In my cheapo daily planner that I bought at an office supply store, I jot down
the one, two, or three things that I feel I must do today—that are for ME. There are
a couple of reasons why this is an important step: one, because I am a visual
person, and two, according to research by Dominican University of California
psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews, by simply writing down your goals, you
are 42% more likely to achieve them.
Having them written in my planner means that I’ll see them throughout the day
and be reminded to act. Having the “why” statement reminds me of why these
goals are important and gives me an added push.
If I put them in my electronic calendar, I’ll forget about it. Half the time, I walk
into a room and can’t remember what I walked in for—so I “stalk myself with my
musts” by keeping them written down. When they are in my planner, which is
something that I look at throughout the day, I’m cued visually. Seeing my “musts”
reminds me to do these tasks. You can do this in a notebook, in your calendar,
wherever—just write them down and keep them with you, just like Sharon does:
- I plan my day and take 30 before 7:30 a.m.
I plan and often execute the most important “musts” FIRST, before I check my
phone or go online and check email. I do this using a tool I call “30 before 7:30
a.m.”
I take 30 minutes before 7:30 a.m. to plan out my day. During this time block, I
either start working on my two or three musts or I schedule time to get them done
later in the day. If I am home, I try to start this planning session at 7:00 a.m. when