During these 30 Days of Inspiration, I’ve shared with you the advantages of getting information out of your brain in order to be more productive and to feel calmer.
Planning is an incredibly important component to this process. Planning ahead is an invaluable resource when it comes to helping you feel more in control of your time and of your life.
One small trick I’ve learned over the years can help you amp up your planning routine even more, and that’s deciding on things before the new day has come.
Read on to discover how planning your workday the night before can lead to a calmer day.
About Planning the Night Before
Our work can be incredibly fulfilling for many of us.
Despite this fact, it can also be one of the most stressful parts of our lives. Many employers are cutting back on their staff and requiring employees to take on added responsibilities.
Keeping track of everything can become an overwhelming task that leads to a whole lot of stress. Making a plan for your day ahead of time offers a lot of benefits. This is especially true when you decide to plan the night before.
Why it Works
Planning your workday before it has even arrived allows you a little separation from the stress of deciding in the moment.
When you approach the plan the night before, you have some space that allows you to look at tomorrow as a clean slate. You won’t feel time-crunched, and you can more objectively see what activities should take priority.
Also, by making decisions ahead of time, you’ll be freeing up executive function space in your brain to allow you to think more clearly during the day and get more done.
In addition, when you make a plan, you’re more likely to stick to it. When flying by the seat of your pants, you may tend to slack a bit, leaving yourself feeling frazzled when you end up stuck staring down a deadline at the last-minute.
How to Get Started
Getting started is actually quite simple.
You’ll need your regular calendar. This can be in paper or digital form. Then decide on just three things that you need to accomplish tomorrow.
Look at your calendar and decide in which time blocks these activities best fit.
Don’t let yourself panic about locking yourself into a timeframe. We all know things come up unexpectedly sometimes. You can always move things around.
At least having a basic plan will get you on the road to being more in charge of your day.
With some practise, you’ll soon find you’re able to roll with the punches if your plan is thrown off kilter. The benefits from planning the night before are tremendous when it comes to freeing up your mind, helping you to prioritise and encouraging follow through. Give it a try tonight!