Big goals are exciting to set, right? There’s that rush of optimism as you imagine the outcome, but then reality kicks in! How will you close the chasm between the start and finish lines? How will you push off procrastination and fears so you finish on time? How will you work through the roadblocks that show up along the way? The answer is project management tools - because they empower you to stay on track, work methodically, and close the project gap fast.And in this article, you’ll discover FIVE of the best.These project management tools are perfect for masterminding and crushing your big goals. Some are free, all are simple to use, and each one will help you finish what you start - on time - with confidence and clarity.  Let’s dig in... 1. Brain dump using pen & paper Have you noticed how the simplest project management tools can be the most powerful?In the excitement and novelty of new ideas, there’s a rush to get started. But racing to action is a mistake. If you implement without a robust plan, you’ll set yourself up to fail.Instead, start each project with a handwritten brain dump. Pen & paper is our favorite of project management tools because these don’t suppress creativity. With a blank page and a pen you can capture thoughts as they flow. And with everything written down, you won’t overlook key components. Instead, you’ll clear out confusion by getting super clear on all the nuts and bolts.Here’s how to do an effective brain dump: - Schedule time for deep work. Remove distractions, sit tight, and don’t rush this stage! Instead, give yourself time to get into your flow state. This ensures you get beyond superficial thinking to the zone where all best ideas and solutions come from.- Aim to empty your head of ALL ideas under the following six categories: - The tasks you need to complete to achieve your project- Ideas you have- Resources you need- People who can help- Questions you need answered- Problems to solve and hurdles to overcome These categories inspire you to think broadly about your project. Remember, the more problem solving and idea generation you do now, the better your project will map out. - Don’t censor or judge ideas. This stifles deeper, creative thinking. Instead, write it all down - the good, the bad, and the ugly! It’s true; there will be a pile of rubbish, but you’ll collect far more good ones too.- Review all your notes. Read through everything to flesh out ideas and remove anything that’s repetitive, unimportant, or unnecessary. You’ll know you’ve done a good brain dump when you’ve run out of ideas!You’ll also notice a sense of mental clarity. Instead of a confusing mass of options, you’ll be clearer about the steps you need to take. When you reach this point, you can create your project plan. 2. Breakdown the big picture with a Project Action Plan Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’Thanks to your brain dump, you’ll have a solid grip on all your tasks and choices. But without a clear plan for execution, you’ll still get stuck in overwhelm and indecision. There’s just too much to consider. Where to start? What order to tackle tasks? What to do with actions you’ll complete later?Implementation is easy when you turn your brain dump into a master list of tasks. Instead of a brainstorm, you’ll use one of our best project management tools that helps you decide your plan of action, monitor your progress, and stay on track. This has many benefits: - Instead of a big scary project goal, work your way through a manageable list of smaller tasks- You’ll reduce decision fatigue and procrastination because you won’t have to constantly figure out your next steps- You’ll have an external brain to free up headspace for implementation, creative thinking, and problem-solving- And you’ll feel more confident and in control because you’ll know how the big picture breaks down For this important job, one of our project management tools of choice is the Project Action Pad. Here’s how to use it: - Start by naming your project and deciding the outcome goal - what is this project going to deliver? - Next, look through your brain dump of notes and identify all the tasks/actions that need to be done. Identify them all - even the nitty-gritty ones. That way you won’t miss a thing and your project will run smoother. - Categorize your actions and tasks in a way that makes sense. For example, what are sub-tasks of a bigger action? Which to-dos are interrelated and which actions will be done by the same person or team? - Next, write your tasks on the project action plan template so you have a comprehensive list of everything you need to get done. - Mark on due dates. Work backward from your project deadline. What tasks need to be done first? Which tasks are dependent on other to-dos being completed? Pin down due dates and you can prioritize your workload. If you don’t, you’ll struggle to hit your deadline. - Use the checkboxes to mark off completed tasks and move closer to your finish line. This helps you see at a glance what needs to be done and what’s still left to do. - Finally, use the note space to capture important ideas so everything related to your project is in one place. 