Tool #2: Day Theming

We typically work with a to-do list, usually a very long one. We’d start our day going through them, checking off items as we complete each task but at the end of the day add twice more. It's endless, leaving us busy each day with nothing to show for it. Worse, some of the more important projects, those that really matter, remain forever pending.

Then we found a strategy called Day Theming. It involves dedicating specific days of the week to certain types of tasks or projects. The idea is to group similar tasks together on the same day to increase efficiency and focus, and reduce the need to switch between different types of work throughout the day.

Here's how it works.

1. Choose Your Themes

Identify the different types of work you do on a regular basis. These might include administrative tasks, meetings, project work, creative work, etc. Choose themes that align with your goals and priorities.

For example:

• Marketing Mondays: Focus on marketing tasks, such as social media updates, email campaigns, or content creation.
• Training Tuesdays: Use Tuesdays for training and development activities, such as attending webinars or reading industry publications.
• Writing Wednesdays: Dedicate Wednesdays to writing tasks, such as creating blog posts, reports, or proposals.
• Team Thursdays: Schedule team meetings, collaboration sessions, or group projects for Thursdays.
• Follow-Up Fridays: Use Fridays to follow up on outstanding tasks, send thank-you notes, or schedule future appointments.

2. Plan Your Tasks

Each day, plan your tasks according to the theme for that day. This might involve scheduling meetings, setting deadlines, or brainstorming for content ideas. Use your calendar or planner to keep track and stay organized.

3. Stay Focused

When it's time to work on a particular theme, stay focused on that type of work and avoid distractions. For example, if you're working on creative tasks, avoid checking your email or taking phone calls that are not related to your creative work.

4. Evaluate and Adjust

After a few weeks of using the day theming strategy, evaluate how it's working for you. Are you able to stay focused and get more done? Do you need to adjust your themes or your schedule to make it work better for you? Be willing to make changes as needed to ensure that the strategy is effective.

This strategy has worked for us and we continue to tweak it based on life’s ever-changing demands and priorities but we feel like we get more substantial things done compared to working with a long jumbled to-do list that has no sense of priority.

This thematic chunking of days will improve your sense of efficiency and allow you to actually complete long-winded projects that previously seemed to never come to fruition. This will also allow you to start new endeavors. You'll no longer feel like you're just aimlessly going through the motions of life. It will enrich it by giving it substance, balance and direction.

Benefits of Day Theming:

• Increased focus and productivity.
• Reduced switching between different types of tasks.
• Improved time management and organization.
• Better alignment with goals and priorities.
• More effective use of energy and creativity.
• Reduced stress and overwhelm from juggling multiple tasks at once.

Remember, the key to day theming is to group similar tasks together on the same day to increase efficiency and focus. By dedicating specific days to certain types of work, you can reduce the need to switch between different types of work throughout the day, which can lead to better time management and productivity.

Here's a template you can customize for your own Daily Themes.

Tweak it however it best suits your needs and lifestyle and notice the difference.

To trying new things!

Let us know if it works for you and if you have any productivity tips of your own, feel free to share them with us at support@alife-welllived.com.

A Life Well Lived Team

"Being busy and being productive are two very different things."

Trivia: Did you know how Elon Musk manages two billion-dollar companies at once? He follows a carefully planned schedule, strictly dividing his time between them and his other activities in each working week. He works at SpaceX on Monday and Tuesday, then at Tesla on Wednesday and Thursday returning to SpaceX on Friday. He basically applies a simplified version of the “Day Theming” concept to his schedule. via Spica.com