The Daily Planning Hack That Changed My Life

for I think we'll have three nights. Anyway, this is not the actual story, but I'm going to tell you. Anyway, I had Willow with me and we'll walk downstairs. You guys would have seen the Atlantis Hotel because it's like world famous. It's just insane. It's huge, and it's filled with very fashionable people. You know, they got their prata, they got their chanelle or whatever else there is. And

I'm there with my camart top that I really like. Anyway, will I wanted to go down into the lobby to look at something, I think because there's like a huge bloody fish tank, like aquarium, not a fish tank. So I took her down and someone must have like brought water in from like the pool area anyway, So there was women in front of me, and I was literally just admiring what they were wearing, like they were wearing gowns.

They looked stunning. And there I was in my like my thongs, nearly said, flip flops and and pretty much what I'm wearing now, just like some shorts and a top. Anyway, next minute, I slip and I fully ax myself and fall my ass, and everyone like the whole place just turned around and looked at me. It was just mortifying. I just wanted to disappear and it killed. I ended up having the biggest bruise on my ass, and then the flight home, which was pretty long. I could barely

sit straight like it was so painful. Anyways, the actual story that I actually was going to tell you was the other day Ryan dropped me off. So this is turning into a storytime now. Anyway, Ryan dropped me off at the car dealership because it just got serviced. Anyways, I walk in and you know, it's a car dealership, it's pretty open plan, and I said to the guy, as per usual, I said, hey, could I please use your bathroom? And he said, yeah, sure, just go through

the doors. It's just on the right. So I walk out the doors and I literally just like malfunction. I'm just standing there and I freeze and I saw I'm like twitching a little bit because I just my brains is like where do we go? And I just forgot everything he just said. And then the other guy saw me and he's like, okay, it's just over there, and he showed me where to go. Anyway, he didn't take

me to the toilet, you know what I mean. Anyway, so I came out and then I malfunction again, like he just showed me where to go and I just came in the door. And now I've forgotten again where to go, So the same guy's like, I will take you back through. I was so embarrassing, Like I wish

I could explain how blood embarrassing this was. Told me back through, gave me my car keys, but then he just goes to me, would you like me to drive it out of the car spot, probably because by this point this guy's like this bloody lady should not be driving. And I'm like, no, no, it's fine, No, thank you so much for your help, so silly, like sorry about that. And then do you know what I do? I grab the keys and I proceed to walk and then go

into the passenger side of the car. I opened the door and I nearly get into the passenger side of the car, and then I realized and then he's just looking at me, and I'm like, oh, wrong side. And then I went back around and then I very carefully drove out because I'm like, if I hit a gutter now after that, I could have just died. It was the most embarrassing four five minutes of my life. Honestly, it was so stupid. Anyway, speaking of our brains just malfunctioning,

today's episode is for you. Now, if this is for you. If you were someone that you feel like constantly busy, that you have a million things to do, but the end of every day you feel like you've ticked off nothing. You're no closer to getting those important things done, you know, those things where every day you're literally saying to yourself, I need to do that, I need to do that, I need to do that. And then you've got the smaller tasks where you're like they take two seconds and

they're important, but then you just forget about them. But they're so important as well, you know, like we always have a million things to do, our tasks, we've got errands, we've got people to get back to, we've got groceries, work things, kid things, and so many of us just don't know how to prioritize it all because it all feels important. And that's where I'm going to come in and help you and save the day. Life is unfortunately

a never ending to do list. You're never going to get to the end of it because every single day more things are being added. There's always things to do, and if we're not able to manage these things the next minute, the house is a shit show, which is

going to happen anyway. If you've got children, your bills, you you've got unopen mail that's been sitting on the bench for weeks, so much happening, and you get to a point where you just feel like you suffocated and you just simply do not know where to start because there's so many things to do, and I feel you, I again, I'm terrible at prioritization. That's why I came up with this life changing hack. Because although I make planners and all the things which have helped me so much,

you need to know the strategy behind it. And that is something one day I'm so excited to hopefully bring to the world. And if all those things sound like you, and you're just sick of feeling in a constant state of overwhelm and over knowing when to do a task, what task, and you just feel like you're holding everything in your head, and you just like, I can't do this anymore. Make sure you listen to this episode and listen to the end, because that is where I Am

