Planning

30 Day Challenge: Planning The Night Before

I had thought to tackle something major this month, but honestly, I need something that is going to help me stay on track rather than something that is going to shake the foundations. And for that reason, I have decided that this month’s 30 day challenge is going to be to plan the night before.

Why Planning?

I’ve noticed that when I have a plan when I get up, I get more done that day. It doesn’t seem to matter if I actually look at the plan first thing or not. It doesn’t even seem to matter if I don’t look at it until lunch. But having that plan already set means I will get it done, because somewhere my brain recognizes that it’s been done.

The Rules

It’s a simple thing: before I go to sleep, I finish up the entries for the current day, look at the next day and decide what I am going to do.

What I Hope To Gain

There are a few things I am hoping this will do for me:

  • Force a daily review. One of the things I like about bullet journaling is that I can quickly put down what I did every day. I need to do this more consistently.
  • Get the next day in my head. Even if I don’t review the list promptly in the morning, planning the night before gets things into my head and I will recall them.
  • Load balance. This will get me out of the “I had a lot to do today and now I have a lot to do tomorrow” phase. I have a tendency to push things off and not really think about what tomorrow will look like if I do.
  • Keep on track. With a plan, I am more likely to stay with it. If I don’t do it the night before I might not do it at all – especially on weekends.