Once your weekly plan has been identified you are now in a position to devise a to-do list. The tasks in your weekly plan are broken down into smaller groups of tasks that can be tackled on a particular day. You can do this by either creating a paper-based or electronic system (similar to your weekly plan). When devising your to-do list it is important to set aside 10 minutes either at the beginning or end of each day to plan your time. Try to stick to your original to-do list, make the best use of your time. As with weekly planning, try to allow time throughout the day for interruptions and contingencies. Use the following link to view a to-do list template.

• When you are planning your tasks it is important to remember not to make your list too long.
• Don't set yourself an impossible list of tasks to complete in a day.
• Try to identify perhaps three or four tasks that you are aiming to get done.
• Don't focus all your attention on the easy tasks as you have to keep chipping away at the larger more difficult tasks as well.
• Don't focus all of your attention on the urgent tasks as the important tasks also need to be addressed.
• If you are unable to complete any of the tasks on your to-do list then carry them over to the next day but make them a first priority for completion.
• As soon as you've completed a task cross it off your list.
• Some tasks are fixed, for example scheduled meetings. It is important to ensure that any preparation work for these meetings is scheduled as a high priority and that all other tasks fit around your fixed commitments.

If you are the type of person who finds it difficult to manage your time then you may need to consider picking the best time of day to complete certain tasks. Some people find they work better in the morning whereas others work better in the afternoon. If you are having trouble starting a big task then you may find it easier to visualise the task as a journey. The idea behind this theory is to work backwards and identify what you would have needed to complete in order to finish the task. By doing this you are identifying the stages of the task which need completion.

Advantages of daily planning:

• By creating to-do lists:
  • you are already identifying ways in which to manage your time more effectively
  • you are minimising risk
• By managing your time appropriately, urgent matters may disappear altogether and if they do re-surface then your planning will make them less urgent and easier to deal with.