3. Record other commitments and key dates on your Wall Calendar With your project action plan complete, you know what needs to get done and by when.But did you know you can make success more likely by turning your list into a project timeline?The perfect project management tool for this step is a wall calendar. Simply map out your project milestones and due dates and you’ll create a clear path to your goal. It’s a powerful way to switch your focus from starting to finishing.Here’s how...On your calendar, write down any commitments (such as vacations and other non-moveable dates) along with due dates for project tasks and milestones.With all these key dates listed you’ll be able to see:- What else your project needs to work around- Any clashes - so you can make adjustments now- If deadlines are realistic - and if not, what you need to adjustProject management tools such as the wall calendar are important for visually tracking the passage of time by crossing off days. You can’t ignore what’s staring you in the face making this a simple way to push off procrastination and keep momentum going. 4. Robust filing system Projects with lots of tasks have lots of deliverables. To avoid hunting through files or sifting through emails to find something, you need efficient filing.True, organization can feel dry, but one of the fundamental project management tools you need is a robust file management system. It will save you countless headaches and masses of time in the long run.For this, we love Google Drive. It has a free option, search functionality (so you can find stuff fast), and can be used to store everything from text, to video, to graphic files.Here’s how to use this project management tool.- Start by setting up your folders. Categorize folders in a way that makes sense to your project. This might be by topic or by collaborator for example. The key is to ensure your naming system is intuitive so you can quickly find what you need.- Set up permissions. Google Drive is cloud-based so you can access it anywhere with an internet connection. It also means anyone with permission can access your files wherever they are. This makes Google Drive perfect for collaboration. You still keep control because you decide permission. This can range from access to the entire drive right down to individual files.- Collaboration. Thanks to the file sharing function, you can work with others on the same document. So decide the process for that. Can people edit directly or do you want them to suggest edits? How will you use the chat function inside each file? Iron out these details early on and you’ll make life much easier.- Discipline. Google Drive is great, but it’s less effective if you forget to upload things. So get in the habit of saving everything pertinent to your project as you go along. That way, you’ll always know how to get your hands on anything you need. 5. Keep everyone on the same page with a Communication Tool When other people are involved in your project, you need good communication.Inefficiencies will slow you down and details get lost in translation. So get a project management tool that helps you manage discussion threads, resolve issues, keep tabs on progress, stick to deadlines, and don’t drop the ball.We love Slack for this. It’s our team’s preferred method of communication. Here are some tips for using this project management tool:- Organize your channels. One feature that makes Slack so effective is your ability to organize discussion threads by category. Rather than a free for all in a generic thread, you can separate chat into categories that make sense to your project. For example, you could create a channel for general chat, revisions, new ideas - whatever is needed for your project.- Tag the right people. In the thick of a project, chat can get busy. So remember to tag people if you want particular individuals to read or respond to a thread. You can also send everyone a notification using the @channel tag. - Talk to the right people. As well as channels you can also private message groups and individuals. This helps reduce clutter from your channels by involving only the people who need to know. This works well if you want an update on a task or to brainstorm ideas with particular people. - Share links. You can share files and links directly inside Slack. This does away with the to-ing and fro-ing of email and allows the entire discussion thread to be visible to those who need to see it. With files stored in Google Drive, simply post a link and get the feedback, decisions, or sign-off you need to keep moving. - Get social! The Best Self team is remote. We have people working in different states and different countries, yet the distance between us is small. Slack is part of the reason for this. In our TeamChat channel we all chat away as you would face-to-face. Uploading pictures, sharing small talk, and posting gifs! It seems like a small thing, but it’s helped cement us as a team and makes it so much easier to work on projects together - even if we don’t see each other in person. Time to finish what you started? It is possible to achieve massive goals - even when there’s a chasm between the start and finish lines.Simply empower yourself with the best project management tools and maximize your chances of success.Imagine how different things would be if you crushed more big projects.Imagine the sense of satisfaction, confidence, and self-esteem you’d feel if you nailed more of the things you started.Imagine the impact on your life if you could reap the benefits of goals achieved - rather than beating yourself up over opportunities lost.You’ll always have better results with big goals if you empower yourself with project management tools. So get your hands on the five outlined in this article - and see how much further they take you.You’ve got this!

