Ever wish you could get more out of your already busy day?  Do you ever find yourself drained by the end of the day with less time for family and friends?  Luckily there is a solution to this common problem. 

The simple tip is this: Use a planner.  Though there are many people who use one already, there are also many who rely on remembering or someone else telling them to remember things to do.  A good old fashioned planner that you have to write in is important and easy to use for remembering important and pressing tasks and appointments that need to be done. 

I recommend the old fashioned kind over the desk calendars because of how compact and convenient they are.  You can bring them with you anywhere. 

I remember my pre-college days when I was extremely unorganized and was way too spontaneous to ever really get the most out of my day.  I was able to get by just fine this way, but was always unsure about what I had going on the next day.  Things in my life got squeezed because of this and important things often got pushed to the side because of a lack of preparedness.

Once I started my first quarter in college, it was as if the rules had completely changed and no one had bothered to tell me.  I was no longer able to get by relying on spontaneity.  I soon learned that a planner would save me a lot of stress.  I was right. 

By having your week planned out – and I don't mean being ridiculous and planning every last detail; just important, pressing tasks – you save a lot of stress and you will find that your life will be virtually stress free.  It is the predictability of the day that a planner gives that cuts down on stress and uncertainty. 

As the philosopher Epictetus once said, "We are not afraid of the situations, but of how we view them."  If you have uncertainty, especially about your day, naturally this will compound the stress.  You are not afraid that you have to study for a test or pick up your mother from the airport, it is the view you take of that task that can cause stress. 

An even easier way of breaking things down is to write out and plan your week before it even starts.  A good suggestion is on a Sunday.  Having an idea of what needs to be done will save you a lot of time and stress.

Then, at the start of each day of the week, order things – according to priority – that need to get done.  I use a 3-digit system.  I usually give things #1 if they must get done and if they don't disaster will strike.  #2 is reserved for important items that need to get done but can wait a little later in the day.  #3 can refer to recreational activities that don't have precedence over the first two. 

If you are a student this can be especially easy. Just pull out your syllabus and look at what is due the coming week and work backwards taking baby steps toward the goal. Breaking things down into chunks makes the project more manageable. For example, here is what to do if you have a 6-page paper due by next Monday and you haven't started yet.  Monday, come up with a topic and a thesis. Tuesday and Wednesday, gather research for your topic. Thursday, figure out what specific quotes from your research you will use. Friday, write the first 3 pages. Saturday, write the last 3 pages and start editing. Sunday, have someone else and edit your paper and correct according to feedback.  You will quickly see that stress disappears because you have everything planned out and you have an action plan of steps each day toward achieving your goal. 

It works for everybody. If you are trying to get in shape you can write out what days of the week you will work out. If you are falling behind on the children's laundry, write out what day you will do that, etc.

One warning I would give is not to become so obsessed with your new found tool of planning.  In fact, you can become a slave to it if you try and plan out every detail of your week.  A good idea is to plan out big things as they come – even if they are months away – and plan out your week in advance, but then tell yourself that you won't keep opening up your planner to refer to it or plan more. 

By using these tips I am sure you will see a dramatic change in both your productivity in day-to-day tasks, and decreased levels of stress.  



Dan Olson writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.