How to Have a Productive Day

The first step is to plan the day before. Because when you think about the future, you're probably thinking about how you're going to be super productive and get all of these things done. But on the other hand, when you plan the day of when you're actually facing those tasks head-on, the procrastination mindset tends to kick in and you feel like planning nothing because you don't want to do anything.

So how do you actually do this planning? My main tip is to schedule tasks instead of just having a to-do list. The way to do this is first by listing out all of the tasks that you have to do along with any events that you have. Then for each task list out how long you think it would take you to complete the task. It's better to overestimate than underestimate in this case. Then finally, schedule everything out - this can be done in your planner. Or, I have a printable specifically designed for this purpose. The order in which you schedule tasks really depends on your personal preference, but I have two tips about how to schedule.

Tip one, schedule the things that take the most willpower to complete during the times of day when you're the most motivated and energetic. This tends to be at the beginning of your working period or it also depends on what time of day you work the best.

Tip two, if you plan to exercise, schedule it earlier in the day. This way it will get your blood pumping and you'll be more focused throughout the rest of the day. Before you start, do your best to have a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast or snack. Also, try to get all of your supplies ready beforehand. This way you don't have to interrupt your workflow to go get something.

When you are working make sure you take breaks regularly. One popular method is the Pomodoro method which is 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of rest. Another time interval that I personally like is 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of rest, for a longer chunk of focused work. The time intervals that you use depend on your personal working style, but do make sure you take breaks because you don't want to burn out, and you don't want your hand to cramp up from all the writing that you have to do.

Something else that really helps is blocking out distractions. There are plenty of apps that will allow you to block certain distracting sites on your laptop. And I know I mentioned the app forest a lot, but it really does help to stop you from using your phone. If you'd like more tips about staying focused and avoiding procrastination.