The dirty little secret behind success in the modern age is that it’s tougher to achieve than ever before. Sure, there are more tools now to help you along your way, but that often results in more distractions. Throw in the fact that we’re all charged with doing more with less, and successful time management is more difficult than it ever has been.But there is a secret that high-achievers use to manage and avoid the sheer overwhelm: setting a daily routine.It’s a time-tested practice of successful people of all types, as you’ll see below.But it’s about more than just ticking off the items on your daily to-do lists; setting a routine and establishing helpful habits can lead to greater achievement. It can also help you feel a deeper sense of meaning in your life. Even better, we’ll show you the steps you need to get started on your new goal of developing a successful routine. But first, WHY is it important to set a healthy daily routine? Simply put, following a daily routine benefits our brains by cutting down on multitasking and decision fatigue. By following a structure, you’re able to turn daily tasks into habits while spending less mental energy in the process. It also promotes focusing on single tasks, which conserves your mental load for the more complex issues that pop up during the day. As this article in the New York Times points out, that actually optimizes your brain for more creative and innovative thinking.If you need further proof, there’s actually science behind the benefits of having, and sticking to, a daily routine.For starters, they’re vital to our development as humans. Experts have found that giving a child a consistent schedule builds confidence, organization, self-control and independence while also helping the brain develop properly .The benefits certainly don’t end in our infancy as researchers have recently discovered that subjects who lived by a consistent schedule also tended to attach a greater meaning to their lives. Don’t believe a daily routine is important? Check out these daily routine examples of top performers. Winston Churchill woke up at 7:30 am. He stayed in bed to eat breakfast, catch up on the news and dictate to his assistants. By 11:00 am, he’d head out to take a walk and start work for the day (always with a whiskey and soda!). At 1:00, he’d take a break for lunch and often play cards with his wife until 3:00 pm. After working for a few more hours, he’d take a quick 30-minute nap at 5:00 pm to recharge in time for dinner. Then he'd be off for drinks with friends at 5:30 pm. At midnight, he’d squeeze in an hour of reading before heading to bed.But that’s just one man. Mason Currey has compiled the daily habits of some of the world’s most successful people in his book, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work”,Maya Angelou woke up at 5:30 am and had coffee with her husband at 6:00 am. She then would be off to work by 6:30 am in a small hotel room she reserved for writing only. By 2:00 pm, she’d wrap up for the day and head home to re-read her work, disconnect, and prepare dinner.Novelist John Grisham would wake up at 5 a.m. in order to arrive at his home office desk by 5:30. There, he would write one page before heading to his day job as a lawyer.Toni Morrison drinks a cup of coffee and watches the sun come up before she sits down to write.But it’s hardly just writers who stick to a schedule. Presidents (Barack Obama, George W. Bush), Philosophers (Immanuel Kant) and visionaries (Benjamin Franklin) -- some of the world’s great do-ers -- have used well-defined daily routines to accomplish more in their 24 hours. The Secret To Making Success A Habit A routine is simply the set of habits that help you get things done. Chances are, you already have one -- think of all the things you do before you begin your workday.The key to establishing a daily routine for success is to create new habits based on your higher-level goals (we call these Result Goals). You can make them as automatic as getting dressed in the morning (or early afternoon).While it may sound daunting -- we all know habits can be hard to break -- studies show that goal-based habits are actually easier to establish.And if you’re the type who has trouble sticking with something like this, the 13-Week Roadmap section of our Self Journal points out that scientists have found that “goal setting is one of the easiest ways to increase motivation and enhance performance.”So, start by identifying your goals. They’ll let you know which habits you’ll need to make AND provide the motivation to do it. Use Your New Habits to Make Your Own March Let’s say your Result Goal is to double your quarterly revenue. It’s nice and actionable. By breaking it into a smaller chunk than a year-long goal, you’ll be less likely to become distracted.But how do you create habits from that?Using our Self Journal as a guide, you’ll then break that goal down into Progress Milestones, which are the trackable, measurable benchmarks you’ve identified that will lead to achieving your goal. Following our revenue example, your progress milestone might be to convert 13 prospects into new clients.The goal is to figure out