How to Get More Things Done in a Day

Do you want to accomplish more but struggle with motivation? Are you often disappointed by how little you’ve achieved at the end of each day? Do you find yourself fighting the afternoon slump around 3 PM, wishing you could stay focused and productive?

Here’s the good news: your productivity challenges aren’t due to a lack of willpower or personal weakness. It’s simply about using the right techniques. In this article, I’ll show you how to become more productive and accomplish significantly more without relying on willpower.

The key is creating an effective daily plan before you start your day, but there are three crucial elements to make this work:

1. Create a Detailed Plan

Your energy and focus levels naturally change throughout the day. You’re most productive during certain hours (especially in the morning) and less focused at other times. Take advantage of your peak morning hours by creating a thorough daily plan when your brain is working at its best. Make all important decisions during the planning phase so you won’t need to think much while executing tasks.

For example, instead of just writing “work on the article” in your plan, create a complete outline that includes all key points, supporting details, and structure. This way, when you actually write the article, you’ll just need to put your pre-planned ideas into words.

2. Prioritize Planning Above All Morning Activities

Your peak mental performance time is limited, so use it wisely. While routine tasks can be done later in the day, complex planning requires your fresh morning mind. Make planning your absolute priority.

I start planning while still in bed, before any morning routines. Skip checking news, changing clothes, or even opening curtains until your plan is complete. Eating makes your brain lazy, so my breakfast often ends up being at 1 PM. If you’re concerned about hunger, you have two options:

• Eat a larger dinner the night before to stay satisfied through the morning
• Have just a protein drink in the morning instead of a full meal

3. Preview Your Materials While Planning

Creating a plan isn’t enough on its own – you need to actually look at and briefly work with the materials you’ll use. While making your plan, take a quick look at everything you’ll work with that day. You might do a quick internet search during the planning phase, or skim through books to decide your reading approach. Just don’t dive too deeply into any task yet – this is still part of planning.

This preview helps in two ways:

• Your plan becomes more detailed and realistic because you’ve actually seen what you’re working with
• When you start the real work later, it feels easier because you’ve already touched it once

While planning, imagine yourself doing each task in detail. This mix of actually previewing materials and mentally rehearsing the work makes your plan work much better than just writing down tasks.