Hey there,
Now is a great time of year to start thinking about goals and longer-term plans. But for us, we think there’s a ton of value in starting with a day.
We’ll take a look at how to design your day, a new app for the health dorks amongst us, and a funky HUGE calendar that can give your year some new perspective.
🏃♂️Something to Try
Time can be elusive.
Have you ever looked up to check the time only to realize the whole day has passed? I sure have. It feels like one moment you’re checking your email and the next you’re packing up to head home.
Even worse are those days when time flies back in a blur and you can hardly remember what happened.
That’s where Tactic #13: Design Your Day comes in.
When Jake and JZ were running design sprints at Google Ventures, they planned each day hour by hour, even minute by minute. Every sprint was a chance to perfect the formula and keep people energized, productive, and creative throughout the week.
As you know, blocking your calendar and scheduling your Highlight is a great way to start making time.
But you can take this proactive, intentional mindset to another level by designing your entire day.
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Yes, it’s detailed. Very detailed. But in reality, when we structure our days with intention, we create freedom. Instead of worrying about what you’re going to do next, you’re free to fully focus on the task at hand.
I’ve done a lot of experimenting with my days. By now, I know that each day needs:
- Time for deep work in the mornings
- Meals and breaks to keep me energized
- Admin time in the afternoon (for email, meetings, or chores)
- Exercise or other movement
- Evenings of quiet and face-to-face time with my wife and friends
Being this scheduled might sound annoying: “Where’s the freedom and spontaneity, man?”
But in reality, a structured day creates freedom. When you don’t have a plan, you have to constantly decide what to do next. But a completely planned day provides the freedom to focus on the moment.
And guess what? It doesn’t need to be perfect. Often, I have to move things around and be flexible, but I find it’s still better to have a proactive plan and structure.
🤖 Tech & Tools
I love my calendar. It’s my main tool for keeping on track and planning my days wisely.
But when I look at my Google Calendar, it’s a combination of work meetings, appointments, deadlines, life admin reminders, and some social plans.
It’s not so easy to take a step back and get a bigger picture of what my year looks like at-a-glance.
And as you all know, we’re big fans of analog tools over here at Make Time. That’s why I’m excited to try out Jesse Itzler’s “Big A## Calendar.”
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a super big paper calendar that shows all 365 days on one sheet. I’m planning to mark out the big, important moments (family vacations, trips, friend visits to Lisbon) so I can get excited about the fun year ahead.
📚 Timely Quotes
“A schedule is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”
— Annie Dillard
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Connor
