By: Chin Hing

Daily planners have been the secret weapon for leaders of the ages; many still use traditional pen & paper, but some are beginning to migrate to digital tools on smartphones and computers. Here are some tips to help maximize your output through the fine art of self-management. After all, a successful leader can only bring out the potential of his team through proper delegation and prioritization of tasks.

1.     Set big goals first thing in the morning

Don’t use your planner to remind you of menial things like grocery, cleaning, etc. It clutters up your mental workspace and makes you feel like you’re busier than you actually are. Set big and realistic goals to motivate yourself/your team. I find that I get the most out of myself by setting clear goals for the month and breaking them down into milestones for the week and days.

Make it a daily habit to refer to your planner the first thing every morning. It’ll keep you on track, accountable for your actions, and give you a clear roadmap of what your day will look like before it even begins.

2.     Prioritize by importance, not ease of accomplishment

It’s tempting to organize by ease of accomplishment, as you can quickly check things off your daily list. Don’t fall into this trap by ensuring that you prioritize your tasks by importance and actually set out to accomplish them first before tending to the lesser details. It’s a matter of self-discipline to ensure that the really pressing matters, however challenging they may be, are dealt with first.

3.     Crossing things off: the psychology of positive reinforcement

It’s well documented physiology plays a big role in achieving goals. Your brain releases a chemical called dopamine every time you check something off your list. This chemical is the key component in your brain’s reward pathway and it is responsible for pleasure, learning and motivation. The more you experience this pleasure, the more likely your brain will retain this habit/pursue this action to seek that feeling of accomplishment. Making it easier and easier for you to get things done as you become more and more motivated to become an achievement machine.

This is why it’s also important to break down big goals into achievable bite-sized chunks. If goals are too big, and we fail to meet targets on a daily basis, our brain is constantly discouraged and we subconsciously become averse to working towards those targets.

4.     Weekly reviews to evaluate progress

Ever had the feeling like you’ve had a really productive week and got a lot of things done? But looking back, you’re nowhere closer to getting to your target/goals? Make sure you conduct weekly reviews to see what daily actions you’re setting in place. Are your actions contributing to your goals? They may be important (or at least you think they are), but not a necessary component to accomplishing your targets or goals. A weekly review will help you adjust and iterate your process as you progress.

5.     Routine vs. Flow theory

I often hear bloggers, musicians, artist talking about “going with the flow” and arguing that they can’t force themselves to produce when necessary. Much time is wasted as they sometimes need to spend the whole day conditioning themselves to be in a productive mood for the evening; they then end up working late into the night and crash the next day from exhaustion.  Yes, routine kills creativity. But a measure of structure helps get you into that creative state. If you condition yourself to always do creative writing from 1-4pm, after a while, you’ll find that writing will come naturally and your creative juices will flow during that time. Most that find themselves productive at night,do so because they feel too distracted in the daytime. Try working at a library instead of from home/at a coffee shop. Libraries are a place of focus, unlike coffee shops, which are distracting social venues.

“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

— Aristotle

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