Pick a day to start. Specifically, pick a Monday to start. We're harnessing the power of the calendar and the natural energy a Monday brings to get you off to a good start. Fill out the dates for the next week.
2
Sunday afternoon is an ideal time to plan your schedule for the following week. Start filling out the schedule column by noting all your solid appointments, work obligations, meetings, calls, etc. Don't forget to account for drive time.
3
Now it's time to schedule tasks.
The biggest obstacles to being and feeling productive are (1) not taking the time to schedule your todo's and/or (2) scheduling too many tasks each day. This planner helps with both. Pick three - and only three - star tasks for the day and list them in the Star Task box in order of importance. Any other small tasks that you hope to complete that day are to be listed under Other Tasks.
Take time when scheduling your tasks. Do what you can to group tasks together that can be completed around other appointments, meetings, etc. Certain tasks are easier done together. You may have an appointment downtown on Tuesday and three tasks that week that need to be completed downtown. Why not do them the same day when you're already in the area? See what I mean! Grouping tasks together can save time and make you even more productive.
Once you've decided which tasks are done when, include them in the Schedule column. No need to keep the order in your brain. Put it in the planner.
4
As you go through your day, check off each Star Task, Other Task, and each event you scheduled throughout the day as they're completed. If you decide not to complete a task, put an arrow "-->" next to it to signal that it's moving to a date in the future. If the task is cancelled, put an "X" in the spot to the left.
At the end of each day, make sure you copy each "-->" task onto another day. And look over your plan for the following day, making any changes or notes as needed.
5
At the end of the week, prior to planning the week following, look over each day, noting your successes and where you feel you fell short. What happened? Did you plan too many tasks for the day? Did you have more than three Star Tasks? Did you take into account drive time? Did you take into account down time? Use this information to better plan the following week, and so on. Each week will get easier, and your planning period will be quicker.
6
You did it! Keep it up!
Notes
On each page, there's a small spot for notes. Use this for noting anything throughout the day that you want to remember. Think of something you need from the Market? A quote or idea you heard during the day? If you need to expand on a thought, there are more notes pages in the back. They're numbered, so you can reference where you notes continue.
Important Dates
After the Notes section, there's a sheet where you can list Important Dates, Anniversaries, & Birthdays.