Do your weeks feel hectic? Do you find that you never have time to breathe? Are you up until the wee hours of the morning finishing assignments? You have come to the right place. I have three tips on how to organize your planner for a successful workday. Not only will your planner be pretty, you will feel a sense of completion and maximize the time God has given you.
Before we begin, I use a Passion Planner. I like this planner because it allows me to account for every hour of my day and has many places for drawings and notes. Now grab your free passion planner printout here and we will begin.
COLOR
Each class, activity, work, social engagement and bible study has its own color. This allows me to see how much time I am investing into each activity. In my planner I draw in the time I am doing each activity. For example: I have class from 4:30-7, so I mark that block of time out for class.
I even plan specifically when I will be doing my homework. This sets visual boundaries and keeps me accountable for my time.
Feeling like you are doing homework or work projects in every “leftover” second of the day isn’t fun. This is why I have started to treat my workdays as 7am-5pm much like a professional business day. By deciding when my work time will be I have room for free time, which I also plan.
As you see in my example, work time. exercise time and even social events. Some weeks I plan in watching the bachelor with my friends. Using assorted colors allows you to see where you are spending your time and it’s pretty.
TASKS
Write down all the tasks you want to accomplish for each area, using the pre-determined color. Here I used seaweed green for one of my classes. Below I have written down all the tasks for the class I’d like to complete this week. When you have identified everything you want to complete, it will make your homework time smoother. These tasks are all the things you want to complete during a week.
Separately, I suggest getting a small notebook or using notes on your phone to create a checklist of the tasks you must complete for the day. The success you will feel from completing the tasks is so refreshing. Your energy will also be maximized because you have a daily goal you are working towards.
TIME
So that I am on top of my schedule, instead of my schedule being on top of me, I sit down on Sundays and plan out the upcoming week. Of Course, you can choose the day that suits you best to plan. I like Sunday because it feels like a breath of fresh air or a restart as I step into a new week. Whichever day you choose be consistent so you can stay in control of your schedule. The best part is – it only takes about 15 minutes and I feel way more confident going into the week.
So why color code and write out all these tasks?
You will feel more peace going into your week. You will notice you procrastinate less. You will be satisfied with the work you complete. So this week I challenge you to down load the passion planner or purchase your planner of choice, get some markers or fancy pens, and give your self 15 minutes.
P.S. If you like an online calendar these same principles apply to you as well.
Proverbs 16:3 MSG
Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.