which day-in, day-out Actions and Tasks are needed to get you there. Then, you can turn those tasks into daily habits.We call this the “20-Mile March." It's a reference to the story of two teams racing to the South Pole in 1911. The team that trudged through 20 miles per day, regardless of weather, bested the team that bunkered down during blizzards and tried to make up ground when the conditions improved. That 20 miles per day turned out to be a pretty successful daily habit.It’s that consistent progress that we modeled our 13-Week Roadmap after. In order to land 13 new clients this quarter, your “20-Mile March” could be to make 15 cold calls per day and attend two networking meetings per week. And with consistency, those actions will turn into the habits that lead you to your Progress Milestones and Result Goals. Make Time for Your New Habits With Time Blocking A routine is only as successful as your willingness to adhere to it. The countless distractions that fly your way throughout your day can make it especially hard. The best shield against this onslaught is time blocking. It’s a topic worthy of its own post, which we covered here.We recommend a well-rounded routine, so be sure to make time for your Personal and Health-related goals, too. Don’t forget to block out time for some helpful habits before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Make Sure You are Rigid, but Your Routine is Flexible Adherence and discipline are key. But don’t be afraid to admit if something isn’t working. If you just haven’t been giving yourself enough time to connect with your employees or get your busy work done, you can adjust. If you’re consistently missing your Progress Milestones, develop a new plan. Your daily actions and progress milestones aren’t your destination, they’re the steps toward it. And as with any road map, there are many ways to get where you’re going.Some vital steps to follow:Actively track your goals and progress dailyReflect on your progress dailyIf you’ve been successful, reward yourself. This will give you the positive reinforcement you need to keep going, especially if your ultimate goal is still a month or two away. This will keep you engaged.If you haven’t been successful, figure out why and adjust. Rather than get discouraged by your lack of progress, let the ability to adjust your direction energize you.Setting up an actionable routine, and giving yourself attainable, measurable steps toward your goals not only makes your day and duties more manageable, it optimizes your brain for success. By using these techniques, you can take control of your time and success by developing the habits of a successful daily routine.

Habits make up who we are. They also play a huge role in who we can become. There are numerous bad habits that hurt our productivity every day. These are common habits that don’t seem like a big a deal on the surface. But the fact is if you’re doing these things you won’t reach your full potential. “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”Tony Robbins We all realize how important our habits are and the impact they have on our lives. Yet, we all have bad habits. Some are more damaging than others. The most damaging are things we do every day that we might not even recognize as bad habits. Are you ready to discover the bad habits that are slowing you down and preventing you from reaching your top productivity? And how to fix them? Identifying Bad Habits in Your Daily Routine Bad habits come in two forms: Mindset Habits and Action Habits. Your mindset habits consist of your beliefs and thoughts about yourself and others. They are the phrases and thoughts you repeat to yourself consistently over time. They play a key role in how you see yourself and in how you act. Bad mindset habits also affect your ability to make positive changes. Action habits are the things you do repeatedly, often without even noticing. Biting your nails, starting your day with a sugary breakfast, and checking your phone messages as soon as you wake up, are all examples of action habits. Common Bad Habits That Hurt Productivity So, which bad habits are part of your daily routine? Could you be doing some simple things that hurt your productivity without even realizing it? If so, how can you fix it? The first step in fixing a bad habit is identifying it. Once you’ve identified your bad habits, then you need to break them. Easier said than done, right? Don’t worry. Let’s take a look at seven common bad habits that are hurting your productivity and how you can fix them. Here are some tips to help you catch yourself when you fall into bad habits, AND what you can do to break them. Mindset Habits Habit #1: Negative Self-Talk – There’s no better way to hurt your productivity than negative self-talk. Putting yourself down, beating yourself up, and telling yourself you can’t, all lead to negative outcomes. Have you ever caught yourself saying something like: “I’ll never be successful;” “I can’t do it;” “There’s no use;” or “I’ll never change?” These statements will become self-fulfilling prophecies.Use “Triggers” for Positive Self-Talk – You must avoid negative self-talk like a plague if