. This is part of their routine. If they don't do this for a couple of days, life can get out of control very quickly.

4. Don't forget buffer time
Buffer time helps when an appointment runs over or the traffic is bad…or when something just takes longer to do than you anticipated.

Depending on the situation, you might want to leave 15 - 30 minutes after each appointment or activity so that you're not frazzled when things inevitably don't work out exactly as you planned. This is aside from the travel time.

5. Add in some fun
Fun means rewarding yourself appropriately when you are disciplined with your time.

For more organizing ideas, visit my website: www.andreadekker.com