Practice a 5 minute “Brain Dump”
Take 5 minutes to write out everything you have to do in the coming hours, days, weeks, months. Anything that comes to mind – write it down! You might find that you’ll have much more to think about after the 5 minutes are up.
Make a list of values
Anything you deem valuable to yourself. Self-explanatory, but you probably haven’t done this since grade school. Examples include family, relationships, accountability, purpose, tolerance, make sure you are well versed in what these mean and what they mean to you.
Make a list of 3 goals or projects that contribute to those values
This list should be composed of specific projects you can complete that correlate with your values. For example:
1. If one of your values is family, a goal could be to call one of your family members once a week
2. If you value service or commitment, you could sign up to volunteer at a site
3. If one of your values listed is environmentalism, you could make it a goal to learn about how to maintain environmentally friendly and remain conscious of such
Make a list of 3 tasks you can complete helping you reach those goals for the week
These are tasks that help you complete your goal throughout the week. Thinking about these 3 tasks that contribute to your overall efforts is a concise way to go about your week.
1. If one of your values is fitness, and your goal is to meal plan, you find a way to incorporate that meal planning period into your schedule. You may choose to plan out your meals on mornings at the beginning of your week
2. If you value saving money, and your goal is to cut down on spending, plan out which days of the week you will go out to eat/indulge on coffee/etc.
3. If you value relationships, and your goal is to spend time with each friend that you can, arrange whatever plans you want to make early in the week.
This exercise is especially helpful if you write it out at the beginning of your week, that way you are prepared and organized in how to work efficiently.
Remember that the number of things you accomplish in a day is not as important as completing the things that matter throughout a day.