going to tell you exactly what to do. But we've got to start from the top. There is a few reasons why you are the way that you are. Basically the nicest way possible. A is you are loading up your plate too much and then you get overwhelmed and you start nothing. Akay, you just have too much shit to do, so you just don't do any of it, which I'm very much guilty of. B you are holding all of your to do's an important shit all in

your brain. They're not meant to stay there, guys, if you don't realize it's not very Our brain isn't very helpful at times. It will literally my brain especially will just malfunction sometimes. And there also is a quote I loved, and the quote was brains are for creating ideas, not for holding them. And I do that all the time. I'll come up with the best ideas at the worst times.

And now I know, I just just got to write it down or drop it in my notes, and then I bring it home and put it in my notebook because I will forget it. And the last reason is is because you don't use a planner aka staph face planners. And if you do use a planner, you're not being strategic with your tasks, which again is where I'm going to come in. So you're probably wondering. Okay, Steph what is this planning hack? What is this magical strategy that changed your life?

I can figure that out. But when you actually write down all your task and you look at them, it can actually be a little bit tricky to determine what is your top three and what is your quick three. Now, your top three tasks are the three obviously the three most important task to focus on each day. The purpose of this is to complete critical tasks to ensure progress and no negative impact occurs if you don't do it.

So right now, making planners, so that is a really important task for me, and if I don't do it, the impact is humongous. Basically, I'm fucked and it released everyone. I'll be giving you some more examples. Now, your quick

three tasks are three smaller quick tasks can be completed easily. Now, the purpose of the quick three can vary, so these can either be super important tasks that are just quick to action, or these are maintenance tasks that do not have a huge impact or a humongous level of importance, but they do need to get done. And when you get to do these, it gives you that sense of accomplishment, like you know, booking your car for a service and getting a map to the toilet so you don't look

like an idiot. Now let's go through the criteria of what makes your top three tasks your top three. The first criteria is urgency, so these tasks have very strict deadlines and they need your immediate attention. The next thing is important, So these tasks have a big impact on your long term goals and also your responsibilities. So for example, those you take care of so your children, you obviously need to do things for them, and that has a big impact if you don't do things that are of

importance and it's urgent. And these are also things that have impact on your long term goals. So when we say your top three tasks This definitely isn't just to do with work. This has got to do with your health, any of those things that have a big impact on your life. Now, the three questions to further help you determine if it is a top task or not, because trust me, you're going to need them, is will this task have a significant impact on the outcome of my week?

So this again ties into your responsibilities, things you've got to do, who you've got to care for, and also your goals. Question number two, does this task have an urgent deadline to meet? And this also can tine to you quick three, But I do feel that if it's urgent, you need to pop it in your top three. And if it obviously has you know, all the things like a big impact, all that type of thing, even if it only take you twenty minutes, should be in your

top three. Anyway, Question number three, will complete in this task move me even closer to my long term goals? So going to the gym. Maybe it's fine starting to work on your side business that you've been wanting to start forever, and that is a long term goal and

this is something that you need to work towards. It could also be going through your budget, going through your bank statements, which take time, but in turn you can figure out where you can save money so then you can achieve your goal of going on a family holiday or saving for something. Now, these are my favorite questions you can ask yourself if you get stuck, or you can just go straight to these two because I actually

do love these two. The first magical question is if you're still stuck on your top three, what impact will not completing this task today have on my life, my work, and my family. So I love this because although you're not going out and buying the new door or the Explorer toy isn't going to affect you, it is going to affect your kid when she's got the shits because she has a birthday party on the weekend and she's got no present to give to a friend, so that

it is actually going to affect you. So something like that, And I think we naturally think like that anyway as mothers, but I think it is good to be able to think of how does not doing the impact my life, my work, and my family. And my most favorite question that I love because I know when you ask yourself this question, you will know in your gut if you should do it or not. And that question is how will I feel if I get this done today. Now, we all have those tasks that have been eating away

at us four months. Potentially you lose sleep over it, and you just keep putting it off and you keep putting it off, and although it might not be urgent or have a deadline, it's something you still need to do and it is affecting your mental health and you're putting it off is making it worse. So when you ask yourself this question and you're going through your list, which i'll take you to you later, you will know I've got to do this shit today and then you're

