3499: [Part 2] 30 Days of Daily Planning for a Better Life by Michael Mehlberg on Time Management

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Living Daily, 30 Days of Daily Planning for a Better Life, Part 2 by Michael Mehlberg of michaelmelberg.com and I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is where I read to you like a big ongoing audiobook from many different authors, but today being a continuation from yesterday, so I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first. If you're all caught up, let's get right to part two and continue optimizing your life.

[00:01:02] 30 Days of Daily Planning for a Better Life, Part 2 by Michael Mehlberg of michaelmelberg.com. If you're the detailed type who likes the idea of scheduling your day down to the last detail, keep listening. If you'd rather float through your day than plan it, skip to Method 2. Need a little structure but maybe not in great detail, skip to Method 3. Method 1. 24 hours in 20 minutes.

[00:01:29] From the moment you wake up until the moment you retreat to bed, you're going to block your entire day in 15-minute increments with meetings, administrivia, thinking time, side projects, family obligations, hobbies, and rest. Still with me? Good, because if you balk at blocking your entire day, ask yourself if you typically have the luxury of work and rest.

[00:01:55] Ask yourself if you typically get to spend time getting things done and having extra time for family, let alone hobbies. Unfortunately, the answer is too often, no. Though a completely booked calendar looks scary at first, once you realize you're in control of every moment, you find it's a productive and balanced way to work. You won't fall victim to as many distractions. You won't wish you could spend more time with your family. You'll actually block time to do so.

[00:02:24] Instead of working relentlessly without time to think, rest, and recharge, you'll plan for adequate time to work and take breaks. This, by the way, is scientifically shown to boost productivity and focus during working hours. So step one, open your primary calendar app, even if it's pen and paper for us vintage and fancy types. With your calendar open, start scheduling your most important activities in free time slots.

[00:02:52] You're literally booking an appointment with yourself for that which matters to you most. That could be family, your main job, or an exciting side project. Make sure no single task is scheduled longer than two hours. Even if you block out another two hours after a break to work on that same task, stopping for a short rest is necessary to continue on that same task productively after.

[00:03:16] You'll avoid boring your brain with one task, forcing its attention to wander and losing valuable focus. Step two, now with your most important work scheduled, fill in the rest of your day with exercise, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breaks, etc. And step three, you finally schedule those hobbies and extracurricular activities with the remaining time, filling out your day completely. If and only if you find yourself with an extra time block or two,

[00:03:46] attend to your to-do list, talking off the most important activities and scheduling them as you did your important work, hobbies, and other activities. This is the method I use the most, but it's not the only way. If, like me, you enjoy having your day laid out in front of you, completely planned from the moment you wake until the time you go to bed, try it on for size. Now if this sounds insane, try something like this. Method two, float like a butterfly.

[00:04:15] If you made it here, I've maybe convinced you that planning is important, but you're not about to lock in 64 15-minute meetings with yourself for your 16 hours of awake time tomorrow. You want to get more important work done, but you love the flexibility of not following a strict calendar. So step one, grab a small sheet of paper, index card size will do. Ask yourself, if you could get three things done tomorrow and only three things, what would they be?

[00:04:44] Write those three things down. Step two, you can't work on all three at once, so take a look at your list and circle the one you'll work on first. And step three, flip the card over and list any other small tasks, like phone calls to make, errands to run, etc., that you'd like to work on if you have time. With your highest priority items on the front and the circled task telling you which task you should tackle first, you can hit the ground running tomorrow. Try to get that circled task done by noon

[00:05:14] or whenever the middle of your workday is. Even if that's the only thing you get done, you'll have tackled your most important work first and feel great about your day. Should you find yourself between major tasks or you need a break, flip the card over and work on one of your smaller actions in between. Anything not done at the end of the day can carry over to your plan for tomorrow. And method three, limited structure. Maybe detailed 15-minute meetings with yourself sounds too stressful,

[00:05:44] but floating through your day is too loosey-goosey for your style. Here's an in-between method for blocking your time and creating just enough structure to thrive. Step one, choose the top three things you'd like to get done tomorrow, three tasks or projects that you can realistically complete that make for an awesome day. Prioritize them. Step two, make a list of errands, calls, and other administrative tasks you'd like to get done during the day. Prioritize these too.

