7 Simple Ways to Design Your Day

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘design’? If you’re like most people, you probably think of clothes, homes or websites. Most of us wouldn’t associate design with time, although it is indeed possible to be able to design your day!

The dictionary defines the word ‘design’ as to ‘decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), by making a detailed drawing of it.’ Going by this, designing a day would involve thinking about how you’d like your day to look like. This would include what you achieve over the course of a day, how you feel as your day progresses, and the special moments and memories you create in those 24 hours.

Designing your day is a little different from creating a to-do list. It’s more than just ticking items off; it’s about visualizing a perfect day. If this still sounds confusing, we can help! Here are 7 simple ways to help you design your day.

7 Simple Ways to Design your Day

#1 Think positive thoughts as soon as you wake up.

Studies show that the thoughts you wake up with set the tone for the rest of the day, so take care of them! It’s a good idea to have a mantra, affirmation, prayer, word of the year or just a pretty picture in a place that’s visible as soon as you wake up. This way your thoughts will be directed in the right direction before your to-do list comes rushing into your head

#2 Hydrate yourself.

Get rid of that parched feeling with a nice drink. Lemon water, warm honey water, green tea – all great options, as long as you try to stay away from caffeine! As you sip, feel the liquid flowing through your body, moisturizing and nourishing every part. Think about how lucky you are to have this day, a day full of possibilities and hope

#3 Sit down with your planner.

It’s finally time to look at that to do list! Sit down in your balcony, garden or porch and look at the various tasks on your list. Focus on getting the big rocks or the important activities in first. Once that’s done, you can fill in the smaller rocks in the gaps.

Here’s a sample of planners from Day Designer  I’m looking at getting for myself:

#4 Identify your Circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are defined as ‘physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment’. We all have periods of time during the day when we work our best and when we’re the most distracted. When fitting your rocks within your day, do it according to your natural rhythms, keeping high priority tasks for high focus times and vice versa.

#5 Create time blocks.

When planning your tasks, setting very specific timelines can be very restrictive and takes the joy out of everything. So make it easier by setting aside larger blocks of time for an activity or a set of activities. This creates less stress and lets you actually get into the ‘flow’ of your tasks.

Get this: How To Design Your Day Free Daily Planner Template Download Printable by @DayDesigner

#6 Include time for recreation.

When you have a to-do list stacked with items like ‘Meeting with boss’, ‘Prepare for presentation’ or ‘Take mom to doctor’, it might feel odd to insert something like ‘read’ or ‘do crossword’. But finding time for recreation among work-related obligations is crucial to keep the brain at an optimum level. It also ensures that you don’t feel like a genie from a lamp, doing one task after the other.

#7 Fix an end time for everything.

Fixing a time to wake up and start work is pretty easy, when compared to settling on an end time. Decide on an end time for work, after which you spend time purely with family. Set another end time for the day in general, after which you spend time with yourself – journaling, reading or meditating.

As you design your day with the big picture in mind, you’ll find that you feel more in control of your life. Most of our anxiety stresses from not knowing, rather than not doing. When you design a day that’s in tune with your particular goals, your body rhythms and your family circumstances, you’ll see that things automatically seem to fall into place!

 

Image credit : Rock zen via Shutterstock