Daily Plan Bar for your Bullet Journal
For me, time management is one of the most important things in my daily planning. I tend to get distracted left, right and centre with the result of not finishing my tasks and projects. Keeping these distractions to a minimum and finding things that can help me to focus on the tasks at hand are imperative for me. In today’s postI’m going to talk about something that I've been adding to my daily spreads lately and which helps me to manage my time even better.
For me, time management is one of the most important things in my daily planning. I tend to get distracted left, right and centre with the result of not finishing my tasks and projects. Keeping these distractions to a minimum and finding things that can help me to focus on the tasks at hand are imperative for me. In today’s postI’m going to talk about something that I've been adding to my daily spreads lately and which helps me to manage my time even better.
The new thing that i’ve been implementing in my daily planning is called ‘daily plan bar’. It was created by Mike Rohde who was in turn inspired by Bill Westerman.
What is a daily plan bar?
It mainly is a vertical bar where you note the times during the day and then you go and either colour or sketch parts of it that you allocate for different events or tasks. This way you are blocking out time during the day to do a certain things.
It looks and sounds like a timeline but it is a vertical version of it and it’s also more detailed.
How to create it
On the page where you create your daily spread create your daily header as usual and on the left hand side create a vertical bar by drawing two vertical lines or by filling in the space with I highlighter like I did.
It’s up to you from what time you’ll start your daily plan bar. For example, Mike Rohde starts his from 8 o’clock (picture below), whereas I prefer to start my day way earlier and so my bar starts from 6am.
It’s also up to you how much space you’ll leave in-between the hours.
As you can see in the pictures above, on one day I chose to represent each hour with a square on the page, whereas on the other picture you can see that each hour has three squares. Also, Mike Rohde has 4 squares for each hour. The space you leave between each hour depends on if you have lots of things to do and note within that hour. Having more space means that you can mark mark time blocks of 15 or 30 mins, and that you can be more detailed with the time you allocate for each task. And even though you can still mark the 30min time block with the 1 square space between the hours, (by colouring half a square as you can see in the picture above), it doesn’t give you enough space to write in-between.
Stickers used from my Etsy store
Once you’ve set up your daily plan bar, then you can start time blocking and mapping your day ahead. You can choose to use colour coding to time block and separate the different tasks and events, or you can use shapes and doodles to do that.
You can make changes and re-shuffle things as your day unfolds. If something is cancelled, you can simply cross it off and add a note next to it for more information or with the new time and date of the event.
The rest of the page, is left for you to add your to-do list or you can doodle and journal.
How it can help you in your time management
The daily plan bar can really help you focus on your day and the way you use your time. It’s really easy when you sit down in the evening to plan the following day to create that bar and see how your day unfolds and how busy it is. It is also very helpful so that you don’t over plan and fill your schedule with things and events that you simply don’t have time to do.
How you can use it for weekly planning
You can use the daily plan bar for your weekly planning by adding a bar for each day of the week on one page. That way you can see at a glance how the rest of your week looks like and how busy it is. That can help you to schedule even more things (if you have time during that day) or to re-arrange things for a later time.
What do you think of the daily plan bar? Have you used it before?
Christina x
My Morning Routine
The morning time is very important for me. I truly believe that the first few hours can really affect the way the rest of your day will unfold. So, for the last few years I have tried to incorporate some sort of routine, which would help me wake up and start my day in the best possible way. I want my body and my mind to be ready for all the things I’ve planned for that day.
The morning time is very important for me. I truly believe that the first few hours can really affect the way the rest of your day will unfold. So, for the last few years I have tried to incorporate some sort of routine, which would help me wake up and start my day in the best possible way. I want my body and my mind to be ready for all the things I’ve planned for that day.
'Using the first five minutes of your day to feel good is like programming a destination into your GPS, like fixing your eye on the spot where you want your golf ball to land.' (Pam Grout, 'E-Cubed')
I remember that mornings used to be very stressful for me - rushing to get ready, thinking of all the things I wanted to do, usually running late and so on. You get the picture. I knew then that something had to change and I remember that I found out about setting up a routine by reading Louise Hay’s and Pam Grout’s books. They helped me to add my happy dance and meditation time to my mornings, and that made a huge difference!