[00:06:14] Step three, open your favorite calendaring app, pen and paper counts, and block off the most productive section of your day first. Schedule a two or three hour meeting with yourself for that highest priority task. And step four, rinse and repeat. In other words, for your next highest priority task, schedule another big block of time for yourself to work. Be sure to leave time in between your time blocks for breaks. Now, instead of worrying about the clock,

[00:06:42] you can focus on the highest priority task or project and work on it until you need a break. It's important to focus only on that one task and not get distracted by the other tasks on your list or incoming notifications and other distractions. 30 days of daily planning for a better life. Ben Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Mike Tyson, Kenneth Chenault, and 163 other corporate leaders from Fortune 500 companies have done something right

[00:07:11] and they all have something to say about planning. They may not be saving our lives in a blistering maneuver to throw ice off their twin engine propeller, like the captain that saved a few dozen passengers and me from certain death, but they all understood the importance of thinking through what's to come. The fact of the matter is, if you want to produce consistently measurable and productive results, you can't start flying to your destination in the ice storm that is tomorrow and wing it when your propeller freezes up

[00:07:41] and you plummet towards the ground. The reality is, you can't head into the boxing match that is tomorrow without a plan to win that fight, even after you inevitably get punched in the mouth. Planning your tomorrow today makes you conscious of how to use your time more effectively. It allows you to balance work and rest. As I said before, planning your day is the single most effective thing you can do to produce consistently measurable results daily and only takes 20 minutes. Whichever method you choose,

[00:08:11] set your schedule aside and finish out your day. Place it on your dresser so you can pick it up and hit the ground running tomorrow. Plan every day the night before for the next 30 days. Take 20 minutes to open your calendar, schedule your important activities and block out time for breaks, hobbies and unfulfilled tasks. What you'll find after 30 days of this single exercise is a path to your goals, a stepping stone to your vision and a means to live your purpose.

[00:08:39] And should you get proverbially punched in the mouth or find yourself with a frozen propeller and an ice storm, you'll have the means to throw your plan out, adjusting your direction on the fly while everyone else stares dumbfoundedly wondering what to do and astounded at your agility in the face of an otherwise chaotic day. You just listened to part two of the post titled 30 Days of Daily Planning for a Better Life

[00:09:08] by Michael Melberg of michaelmelberg.com. I'll be right back with my commentary. As a small business owner, you never clock out and neither does LinkedIn Jobs. While you're running your business, LinkedIn Jobs is running a powerful search for your next great hire. We've been lucky finding our team here at Optimal Living Daily and I think LinkedIn Jobs would have taken luck out of the equation, finding us the best quickly. Post your job for free or pay to promote and let their intelligent matching system connect you with candidates

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[00:10:05] helps them find high-quality candidates. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash selection. That's linkedin.com slash selection to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Looking for a snack that works as hard as you do? Wonderful Pistachios is one of the highest protein nuts. Each one-ounce serving has six grams of protein, giving you over 10% of your daily value. Pistachios are known for their protein power,

[00:10:32] fiber, and better-for-you unsaturated fats for a combination that may help keep you feeling fuller longer. Plus, Wonderful Pistachios is a complete protein, providing all nine essential amino acids. Super satisfying, cracking open the shell, but their No Shells varieties give you all that nutritious goodness without slowing you down. They're perfect for those busy days when you need a quick protein boost. With delicious options like sweet chili and honey roasted, there's a flavor for every craving.

[00:11:01] And their newest flavor, Unsalted No Shells, holds the salt, but definitely not the flavor. Whether you're powering through your day or unwinding in the evening, Wonderful Pistachios is your perfect snacking companion. Get snacking and get cracking with a snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more. Thank you again to Michael. I like that there are different methods for different people, because that's the truth of this all.

[00:11:29] I might read a ton of articles, but only some will apply to my life. There are good things to remember and sometimes a refresher, but we're all unique and what works for one won't work for all. With me personally, I really don't think planning my entire day down to 15 minute blocks would work well, but it might for you. For me, I tend to lean towards the second method, having just a few important tasks that I really want to get done. Because I've noticed in my own life, especially with our podcast,

[00:11:58] that if I try to plan too much detail, it actually causes more stress than help. But at the same time, having no plan at all, that's probably not the best either, because accomplishing those couple of big things really does feel good and adds to my overall happiness. And I also like that he emphasized planning breaks. Rest is just as important as work, so actually scheduling that downtime can make a huge difference. So thank you again to Michael for this one. Good stuff to think about.

[00:12:28] And thank you for being here every day. It means a lot. And an extra thank you if you've ever shared this podcast with someone else, that's a huge help to keep this going. Have a great week, and I'll be back tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.