you want to be productive. According to Jennice Vilhauer Ph.D.,you need to do four things to stop negative self-talk: Notice the critic, separate the critic from you, talk back to the critic, and replace the critic. One way to stop negative self-talk and replace it is to use “triggers,” like the Breathe Band, for example. Triggers help remind you to use positive self-talk. For example, when you see your trigger you could say something like: “I GOT this;” “I CAN do this;” “I AM good enough;” or “I WILL get better.” Habit #2: Indecisiveness – Some decisions are hard and no one wants to make the wrong choice. However, being indecisive can be worse than choosing wrong. Because, failing to make a choice leads to unfinished business, making you less productive.Set a Deadline – One effective way to overcome indecisiveness is to set a realistic deadline. By giving yourself a deadline you force yourself to make a decision. You can add even more accountability by sharing your deadline with others. Executive coach, Steven Berglas, says you need to trust your gut, cut back on the number of options you consider, and prioritize your demands. “Indecision is all about avoiding 1) the choice between two negative alternatives, one of which has to be adopted, or 2) the choice between two fairly equal courses of action.” If you make the wrong choice, you can learn from it, and in many cases, correct it. Habit #3: Rationalizing – When you rationalize you basically lie to yourself. This kind of talk leads to excuses. It also leads to avoiding the hard tasks. Rationalization allows you to waste time on less important or irrelevant matters instead of the most important tasks. It could even lead to making poor choices that you know are wrong. If you hear yourself saying things like I’m too frustrated, my situation is different, I don't have time, or that won’t work because…., then you’re rationalizingBe Honest With Yourself – Whenever you recognize you’re not being honest with yourself be courageous and decisive. You can do this by focusing on what matters most. If necessary, go some place quiet where you can meditate. Take ownership of your responsibilities and compare the impact of completing or not completing them. Focus on the positive and ask questions like: why not? and what’s stopping me? Keep your eye on the goal and find someone to hold you accountable. Action Habits Habit #4: Doing the Easy Tasks First – When you delay the hard tasks to do the easy stuff first, you run out of time to get the hard tasks done. This is a vicious cycle that leads to low productivity and a low success rate.Schedule Your Most Important Tasks First – Think of the "Eat The Frog First" strategy, which essentially means getting the worst task of your day done first. You can use the Self Journal to help you schedule your most important tasks at the beginning of the day. When you get the hard tasks out of the way first, it frees up your mind, your time, and your energy to get the easy stuff done. Habit #5: Checking and Responding to Email Throughout the Day – What’s wrong with checking your email? It’s an important part of work, right? The problem is every time you check your email you lose valuable time reading and responding to your messages. This is a huge time killer and the more time you waste, the less time you have to be productive and get the most important tasks done.Plan Your Email Time – One of the best ways best to beat this habit is to designate certain blocks of time during the day to view and respond to email. Turning off push notifications, or closing your email browser completely can also help. Habit #6: Using Your Phone Right Before Bed – First off, your quality of sleep will likely be affected. The blue light from electronic devices slows the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, which makes you more tired. That means you’re likely to stay awake even longer. Additionally, a “quick browse” of the Internet can quickly turn into an hour or more of wasted time. That time could also be used for sleep.Set a Cutoff Time – If you use your phone at night set a cutoff time to stop using it; at least an hour before bedtime. Leaving your phone in another room also removes the temptation to look at it after you’ve climbed into bed. Habit #7: Putting Work Ahead of Sleep – Working hard is a great attribute but working too hard, or too much, is a bad habit. If you work too much you become less productive, especially when you put work ahead of sleep. Getting enough sleep is extremely important if you want to keep your productivity at the highest level.Schedule a Bedtime – Prioritize your time and set a daily routine. To do this you should schedule specific time for work and specific time for sleep. Try setting an alarm, 45 minutes before bedtime. This will remind you to stop working and get ready for bed. Make sure you schedule enough time in your routine for sufficient, quality sleep every day. Lack of sleep not only leads to reduced productivity but also poor health. The Trick To Changing Habits Breaking a bad habit is not impossible. But there are some important steps you need to take if you want to break a habit once and for all. Essentially, changing habits comes down to these three powerful steps. For more info see: “3 Powerful Ways To Break Bad Habits – Once And For All!”