My Simple Daily Planning Routine Which Helps Me to Stay Organized

I assume you've already done the first step, which is to plan out your day, and I've come to the realization that planning isn't going to cut it.

I clearly recall devoting a great deal of time to meticulously planning out each day or week on my calendar or to-do list, and crafting what appeared to be the ideal strategy to achieve my objectives.

I found great satisfaction in formulating my plans, but I became stuck in what I term "plan numbness" whenever it came time to settle down and put them into action.

Planning Paralysis

This is the stage where you are intuitively aware of what to do, but you put in more time planning it out. More often than not, you have a plan for when and what you're going to do.

When you feel like giving up or when anything gets in the way of your ability to just get the job done.

Adding journaling elements to your planning can be a game-changer if you're at that stage, in my experience.

So, after years of hopelessly stalled planning, I finally figured out a simple and successful approach that combines journaling with planning. Now, not only can I plan out what I'm going to accomplish the next day, but I can also really execute my plan, stay motivated, and enjoy the process.

Journaling vs Planning

From what I've seen, there are probably a few factors at play if you've been planned everything out in great detail, yet you keep putting things off till the last minute.

First, you may be uninspired because you haven't linked the plan's activities to good feelings or because you haven't connected them to your long-term goals.

Here is where keeping a journal can be quite helpful; it gives you a space to reflect on the here and now while also giving you a chance to think about the bigger picture.

For all your life's endeavors, it provides a means to corral and arrange your jumbled ideas and feelings before releasing them onto paper.

Which of the two approaches — journaling or planning — will probably feel more comfortable and natural to you, depending on your personality type.

Planning has always come more naturally to me because my personality has always leant toward the rational side of things.

I think that in order to succeed in the long run and to actually get the job done consistently, you need to like doing it, even though planning and writing are wonderful exercises in and of themselves.

You might as well do both if it fits in with your broader life goals. You risk losing sight of the broader view and some of those pleasant emotions if you fixate on simply outlining the tasks you will perform and when you will complete them.

Instead of getting mired in thought when you journal without a strategy, you might correlate the activities with positive outcomes that will encourage you to finish them.

Planning and scheduling, then, are concepts that I generally link to the rational aspect of things.

Time blocking, making a list of everything you need to accomplish, and organizing your week are all part of it. That quote in the beginning is spot on.

It is said,

"You plan to fail if you fail to plan."

Possibly because I'm more of a natural planner, but I always think of planning as the first, most fundamental step in reaching any objective you set for yourself.

My day's winds don't seem all that important when I look at them, which could mean that I wasn't paying attention or wasn't giving it my all.

I plan to make a note of three things I can do better the following day.

I am making an effort to reflect on the day's events, figure out what went wrong, and then change something practical for tomorrow.

Conclusion

So, I used to do my journaling and planning in separate sessions, but now I see how crucial it is to combine the two.

Since there is no room in another planner, I have made my own daily planner and I suggest that you do the same. Find out as much as you can on your own.