10 ESSENTIAL STEPS IN USING A PLANNER

1. SELECT A COMPATIBLE TIME PLANNER

A day planner is a device that includes a calendar, space
to write “to-do” lists, and space to write telephone
numbers, addresses, and other/ reference information.

2. FIND A SINGLE, ACCESSIBLE PLACE TO KEEP THE

PLANNER
Having selected a planner, managers should cultivate
the habit of keeping it in an exclusively designated and
easily accessible place at home and workplace.
3. ENTER THE BASIC IN THE DAY PLANNER
Managers should consider what vital information might be
useful to enter in the Planner and arrange the information in
alphabetical order.

4. CARRY THE PLANNER AT ALL TIMES

Carrying the planner at all times means that the managers
have all the vital information they need with them all the time.

5. REFER TO THE DAY PLANNER REGULARLY

Managers should make it a habit to refer to the Day Planner
thrice a day.
6. USE THE DAY PLANNER AS A CALENDER FOR EVRYTHING
Appointments, and activities ,for the day on personal, family
and professional fronts should be listed in the planner.

7. USE DAY PLANNER AS A ‘BRAIN DUMP’ TO CAPTURE IDEAS

Day Planner also doubles up as a Brain-Dump for managers as
they can put down the ideas as they surface in the planner.

8. CONDUCT A DAILY PLANNING SESSION

The goal of this session is to plan the upcoming day’s activities
and develop a plan of attack and to carry out the same.
9. PRIORITIZE ‘TO-DO’ LIST AND ACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH
PRIORITIES
There are many ways to prioritize a “to do” list. One way is to
number all of the items on the list in order of decreasing
priority.

10. GENERATE A LIST OF LONG-TERM GOALS AND BREAK THE

LONG-TERM GOALS IN TO SMALL, MANAGEABLE CHUNKS
First, generate a list of all long-term goals. These are broad
goals to be accomplished over many months and years. Then,
take one goal at a time and break it down into small chunks or
sub-goals that might be accomplished on a monthly basis.