In 4 Vital Actions, I present four areas of your day where you should focus: start, plan, connections, and finish. How and when you plan your day has a massive impact on how your day works out. What path are you going to choose for the mountains you need to climb? How will you communicate to your team what route they need to take?
I believe that in order to plan your day, you must have a solid plan for your year and quarter. As an entrepreneur, I have to make sure that every day I am putting effort into at least one of the critical strategic goals that are in my quarterly plan.
Many entrepreneurs try and do twenty things in a day. Most of us only have one solid 2-3 hour period of peak productivity in each day. What do you choose to do in your peak period? Is it meetings? Working on the most important strategic goal? Maximizing your creativity? Connecting with the most important people who can help you move ahead?
Choose one thing to do well in the day. You will actually be more productive than if you try and give scant attention to twenty different things. In order to focus, you may need to make people around you aware when you have to do project work. Close your office door, put up a flag, plug in ear phones or find some other way to signal to yourself and to others that you are not available for a period. Great work never gets done when you are constantly interrupted.
My daily planning actually starts with may weekly planning. The first working day of the week, I start by writing down all my wins from the previous week. I then write out a to-do list for the week. From that, I block book time in my calendar for the critical strategic projects that need my time and attention. Every morning I review my to-do list, go over progress so far in the week, check my people connections and plans for the day, and then do any course adjustments that may be needed. Many entrepreneurs find that reviewing their plan at the end of their work day is what works best for them. Find what works for you.
What is your plan for today?
