Episode 31: How to Plan Your Day

Today’s episode is actually the last episode in a little mini-series about planning your month, week and day. Back in Episode 29, we talked about how to plan your month. Then episode 30 was all about planning your week. A lot of busy moms are thinking big picture right now with 2023 on the horizon. Before you get too far in that thinking, I want to caution you. It may be more important to make sure your daily planning is locked in first. Once you are confident in your daily plan, an annual plan will follow.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the free notebook system set-up guide, you will definitely want to do that before diving into today’s episode since everything will make a lot more sense. This free notebook set-up guide will show you examples from my MAP Book. These pages include monthly, weekly and daily pages. If you are a visual person like me, you will love this resource.

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

All that being said, let’s dive into how to plan your day, in 5 minutes or less! 

How to Plan Your Day: Set Up Your Daily Page

Before we dive into the nitty gritty, remember that I have been using my MAP Book for years now. I have had a lot of time to fine-tune my process and what works for me won’t necessarily work for you. Feel free to tweak and make adjustments as needed!

When I set up my daily page of my notebook, the first thing I do is write the date at the top. Then, I number the next three lines for my goal statements. I skip a line, then number the next 3 lines from 1-3 for my goal activities. Then, I skip a line again, and number 1-3 for my top 3 daily tasks, this time with circles around them. Finally, I skip a line and do 5 bullet points to list the things that I am grateful for. Don’t worry, we’re going to get into what each of these sections mean right now!

How to Plan Your Day: Goal Statements

Each day, I like to write down the 3 goal statements or mantras that I want to be true in my life. Right now, I write: 

1. My life inspires others. 
2. I am a calm and present mom.
3. I am in the best shape of my life.

These tend to be the same mantras for about a quarter or so, or until I feel like they have run stale for me. These also may take some tweaking as you get used to them, but I love reminding myself of my main goals everyday.

How to Plan Your Day: Goal Activities

The next three numbers on the page are the activities that I’m going to do that day to make those goals come true. So maybe today I am going to meet with a coaching client (“My life inspires others”), bake cookies with my kids (“I am a calm and present mom”) and do a 30-minute Hiit workout (“I am in the best shape of my life”). I write these down to make sure that I am actively working towards these goals each day.

How to Plan Your Day: Top 3

Once my goals are written down, my next step to planning my day is to write down the top 3 activities that I want/need to accomplish. Most days, the first one is my workout and the other two are variable, depending on what my workload looks like. For awhile, one of them was a cleaning task while I worked to establish my cleaning routine. I always ask myself, if nothing else got done, what 3 things would I wanted to have accomplished? Those are my top 3. 

My top three for today are 1) Morning workout 2) Record this podcast episode 3) Take my girls to jujitsu. That’s it! If nothing else happens today, those three things are my priority.

How to Plan Your Day: Gratitudes 

The 5 bullet points are where I write 5 things each day that I am grateful for. You want to try to be as specific as possible here. I have noticed huge improvements in my happiness when I take time to notice things that I am grateful for versus when I don’t. I try to keep these short and sweet, but challenge myself to write more specific things than just “my health” or “my house”.

For example, this week I am grateful for a brand-new pillow that helps me to sleep well at night. Second, I am thankful for eating Thanksgiving dinner with my favorite people in the world. I am also thankful that my husband brings me coffee in the morning, that my dogs are currently cuddled at my feet. And finally, that it was warm enough to walk outside at lunch today.

How to Plan Your Day: Daily Tasks

Finally, the last section is just a free-for-all of any tasks that need to get done, but aren’t in my top 3. I usually prioritize these and write down how long I think it will take them to get done and check them off as I go.

And there you have it! This is how I plan in 5 minutes or less each day.

Let’s Make a Plan!

Before anything else, be sure that you take the time to set up your notebook organizational system (get your free guide here). I promise, this will take 60 minutes or less!

After that is done, set up your daily page for tomorrow. Challenge yourself to write the numbers first, then fill it in. You will get faster as the things you write become more routine. Honestly, I have found that just numbering the page helps me fill things in faster, since I have a framework to work in.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Spotify or YouTube so you don’t miss next week’s episode, which is going to be all about how to plan a personal growth solo retreat. I have big dreams for my retreat this year that involve palm trees, so be sure to tune in!  

Finally, if you want to connect between episodes, be sure to give me a follow over on Instagram – @sharonlegercoaching. I would love to support you on your personal growth journey! 

Did You Love This Episode?

If so, be sure to share it with a friend – this helps busy moms like you to find me!

And finally, you can also check out these related episodes that I think you’ll be obsessed with:

Planning a Successful Week

Prioritizing Workouts as a Busy Mom

The Secret To Being an Organized Mom