Step by Step Guide to Structure and Plan Your Day to Be a More Productive and Less Stressed Leader

Stop procrastinating. Here's a step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader. Make a practical schedule that focuses on what is important. You're a leader, so I know you actually have the ability to do it. 

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People who organize get more done. If one minute of planning saves ten minutes of effort, six minutes of planning has added one more usable hour to your day. Effective people know this and take action on it.

Planning allows you to group events that have something in common – making telephone calls, doing out-of-office business, meeting clients.

Planning increases confidence. You control your time instead of your time controlling you. That sense of control has the potential to increase your effectiveness throughout the day.

"We need not fear that managers whose foresight in planning and determined delegation brings them dividends of extra time, will have difficulty in deciding how to spend those bonus minutes. The most important of their unstarted projects will be waiting, ready to go."

Ted Engstrom, Alec Mackenzie, Managing Your Time

Five Days Using a Step by Step Guide to Structure and Plan Your Day to Be a More Productive and Less Stressed Leader

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FIRST DAY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

Take time today to actually pause and plan. Very intentionally set some time aside to think about what you want to accomplish and what steps need to be taken to make it happen. I've you've never carved this time out before, it may be challenging at first. But, you CAN do it. 

The Coach asks:

  • Some executives and leaders find they do their best planning at the end of the day just completed. Others take time first thing in the morning. When planning out your day, what time seems to work best? 
  • What will you need to shift in order to create this time for thinking through and planning for your day? 
  • What obstacles do you regularly encounter when trying to plan your day? What can you do about them? 
  • How serious are you about regaining as much control of your own schedule as is practically possible? 


SECOND DAY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

When it comes to your role as a leader, executive or professional, purpose to never again begin your day without some sort of a thought-though plan.

Obviously, you can't control everything, but be intentional about never again running wildly into the day without knowing what needs to be accomplished and answering the basic questions of how that will happen.

This is a major crossroads that can make the difference between mediocre performance and effective leadership.

The Coach asks:

  • How often have you been "caught without a plan?"
  • What feedback have you received from others about your ability to plan? 
  • Remember a time when you planned well. What were the results? What worked? What is transferable to your current role and situation? 
  • If YOUR days are well planned out, how might that affect the rest of the team? The whole organization? Other stakeholders?


THIRD DAY DAY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

Don't be confused: quality planning is not the same as micromanaging. The time taken to think through even the simplest plan, to organize in even the most basic way, will reap dividends in saved time, greater confidence, better results and more achievements.

Remember this moving forward.

The Coach asks:

  • How valuable would feeling more confident be to you? 
  • When you plan, how prone are you to micromanaging? 
  • What level of detail in planning are needed by those seeking guidance from you?
  • What are you going to do with saved time? Better results? More achievements? 


FOURTH DAY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

People who know where they are going generally get there faster. Walk taller today because you have a plan and you are working within it. You've made a significant attitude shift and it will reap rewards in the weeks and years to come.

The Coach asks:

  • What benefits have you experienced already from being more intentional around planning out your day?
  • What will it take to make this a permanent habit? 
  • How willing are you to do what it takes to make this a permanent habit? 
  • What have you learned about yourself in this process? 


FIFTH DAY OF THOUGHT AND ACTION

Today, think about how you can improve your planning time. Is there something you need to learn or a skill you need to add? Take time to do the necessary research to add that knowledge or skill to your toolbox. Become an increasingly better planner.

The Coach asks:

  • What tool, learning, or skill might make your efforts even that much easier? 
  • What further research or learning would you like to take advantage of in the near term? 
  • It's worth asking again. How has your view of your ability to plan your day shifted since starting to pay greater attention to this practice?
  • If you can make a shift in this very practical area, you can create gains in other areas as well. Where will this newfound confidence take you?  

Resources: 

  • Do a search and you'll find many good apps for planning and daily organization. 
  • For more information and a very basic starter on planning your day, here's advice from todoist.com. You just need to "upscale" it for your executive role. 
  • Here's a practical peak productivity article from Syracuse University. It's obviously aimed at their demographic, but it's super applicable to us as leaders. 

Bottom Line

You've used this step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader. Continue every day to make a practical schedule that focuses on what is important.

There are lots of other helpful practices contained in these 52 basic habits that productive leaders use. Incorporate them into your own work and leadership and you will notice much less stress and improved productivity and contribution. 


The SCANDO Planning Method©

A Practical Planning Tool that Moves from Long-Term Goals to Weekly Plan to Your Daily To-Do List

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This is a step-by-step process with a downloadable template for each step.

The SCANDO Planning Method will help you plan your day and week around the right priorities. It will give you, as a leader, a practical, immediately useable tool to get more of the work done each day that will make the biggest difference moving forward.


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Step #1: Clear time to intentionally plan.

