Many of the most successful people have a policy to plan their day before it starts. Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy, motivational speakers and pioneers in goal planning, often spoke to the importance of goals and plans. But, why do it daily?
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Why Plan Daily Goals?
When you take the time to plan out what you want to accomplish each day, you can prioritize your tasks and tackle the most important ones first. This can help you stay on track and avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the things you need to do in a day.
Having a clear plan for the day can help you stay focused and motivated as you work towards your goals. So while it may take a bit of extra effort upfront, taking the time to plan out your daily goals is well worth it in the end.
When to Plan Daily Goals?
Before it starts!
One of the best times for setting the plan, or goals, for the day, is the night before the day begins.
Once the day is completed, sit in bed with a pen and paper and ask yourself what 3 things you want to accomplish the following day.
Brian Tracy, a strong proponent of the powers of the subconscious mind, suggests this time for goal planning to allow your subconscious mind to work on the goal/problem/solution while you sleep.
I agree with planning the following day just before bed while the day is still fresh in your mind. Morning planning takes more time to establish daily goals because you first have to remember the events of the day before and the things that need to be done, and then prioritize what you can recall. It takes more time and is easier to overlook a task.
READ: Subconscious Mind Power Explained
How to Plan Daily Goals?
What are the 3 things that will have the biggest impact on your day? What 3 tasks can you complete in the day that will move you closer toward your goals?
Although you may have a long to-do list in your head, focus on the tasks that move you toward your goals in life.
You can ask yourself- If I complete just ONE thing tomorrow, what ONE thing would I pick? The answer to that is your #1 goal of the day. And so on for #2 and #3.
Once you have your top 3 goals of the day, write them down…
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Other Benefits of Daily Goals
I have noticed that planning daily goals allows me to fall asleep faster and sleep better.
At the end of each day, with the day still fresh in my head, I know I have thought through the day and chose the 3 most important things to do the next day. I don’t have to worry about many things running through my head that I hope to get done. I have my 3 important goals for the day set (and written down!). And I can sleep soundly with a quieter mind.
And I have less morning stress and chaos.
Each morning when I wake, I grab my notebook from my nightstand and look at my 3 goals for the day to refresh my brain. My morning can stay at ease because I’m not trying to recall the previous day or anything I may have forgotten. I know what my 3 most important things for that day are.
Having my “top 3” (as I call it), keeps more more focused throughout the day.
I can be easily distracted. So when I find myself in or starting a task, I often refer back to my top 3. I ask myself- is this task one of my top 3? If not, have my top 3 goals for the day been accomplished? If those daily goals haven’t been met, I stop my current activity and redirect myself back to the right path of completing my top 3.
What Do I Do After I Complete My Daily Goals?
Once you have completed your daily goals (congrats!), the next step is up to you! Move on to another goal you have thought of throughout the day, or work on something that you have procrastinated. Maybe knock an item or 2 off of your to-do list. Or relax. Either way, your day was a success because you accomplished your “Top 3.”
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I have always heard how important it is to write your goals down. I love listening to Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, and Zig Ziglar but have never taken the time to write my goals out, and to be honest I didn’t know where to start.
The Goal Planner workbook took me step by step through the process of thinking about the goals I wanted to attain. This workbook really helped me narrow down my most important goals and get them on paper to help me focus on them so I can reach them.
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Thanks for the tips. You’re right, things get done only when we know where we are going!
I totally agree that daily goal setting definitely works. In my experience, planning my day daily helps me to be productive throughout the day. Awesome read!
Thank for sharing these tips! Love the top 3 goal idea, that definitely pushes to into doing what matters first.