'By consciously starting your day focused on gratitude and joy, you'll find that your whole life will begin to sparkle.' (Pam Grout - ‘E-Cubed')
Since then my morning routine has evolved even more. After reading Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning book, I took the 30-day Life Transformation Challenge and really focused on that part of the day. And I have to say that, even though this really works, sometimes it was getting too much for me and I didn’t want that to have a negative effect to my mornings. But I still wanted to continue having a morning routine.
Recently, I came across Sadia’s YouTube channel Pick Up Limes for something completely different (vegan recipes), and I happened to watch one of her videos on healthy morning habits. I loved the idea! It is essentially something very similar to the miracle morning. However, I loved how relaxed this routine sounded and I started applying it to my mornings straight away.
I have taken parts of the habits she mentions in her video and created a new morning routine for myself. The steps / habits that I’ve added are the following:
1 | Take it easy
Start the day without rushing. Wake up early. Let in natural light.
'When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.' (Tecumseh, Native American Leader)
Even with my other morning routines, I was just rushing out of bed straight away. This step helps me to pay more attention to how I wake up, have a feel of my surroundings and give myself 2-5 minutes to get out of bed.
2 | Breathe & 5-4-3-2-1
Meditate.
Or take a deep breath and say aloud to yourself:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
Meditation has been a big part of my morning routine for a few years now. However, I had never heard about that breathing exercise she mentions, and I find it very-very helpful.
3 | Screens off
No TV in the morning. Replace it with soothing music.
Check the phone for messages only after breakfast.
I am very rarely watching TV. But I admit that I used to check my phone in the morning a lot. I was checking my messages and emails right before starting my morning routine! And I have come to realise that by doing that, it was affecting my thoughts and made me feel preoccupied, whilst going trough with my morning habits. Now I only allow myself to check my phone after my breakfast and I can actually feel and see the difference.
4 | Hydrate
Drink a big glass of water before breakfast. Add fresh fruit to add flavour.
Continue to hydrate throughout the morning with more water or tea.
This is a habit I’ve been trying to incorporate for some time now. I didn’t like it in the beginning. But I’m actually craving some fruit water in the mornings now!
5 | Have a wholesome breakfast
Have a wholesome, high-finer breakfast. Take you vitamins.
Share the meal with someone, if possible.
Be mindful as you eat: actually see, feel, hear, smell and taste your food in front of you.
Again, I used to check on my phone while I was having my breakfast. By paying attention to what you eat can actually help you appreciate all the good foods you’re adding to your body. It also makes the food taste better!!! The sharing part as well is very important. I try to do that in the weekends when we are all together at home :)
6 | Check-in with yourself
Fill in the following during or just after breakfast:
- I am thinking ________________
- I am feeling emotionally ________________
- I am feeling physically ________________
- My 2 intentions for the day are:
1) ________________
2) ________________
- 2 things I’m grateful for are:
1) ________________
2) ________________
- One thing that would add to my happiness today would be _______________
I love this part. It’s like the journaling part of Hal Elrod’s routine, but now you have more specific questions to answer and they really help! It’s good to see how I’m feeling both emotionally and physically in the morning, and also how to figure out ways to make my day even better!
7 | Visualise
Draw up your action plan the night before. Spend a couple of minutes in the morning visualising yourself doing these things.
I’ve tried visualisation before. But I think I was doing it in a different way. I used to focus on the things that I wanted to do and achieve, my goals and dreams. And even though this is fine as well, I love Sadia’s way of visualising my day ahead. This exercise has helped me to see that some of the days I have added too many things in my to-do list! And I had to reconsider my tasks for the day.
8 | Fresh air & body love
Exercise if possible. Otherwise, try to get some fresh air, go for a walk, bicycle, or do some light stretching at home.
I want to do that more. I want to try and get out of the house more and feel the fresh air. My house is 10 minutes away from the sea and it’s crazy that a week can go by and I might not have gone to the beach… This is one of the things I need to change. And of course, to show some body love with exercise as well.
