Whether you put it together the night before or first thing in the morning, a daily plan is a must-have in my book. It hardly ever goes exactly as planned, and that’s ok.

But having the plan together in the first place gives direction for my day and keeps me better focused on what needs to be done.

Here are some questions to start:

• What are your priorities?
• Where do they fit into your routine?
• What action steps to do you need to take?

Appointments

What appointments do you have that day that you need to plan your tasks around? Write down the appointments, not just for you, but for your family members as well. Having the big picture of what is going on will help you tackle your day without stress.

Routine

What daily methods do you use to make sure daily to-do’s get accomplished? For example, a morning routine is a great way to ensure a good start to your day. Other good routines to have are before bed, afternoon, and evening.

I think the importance of routines is hugely underestimated. And they’re not complicated.

The definition of routine is: “A sequence of actions regularly followed.”

Simply doing some tasks in the same order each day will allow you to eventually “automatically” know what to do next.

To-Do

This is simply where you list the specific tasks you would like to accomplish that day. I also like to number a few that are my top priorities.

If you’re busy, stick to just the couple most important items. If it’s a quieter day, schedule in a few more to-dos. Or even start on the first couple tasks of a new project.

Notes

I like having a place to jot down thoughts, reminders, and anything else that pops up. By the end of the day or week, I always have a few notes down that I want to remember!

Side note: if you need a good app to keep track of notes on-the-go, then I recommend Google Keep. I use it all the time.

To incorporate all these things, I put together a daily planning page I’d like  to share with you!

Click here to download your own copy of “My Daily Plan.”

How do you create your plan of action each day?