3 Tips for Preparing for a Productive Day

Tip 1: Avoid pushing incomplete tasks to the next day.

I used to struggle with the constant postponement of incomplete tasks from one day to the next.

This usually happens when you reschedule your tasks when you're feeling frustrated or anxious about the tasks you have left unfinished.

Here's what you should do instead.

At the end of each day, move any unfinished tasks to your inbox.

When your mind is clear, either in the evening or the next day, review your inbox. This way, you are well aware of your commitments for each day before setting a new, more realistic deadline.

Tip 2: Acknowledge your daily efforts

I remember feeling unproductive because I had a few to-dos unchecked, but when I peeked at my completed tasks, I was in fact more productive than usual.

Make it a practice to acknowledge your own efforts.

You can do so by writing in your journal a few things you're proud of having completed. Or if you have a habit tracker like me, check off the habits you have completed. Or more simply, just look over your to-do list or app.

There's always more to get done, but what really matters is that you're making progress day by day.

Tip 3: Write down 1-3 must-dos

Every night, I review my to-dos and deadlines for the next day and write down 1-3 things on the notepad on my desk.

I first got this idea from the concept of setting a daily highlight, an insight taken from the book Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

If you're interested in learning more, I recommend this excellent book review below by Ali Abdaal.

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Favourite Quote This Week:

"The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal." Dan Sullivan

When we're striving to be more productive, we keep demanding a more idealistic version of ourselves.

Take a moment now and realize how far you’ve come.