I wrote this post a little while ago and wanted to report back to be accountable regarding how I went, even just to myself.  I was following a plan I read about on Asian Efficiency that I felt really made sense and already fit in with how I currently plan my days (if I plan them).  So, how did my planning go??

Great, at first, then it went to average, and then to total shit!

At first I could plan my day out really well. Then I had a few days where I wasn’t really sure what I should do, then I just stopped because a few things happened and my routine was massacred. After that it kept getting massacred and I kept having more and more trouble figuring out how to get back on the path.

I usually have a very structured day routine. I wake up early, 5am, shower and do about 30-45 minutes of work. I eat my breakfast and then exercise. After that I get into cleaning and then onto work. One of my huge problems is not knowing what work to do. I will waste time if I don’t know what I should tackle. I will also waste time if I don’t want to do a particular bit of work that day. I wouldn’t call it procrastinating, I’d be more likely to call it confusion about what other job should be a priority. Whenever this happens I need to regain focus and sometimes that doesn’t happen too easily.

In the first days I DID get a lot done and I had a list pre-made to refer to so whenever I felt a bit lost I just grabbed that list and was able to move on to a job on it. My day was set out with work times and structure that worked with my current routines. The work time spaces have a list of things to do and it was easy to mark off each thing as I finished it and be happy with the results.  I even planned in fun things to do, something I need to make more time for.

For me the planning and list making did work, what was challenging was how to maintain it when things were not working out how I planned.  I also find myself getting thrown afar, and have so much trouble getting back on the path.

I really need to start the process again. As I type this the notebook I was using is in front of me and I hope to write up a list for tomorrow. There is just one problem, I don’t know what I need to do tomorrow…

Do you follow a plan for productivity in your day?  How does it work out?  And what do you do when you get thrown off the path?