To see all the steps / habits she mentions, Sadia has a blog post about it, as well as a free printable checklist.
I've been following this routine for more than a week now and I love it! It makes me feel relaxed but also grounded and focused for the rest of the day. You should definitely give it a try. Also don't forget to give Sadia some love, and make sure to check out her recipes cause they are really yummy!
What is your morning routine? Let me know of your morning habits in the comments below.
Have an amazing day!
The Pomodoro Technique
We all face a similar challenge - there's just a lot to be done every day. As I've mentioned before, time management is something that I'm very interested in and I'm always trying to find different ways to help me with that. The other day I came across a time management technique called Pomodoro. It promises to 'Do more and have fun with time management.' So, I really had to check it out!
We all face a similar challenge - there's just a lot to be done every day. As I've mentioned before, time management is something that I'm very interested in and I'm always trying to find different ways to help me with that. The other day I came across a time management technique called Pomodoro. It promises to 'Do more and have fun with time management.' So, I really had to check it out!
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
It was developed in the 90s by an Italian graduate student called
Francesco Cirillo
to help him with his studies. He used a simple kitchen timer that was shaped like a tomato, and that's how it got it's name - in Italian a tomato is called pomodoro.
'It's a simple yet very effective way to improve your work and study habits. The basic requirement of this technique is to set a kitchen timer to 25 mins.'
It is based on setting a timer for 25 mins to coordinate your task/project you have to do. During those 25 minutes, your brain is at it's most productive phase. This technique is really helpful with bigger projects or tasks and your study routine.
How it works?
- Choose a task that you'd like to get done.
- Set your timer for 25 minutes.
- During those 25 minutes you have to make sure you eliminate any distractions (i.e. calls, messages, social media etc.).
- When the alarm rings then you stop. You've just completed one Pomodoro.
- If you managed to finish your task in the first 25 minutes well done!
- If not, then give yourself a break for 5 minutes, before you start your next Pomodoro. You deserve a reward!
Why it works?
- It's easy for anyone to use.
- You work with the time you have, instead of struggling against it. You won't believe how much progress you can make in 25 minutes. Your goal is not to necessarily finish the task in the first 25 minutes, but to make sure you utilize your time efficiently.
- It's the opposite of multitasking. You just focus completely on making progress on just one task.
- It is essential to take short scheduled breaks between Pomodoros. If you do something for too long without a break, then your brain gets tired.
- It helps you create a better work/ life balance, by creating an effective timetable and allowing you to truly enjoy your time off.
- It's fun to do!
How to use it with your Bullet Journal?
After using this technique for a few times, I was surprised with the results. It really does work! But then, I wanted to find out a way to use this technique along with my bullet journal. After searching around, I found out about the Productivity Planner. It is a planner based on the Pomodoro Technique.
I liked how the planner is incorporating this technique in a notebook. However, I have a lot of tasks to do during a day, and this planner's layout is clearly not going to work for me. So, I decided to adapt it and use it with my bullet journal.
As I said before, the Pomodoro Technique works mainly with big tasks and projects. So, I don't usually use it with everyday small tasks. Lately though, I find myself setting the timer for 25 minutes even for housework tasks, for example when I clean the kitchen. It helps me to focus and finish everything faster.
In order to use this technique with my bullet journal, all I do is write the steps of each task. So, for example, when I write a blog post, I have to write it, take pictures if needed, schedule it with hootsuite etc. I focus on each task separately, setting my alarm for 25 minutes each time. Once I finish it, I note down with red circles how many pomodoros it took me to finish it. Each circle is one pomodoro, ie. 25 minutes. This way, I know on average how long it takes me to finish similar tasks, so that I know how to manage my time in the future.
So, I challenge you today to pick one task you've been avoiding and to focus on it for 25 minutes, after you set up your timer. I guarantee the results will surprise you!
For more information on the Pomodoro Technique, check the website www.pomodorotechnique.com or get the book here. For more information on the Productivity Planner click here, or if you're interested in purchasing it you can get it here.