How we can use our time each day to live life to the fullest and make every day count? When someone tells you to “make every day count” you usually hear a prompt that is positive and motivational but other than that, what this advice actually means is quite open to interpretation. Mainly because for each and every one of us what makes a day count is something different and also not the same thing every day. On the other hand it is not so specific how you can measure in the end of the day if or how much it counted.
But first,
why do we often have days that feel wasted?
- Being part of a results-driven culture, many of us struggle with the sense of achievement in a way that makes us unhappy. It seems that everywhere we look someone defines our value and measures us with a system of thinking that consists of numbers and achievements. Therefore we tend to adjust our plan accordingly and spend a lot of time doing things we don’t really like.
- Some people are trying to achieve specific results because they believe that by doing so they will make other people happy, their partner, their colleagues, their family. We need to bring self-satisfaction back and start thinking about why we want to achieve a specific outcome.
- We have often trouble distinguishing the difference between important and urgent. Delivering tasks that pop up during the day gives us a brief feeling of accomplishment, but its only temporary. When we come to think about our progress in the end of the day we realise that we haven’t got so far with the tasks that we really wanted to complete.
- Many of us follow life choices that we did in the past without reflecting if they are aligned with our current needs and values. Whether we feel obliged to follow a path, because we think that staying committed to our choice is the right think to do, or we avoid to self reflect and create new paths, because it seems impossible to start all over again.
One way or another we forget self-satisfaction and personal fulfilment and most importantly we’re so caught up in our everyday routine that we neglect to sit back and think what truly matters to us most.
Creating the Smart Plan I focused on narrowing down what makes a good day and what are the actions you can take to make the best of your every day and therefore accomplish things that you want in your life.
Soon I realised that the answer is very simple. Do what is important to you.
When you engage in things that you value the most, you feel that your life has a sense of purpose, that your efforts are worth it, that the time and energy you spend on acting on a specific task are recourses well spent. With this mindset you choose to fill your day with activities that inspire you, bring you joy and bring you closer to your objectives.
One effective way to figure out what is important to you is to plan your future backwards. Imagine yourself on the afternoon thinking about the day that comes to an end. What could you have done for you to say “This was a great day!”?
When planing your day with the Smart Plan I encourage you to recognize all the good stuff that you have going on in your life. Taking a moment to feel thankful about what you already have is the simple act of acknowledging all the good that’s in your life and will put the right mindset to work!
Creating two categories of priorities I suggest that you plan the three most important tasks of the day in your professional and your private life. Take some moments each day to find out what it is that you really want to get done this day and make time to enjoy those things.
Choose an activity that brings you in a state of flow, work on milestones that will bring you one step closer to your goals and dreams, allow yourself to have some fun time, learn something new, practise meditation, enjoy a delicious dinner with your partner. Whatever you want to do, don‘t forget that you can take control of your day and make it an awesome one!
