This Is How To Plan A Day.

I am going out of town with my family tomorrow.

I have a lot to get done before we step on the plane.

I woke up with my mind spinning on repeat: work, write, errands, kids, meals, cleaning, dog. All the things I want or need to do today. Over and over. I knew I was overwhelmed by this day.

So I planned it out.

And now I know, I have 1 1/2 hours to write this morning. Plus a cushion later tonight to re-read and edit. And I know exactly when I am doing all my other tasks. And which nagging little activities don’t really need to get done today.

The best part of planning the day is that I am not wasting time with anxiety about when I will get it all done. Because I already know.

Here is how I do it:

Make a List

I wrote down all the crazy things that were in my head. It actually wasn’t as much as I thought. When you think of the same things over and over, it feels like the tornado from the Wizard of Oz. When you write them down on a piece of paper, you realize the volume of your to-do’s amounts to a strong breeze.

Here’s the kicker: the list only took me a minute or two.

I did come back to it a few minutes later to make sure I didn’t miss anything. But making the list takes no time at all. Because it was right on the tip of my brain already.

Decide How Long Each Thing Takes

Some things on your list will take 15 minutes or less. I group those things together. In my case, its things like putting the mail on hold while we are out of town. Little odds and ends. I will group those things together.

Then there are longer things. Writing. Finishing up the last pieces of a consulting project. Those each need at least an hour if not several hours. Because I only have one work project left, I know that I can spend the whole “work” time slot on the one thing, which helps.

So, I wrote down on my list how long each thing will take. And grouped together the shorter items that I can do in the same location.

Again, this step only took me a few minutes.