.:     Start Small and Find Someone to Hold You Accountable – Take it one step at a time and start with the FIRST step. Also, find someone who will hold you accountable that won’t let you give up.     Treat It Like a Business Plan – If you want to be successful in business, you create a plan and you stick to it. To overcome a bad habit, come up with a plan or a strategy to wipe it out. And stick to it.     Get To Know Your Bad Habit – Take a closer look at your habits and when they occur. This will help you identify what triggers them. How to Create Good Habits Fixing bad habits is important. Creating good habits is JUST as important. So how do we do that? The answer is habit stacking, which you can read more about in our post: “What Stephen Curry Can Teach Us About Creating Successful Habits.” Simply put, habit stacking is the process of creating habits. Start by choosing your new habits. Next, you plan a time to DO each habit, and lastly, you track yourself doing it. Start with one habit at a time. When you create a successful new habit, then add another one. Fix Your Bad Habits and Increase Your Productivity The sooner you recognize your bad habits, the sooner you can fix them. Remember: Your life is determined by your habits. If you're not able to accomplish as much as you want or your life isn't what you want it to be, the first place to look is your habits. By taking action and implementing these powerful tips you can eliminate bad habits, for good. On the flip side, failing to fix your bad habits decreases productivity and leads to missed opportunities to become more successful. So start today. Identify and fix your bad habits, and start developing good ones to replace them. Ready to act?

With more options comes more stress, but you can cut down on distractions with time blocking. We rarely interact with single-functionality technology anymore. Every piece of technology has a number of uses. When we open our laptops to write a report, it’s not like using a typewriter. We’re not limited by our laptops to just write. Instead, we can also check our email, pull together that presentation and make plans for dinner — all while “writing that report.” Learning the practice of time blocking will ensure that your to-do list doesn't get lost in an endless stream of distractions. “The more options there are, the easier it is to regret anything at all that is disappointing.” – Barry Schwartz With so many options, we often turn to multi-tasking. And it’s not limited to what we can do on a single device. Instead, we’re working on our laptops while checking our phones and getting notifications from our smartwatch. It’s no wonder we’re trying to cram all our tasks in at once. But is that really an ideal way to go about completing work? And, the better question, is there a better alternative? Get More Done Without Multi-Tasking Could it be true? Despite the millions of people who seem to thrive on the hamster wheel of multi-tasking, can you really accomplish more goals without doing so? The thing is, people aren’t getting work done because of multi-tasking. They’re getting work done despite it. Multi-tasking is, by definition, doing multiple tasks simultaneously. Your brain can’t be in two different places at once, so you switch between multiple activities quickly. Neuroscientists call this activity switching, which means quickly moving between several tasks. By doing this, you’re unknowingly jeopardizing the quality of your work. Switching can lower productivity by a whopping 40 percent. So, What Can You Do Instead? Multi-tasking may be tempting, but it’s important to remove all distractions before working. Distractions aren’t always video games or social media, or even your phone. It’s anything that isn’t directly essential to the work you’re doing. So if your goal is to finish writing a report, you don’t need to have your spreadsheets open. They might be work-related, but they’re a distraction if they’re not related to the work you’re doing right now. Work in Time Blocks Once you’ve removed your distractions, it’s time to schedule work. Create a to-do list and block time for a certain task or project. At BestSelf Co., we call this time blocking. Time blocks are productive and ensure you knock out your daily goals because they keep you focused when you need it most. To begin time blocking, you’ll first need to write down your high-priority tasks for the day. Then think about the length of the time block you can commit to realistically. Some choose to have multiple hours of deep work dedicated to long tasks, whereas others prefer 30-minute blocks. There isn’t a right or wrong answer, it’s completely dependent on your own work habits. During your allotted time, make sure you’re in a distraction-free zone where you can completely focus on your work. Once you sit down to work on your project, that’s the only thing you can work on. You can’t switch tasks, no matter how urgent they may seem. No checking your phone and definitely no opening Facebook. You