⏱️ Time: 5-10 min/day | 🎯 Difficulty: Beginner | 📈 ROI: Quick Win | ✅ Status: Active
Daily Planning
Writing down goals increases achievement by 42% (Matthews, 2015). 5 minutes of planning saves hours of reactive scrambling.
The System
When: Morning (before work starts) or evening (for next day)
Duration: 5-10 minutes. Not more.
The process:
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Review calendar. What’s scheduled? What time is actually available?
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Identify 1-3 MITs. Most Important Tasks. If these get done, the day was successful. Everything else is bonus.
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Time-block MITs. Put them on the calendar. Protect the time.
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Batch shallow work. Email, Slack, admin → dedicated blocks (e.g., 10am and 3pm).
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Add buffer. Things take longer than expected. Leave slack.
The MIT Framework
| Priority | Definition | Per Day |
|---|---|---|
| MIT | Must happen today. Real consequences if not. | 1-3 |
| Should | Important but could shift to tomorrow | 3-5 |
| Could | Nice to have. Do if time permits. | Unlimited |
The rule: MITs first. Always. Before email. Before meetings if possible. Before anything else.
When Plans Fall Apart
Plans will break. That’s fine. The value is in the intention, not perfection.
Interruption hits:
- Is it truly urgent? → Handle it
- Can it wait 30 min? → Finish current task first
- Should it be delegated? → Delegate
Ran out of time:
- Migrate unfinished MITs to tomorrow
- If this happens daily, you’re overplanning. Reduce scope.
End of Day
2 minutes:
- What got done?
- What didn’t? Why?
- What’s tomorrow’s #1 priority?
Capture it. Close the loop. Stop thinking about work.
Success Metrics
- MIT completion rate: 80%+
- Missed deadlines: Zero
- “I feel in control” rating: Trending up
A 5-minute plan beats 8 hours of reaction. Start each day with intention.