I am a planner. A walking, talking, day planner with calendars coming out of my ears. So this comes easily to me. Wake up (okay, so that one's not so easy), have coffee, check planner, prioritize, execute. Day after day. I keep a small notebook in my purse to check my daily priorities and I keep a full-size planner to keep track of appointments, meetings, classes, work schedules, whatever. I make good use of iCal on my phone.
So you could call me a preparation pro. It sounds complicated and sort of counter-intuitive to a simple way of life, but when you are always prepared and know what your day holds, it's less you have to constantly keep track of in your head. So here are the ways I make sure I'm prepared and ready for my day, every day.
Get a calendar. Whether it's a big wall calendar, a day planner, or a calendar app on your phone, have one. Use it. Write on it - daily schedule, appointments, meetings, vacations, birthdays, everything. Then when you wake up in the morning, while you're eating your breakfast or having your coffee, look at it and refresh what you've got going on. If you have a tendency to forget appointments or tasks, set reminders on your phone.
Prioritize. There's your schedule, then there are your priorities. Lately my daily priorities list has looked something like this:
1. Drink 64 ounces of water
2. Finish at least 30 rows of the scarf
3. Go to bed before eleven
You don't want to give yourself more than three or four priorities - if you can handle more, good on you, but when I start giving myself five, six priorities, I get overwhelmed and end up not doing anything. Once school starts back up, my list will look a little different - more "pages of thesis" than "rows of knitting," but the principle remains the same.
Nail down your routine. When I'm in a routine, I always feel better. I know what I'm doing when I wake up in the morning, I don't have to think about it, and I can focus on other things, like my attitude, my goals, my breath, whatever. I have a wakeup routine and a bedtime routine, and it changes depending on my school schedule. The key is to find what works and do it every day.
Other good stuff:
Get CPR certified. It takes six to eight hours of class(es) to get your certification in adult/pediatric CPR, AED, and first aid, and then you're officially prepared for many medical emergencies you might encounter. Before I was CPR certified, I was at the coffee shop one day when an older lady fainted and fell, and my friend, who is CPR certified, immediately sprang into action and knew exactly what to do. Having knowledge like that behind you makes you that much more confident facing your day.
Finish your tasks, then be done for the day. Once you've figured out how much you can do in a day, do it, and then be done. Do something fun, something restful - and then go to bed. Know your limits.
Understand the cycles. Life comes in cycles. There are days, weeks, months, where you will be busy to the point of exhaustion. There will be times when your days are free and clear, and you can knit 230 rows on your scarf while watching Doctor Who after taking a nice long walk through the neighborhood. And when it feels like the busy will never end, remember that it goes in cycles.
Remember the basics. When you're prioritizing, remember your self. Don't let 17 pages of your thesis or sorting through the kids' clothes make you lose sight of the things you've decided are important - yoga, meditation, reading, prayer, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, etc.
So go get your calendar, write all over it, prioritize, routinize - if it works for you.
Happy planning!
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