must focus on finishing as much of your task as you can. But once your time is up, take a break and enjoy your free time. Put that task or project out of your mind because you’ve put in the hours for the day. Time blocking doesn’t only work well for big tasks or projects either. We use it for every single moment in our work day by completing small tasks during a specific time period. When we get down to work, we know the one task we’re supposed to be focused on at that moment and that’s the only thing we work on. It does wonders for our productivity. Benefits of Time Blocking Blocking time off in your calendar works because it prevents you from multi-tasking by giving you a single task to focus on. Time blocking makes sure you spend time on your most important work each day. It also provides a clear record of what you have spent time on in the past so you know how you might need to reallocate your time. Aside from being aware of the areas to focus on, time blocking also frees up more mental space. You won’t be worried that you didn’t finish your most important task of the day because you were scrolling through Facebook. When you time block, you know that you’ll get everything done by the end of the day as long as you stick to your schedule. You don’t need to think about any of your other projects. You won’t end the day wondering where all your time went. You’ll know each day that you’ve spent your time well. Sitting down and making a list of priority projects and making a time block for each one can significantly reduce your stress. You’ll be able to get more done with less worry. While putting together your time blocks, it’s important to keep in mind the length of the task. Some tasks may take twenty minutes while others need multiple time blocks over several weeks to complete. If you’re looking to get things done efficiently and create a bullet-proof time management strategy, try time blocking and experience the massive benefits for yourself.

As an entrepreneur, does the following scenario sound familiar? You start the day bright and early, coffee in hand and a list of tasks spread out before you. You’re feeling unstoppable, ready to crush your to-do list. But then, the phone rings. It’s a client, asking if they can add a few new things to the project you agreed upon. That call runs for an hour, and by then it’s already 10 am, practically lunch, so there’s no harm in taking a few minutes to read your favorite productivity blog (because, hey, if you’re reading about productivity it’s not procrastinating, right?). Lunch comes and goes, and then you decide to check your email just to make sure you haven’t missed any important messages. You then look up a couple hours later, realize it’s already 4 pm, and you haven’t even started work on the client project you promised you’d deliver tomorrow. You spend the next few hours hammering that out, and by then it’s already time for bed. You glance at your to-do list, realize you barely accomplished your most important tasks --, and hope that tomorrow will be better. If this sounds like you, then you need to take control of your days. You need a tool that will help you not just stay on top of your current tasks, but also help you make the strategic changes necessary to propel your business forward. You need a productivity planner. What Is a Productivity Planner? For our purposes, a productivity planner is a physical notebook that you use to set, track, and review your goals and habits. Productivity planners often exist to help you implement a particular productivity system, but they can also be a simple as a notebook with a blank calendar. Usually, however, they aim to provide a bit more direction, and they’re also designed to help you with goal setting and habit change (as opposed to a normal daily calendar, which helps you keep track of events, meetings, and other commitments). Why Use a Productivity Planner? Why should you bother using a productivity planner at all? Can’t you accomplish the same goals with just a digital calendar and to-do list software? You can get the same results without a productivity planner, in theory. But in practice, a calendar and a to-do program alone may lead you to focus only on keeping up with your current commitments and maintaining the status quo, while missing the bigger picture. You may be surviving, but you’re not progressing. A productivity planner, in contrast, exists to help you make progress by breaking down ambitious goals into smaller, more manageable steps, as well as building new habits that push you out of your comfort zone. A productivity planner combines a calendar with daily pages, checklists, and other aspects of time management tools to help you reach a place of unprecedented momentum and productivity that you never thought possible. If you want to be productive, move forward in your business, and make big things happen, then you need a tool that does more than just help keep you in the same spot. You need a planner that will help you perform the time management necessary to reach new heights. But how do you use a productivity planner? How do you prevent it from becoming just another dusty book on your