If so, what tools do you use, apart from to-do lists?
Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
1–10 of 84 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#2As far as work, I make sure to always finish my day with a thing or two half-started. I find the itch to finish these is far more powerful as a progress driver than a completed checklist that gives me mental permission to relax.
Granted, this is definitely not the ticket to work-life balance if that's what you're looking for.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#3I've tried many tools and nothing sticks. And if it requires me to type on a phone or turn on my laptop, they are not effective. The stuff to do come to mind at any moment: while washing dishes, while working on other stuff, when I'm out and about.
The only thing that works for me is, when I wake up, brew a cup of coffee and sit with a paper notepad, and write down my tasks. During the day I'll think of something I need to do for tomorrow and I'll write it down.
Better yet, keep your notepad with you, especially when going to bed. At that time, you might have one of those "oh shit!" moments, when you forgot to do something important. Write it down. No need to fiddle about with any app.
Also, pro tip: accept the fact that you'll never finish all the tasks for the day. There'll always be something you forgot/didn't have the energy to do. It's OK.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#4Pen, paper.
I have a legal pad, one day per sheet, taking notes throughout the day. Anything requiring follow up gets an asterisk.
End of the day, tear off the sheet, write out the asterisked things for the next day.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#5I collect appointments from Outlook (sigh!) and set a theme for the day in my private journal, using my own https://knowfox.com for this.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#6In a vague sense only, and only if strictly necessary - eg. travel, meetings. I actually strongly seek to avoid any fixed time commitments any day of the week, or indeed to have to be aware of what day of the week or month of the year it is, because it create needless overhead through "unflowable time". The critical cause is service providers unavailable 24x7x365 where my preference is uncommon (eg. after waking up early in the morning, it is frequently impossible to swim or eat although I would like to). I avoid alarms. To do lists are a rarity. I try not to block others and prioritize giving them positively framed critical feedback or research output ASAP over my own work.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#7Pretty low tech, but I use a notebook with a pen.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#8I tried doing it as a 30 day challenge. Those were by far my most productive days -- probably because taking a couple of minutes to figure out what was the most important to do that day meant I knew what to focus on.
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#9[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Do you plan your next day ahead?
#10I tried doing it as a 30 day challenge. Those were by far my most productive days -- probably because taking a couple of minutes to figure out what was the most important to do that day meant I knew what to focus on.
Just curious, why didn't you stick with it?