Clear distractions. Make a list of things on your mind, that need to be laid aside while you focus. If you are a Jesus Follower, commit those things to the Lord.

Clear vision. Think about those things you need or wish to achieve, your long term goals, the direction or path you, your company or organization wishes to go. Be clear about this. It affects how you view your time and activities. 

Download the SCANDO Clear worksheet template here and use it right away to prepare yourself for planning your to-do list. 

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Step #2: Record all of your to-do's in one place. Get them out of your head and down where you can physically see them. This is your big list with all your to-do's on it. 

If it's easier to think about you can categorize this initial list by project, or work, volunteer, home etc.

Download the SCANDO Big List worksheet template here and use it right away to gather all your to-do's in one place.

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Step #3: Scan your big list. Do a first sort and move forward to a shorter list, that handful of to-do's that will need your attention soon. Do some of them support your long term goals?

If it's helpful as you continue to use this method, complete a second or even a third sort, in order to shorten the list. 

Download the SCANDO First Sort worksheet template here to create your shorter list of upcoming tasks from your Big List. 

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Step #4: From that first sort, apply the weekly power of three. As an example, on Friday afternoon, decide on the 3 to-do items that, if you completed them in the coming week, would make the biggest difference moving forward. 

Just pick 3, no more. They become your primary focus next week.

Download the SCANDO Power of Three worksheet template here. Scan your First Sort list and move only three priority items forward. 

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Step #5: Choose the most important ONE from the Power of Three, and break it down into doable steps. 

Get everything in place you will need to work on this. Prepare others that you will be taking uninterrupted time to focus on this priority. Create an environment for focus.

Download the SCANDO Pick One worksheet template here and choose the one priority from The Power of Three list that you will start working on. 

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Step #6: Break the ONE priority down into doable step by step parts. Set aside dedicated high-focus time to work on each step until you bring it to completion. For example, have your executive assistant block distractions for 90 min starting Monday morning so you can have your high-focus time.

Don't stop unless the time is up, you complete the task. Then go on to the #2 task from The Power of Three. 

Download the SCANDO Step by Step worksheet template here and break down your work into doable chunks. 

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Step # 7: As each step is done, record it somewhere so you can look back and see it done. 

In some way, acknowledge or celebrate the completion of this step or the whole priority. Doing this will reinforce the sense of success you get from a job completed well.

Each day or every few days, clear time to scan your lists again, and continue to move forward those items that will make the biggest difference.

Download the SCANDO Done worksheet template here so you can finish strong and set yourself up for ongoing success. 

I'm glad you can make use of this step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader! Could others on your leadership team use this resource? Let them know. 


There is a Time for Everything

Gary-Wood-Christian-Executive-Leadership-Coach

As a Christian Executive Leadership Coach I encourage any Christian leaders to reflect on God's Word to add to their wisdom.

  • Ps 20:4  May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 
  • Lk 9:51  As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 
  • Eph 5:15,16  Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 
  • Pr 16:3  Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
  • Ps 143:8  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
  • Ecc 3:1  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ..
  • Pr 19:2  Desire without knowledge is not good, how much more will hasty feet miss the way. 

Never substitute planning for prayer. Planning has its super-practical purpose, but for the Christian is only energized by prayer and dependence on God.

You and I both know this step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader has particular strength when we are in submission to and depending on the Spirit of God to drop into our minds those things that are most important for our scheduling. 

If this step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader seems daunting to you, or presents some particular challenge, perhaps it's time to engage coaching. 

If you are a leader, executive, or senior level professional looking to work with a Christian Executive Coach who can help you with getting control of your time and schedule, I invite you to connect with me here.

If appropriate, we can meet by phone or Zoom to discuss your situation.

Record Your Progress

This is your opportunity to track your progress. Start by asking yourself how important this practice is to you? Record the importance as - not at all, somewhat, fairly, highly or extremely. 

Now next to it ask yourself how well you carry out this practice. Record your performance as - very poor, poor, okay, good or very good. 

Importance Performance Check

The things we track, we pay attention to. Across time, come back and record your new results. You will find that as you are intentional about making improvements, you will bump your "score" up higher. 

This is significant. Don't miss the opportunity to acknowledge your success, and use it as a springboard for making even further gain. 

Notes

I'm sure this step by step guide to structure and plan your day to be a more productive and less stressed leader will have been helpful to you ... IF you did the work. But maybe you'd like a little more. 

There are no end of books, podcasts, articles and courses on time management and daily planning. And, there are lots of apps that are very practical. You'll find tons of really practical advice, tips and insight if you do an online search. You just need to sort through it and find what works for you.  

Regularly looking into the topic might yield a lot you already know and practice. But it will serve to keep your practice of planning out your day top of mind and well established as a significant habit that yields good reward. 


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