shelf that you bought and never opened? How to Use a Productivity Planner Successful people understand that the best productivity planner (or system) is the one you use. So don’t obsess over the choice; here is no “best” productivity planner. There are many good options, some of which will work better for you than others. It’s a mistake to think that the right productivity problem will solve all your problems without any effort on your part. The planner exists to guide you and keep you accountable, but it can’t replace the time you need to spend doing the work. The best productivity planners give you just enough help to get more done without getting in your way or becoming a chore to use. If using your productivity planner becomes just another difficult, unpleasant task on your to-do list, then you’re not going to use it, defeating the point of getting one to begin with. Here are our tips for getting the most out of whatever productivity planner you choose: 1. Commit to the System Once you’ve picked a productivity planner, stick with it. It’s easy to give up on a system after a couple days because you’re not seeing immediate results, but you need to give it time. Productivity is a habit, and habits aren’t something you can build overnight (or even in a couple weeks). If you spend time transitioning to a new productivity planner every time you run into trouble with your current one, then you’re distracting yourself from the ultimate productivity goals. We suggest that you stick with a productivity planner for at least a month before considering a new one, and ideally even longer. This will ensure that you’re judging the quality of the system objectively, instead of just letting frustration or boredom direct your decisions. 2. Use It Daily Committing to the system is a high-level goal that won’t succeed unless you use the productivity planner every day. How much you’re required to do each day will depend on the productivity planner you choose (some let you do less on the weekends, for example). But you should accomplish something in your planner each day, even if it’s just making some notes or sketches of ideas. This is how you get into the habit of using your planner, ensuring that it will be worth the money you paid for it. 3. Review Regularly The only way to tell if you’re accomplishing your goals (and to evaluate the effectiveness of your system) is to perform regular reviews. Most productivity planners will have space for you to stop and perform weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly assessments of what you wanted to achieve, what you did achieve, and how you can close the gap between the two with your future actions. As Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. Regular reviews of your productivity planner will help you make sure that you are examining your life, that you are continuing to make progress. 4. Plan at Different Levels The best planners help you focus on what you can most directly control (today) while also helping you set ambitious, yet realistic, goals for the future. Specifically, your productivity planner will help you plan (and review) at daily, weekly, and monthly levels. Let’s look at each of these levels in more detail: Daily - Daily planning makes sure you're reaching the daily productivity that will adds up to help you achieve your bigger goals. Planning each day (ideally the night before) helps you work with greater purpose and achieve your important daily tasks (while resisting unimportant distractions). Weekly - Weekly planning helps you figure out how to break up larger projects or tasks over the course of the week, as well as how you’ll fit in your work sessions amid other commitments such as meetings, calls, and business admin tasks. This level also includes a weekly review where you examine what went well with the week and how you can improve in the future. Monthly - Monthly productivity planning takes things an additional step up, looking at how your larger projects fit into your overall business and personal development goals, as well as considering how commitments such as travel or the start of new projects will dictate what you focus on in a particular week. Beyond each of these levels, you can also plan in quarterly or annual increments. However, these are such large increments (and so much can change within them) that we recommend you worry about them less than you do daily, weekly, and monthly planning. By keeping your scope a bit closer, you can make sure that your goals remain realistic and your good habits are accumulating. Don’t Just Set Goals, Achieve Them We hope you now see how powerful a productivity planner can be in helping you accomplish your goals and build powerful habits. The right planner will keep you on track at all levels, help you reflect and evaluate your progress, and ultimately lead to a life where you’re exceeding the status quo, not just maintaining it. If you’re looking for a productivity planner to help you accomplish these goals, then we recommend the Self Journal. It’s a powerful yet simple daily planner to help you structure your day, enjoy life, and reach your goals quicker than you thought possible.