going to feel so much better, honestly. So that is my most favorite question. An example of that would be decluttering the garage. Our garage is like one of the first places to get trashed, along with my car, and when I put it off, it just feels worse and worse, and then you finally do it and it's actually not

that bad. So making sure that within this three tasks do include, if you have the capability and you don't have a million deadlines every weekend day, that you include those tasks that just eat away at you and get them done. Just get them done now. Just some really quick examples. You guys have got the gist by now, but some really quick examples. For I say, people that are working of top three tasks. This could be completing a key project, could be preparing for an important meeting

and developing a new strategy for a project. Now an example for mums who possibly aren't working at this point, could be preparing meals and planning weekly groceries because we know the outcome of that is not fun. Helping kids with homework or school projects. Like for me, the kids just had their very first like proper assignment and it was a speech, and man, I just I stressed out. I took hours up is a really good reader and really getting really good now. But it was like that

was a top task for me that day. I had so much other things to do, but you know, that's top importance to me obviously. And then another one would be scheduling and attending family appointments. There's a million more, but these are just examples. Now let's move on to your criteria for your quick three tasks. Now it sounds

pretty again self explanatory, but you will be surprised. There is an abundance of tasks that only take not very long, but they hold different levels of importance, and this is where these questions come into play. Now, the criteria for a quick three task is task that can be done under fifteen minutes, Tasks that are straightforward and easy to complete, so the mental capacity is pretty low, like you can

just get it done and it is a necessity. So these tasks, even though they are minor, they still need to be done. They can be small tasks with big impact. And again if it has really high importance, even if it doesn't take long, I would still pop it in your top three because there's a certain way you're going to do this in your planner and plan your day so you understand it a minute. Now, three questions to determine your quick tasks. Question Number one, can I obviously

complete this on under fifteen minutes? Number two? Is this task pretty simple and straightforward? Number three? Does this task even though it is fast, need to be done this week? And what's the impact if I don't do it? And again with the two magic questions that I add on is what impact will it have if I don't complete it? On my life? Work and family, So it could be as simple as replying to your boss. You should probably do that. And the last question is how will I

feel if I get this done today? Do you know how many times this is TMI? But I had to book? Perhaps mean and these are super important and I'm not underplaying that whatsoever, And it doesn't really make sense when I say it out loud. But because I've got health anxiety, I kept putting it off for some reason and it just kept eating at me and eating away at me. So that's something that is actually should be a top

priority because it's health. But when I ask myself, how will I feel if I get this done today or this week? I knew showed away I had to do it. And that is why I love that question, because your gut does not lie. It will tell you what you need to do and when you need to do it. Now. Some quick tasks for people who work is you know, sending a quick email, making a phone call, tiding up a workspace, cleaning up your planner, and then scheduling appointment.

So things like that. There's a million other examples. Examples for mums at home would be like for my kids, was I to order them new bike shorts fin under their dress because the ones I bought them apparently were too short. So that was one of them. Organizing a small area of a room or just a room in general, unless it's like a kids bedroom or your bedroom and

it's really affecting you. You know, it's just like having those parts of the house that kind of like eat away at you and it could be just a draw and it's only going to take you fifteen minutes, but you just don't do it. That's when you ask yourself that question, how will I feel if I get this done? And they need to do it. Now, let's move on to implementing the top three and quick three method today. Now you're going to our start every day doing this method.

You're going to be identifying your top three and you quick three. If your brain is overloaded, which I'm assuming it is, I think you know what I'm going to say, because I say this all the time. We're going to do a brain dup. You're going to get it all out. And now what we're going to do is looking at this list first before we start doing anything else. Is look at anything that actually is just bullshit and you

don't need to do get rid of it. Now. What I want you to do is highlight tasks that will take fifteen minutes or less. I really want you guys to after this episode go back and listen to last week's episode because I talk about time estimation and how we can be very bad at it. So that's where

this comes into play. So knowing what tasks actually only take fifteen minutes, so you go through your question speech one what is necessary to complete this week only now I want you to do the same for important tasks in another color, the ones that have to be done this week. Now, these again have a large impact if you don't do them. So this is why we're breaking them up. We're putting it to their groups. We've got your quick task over here, we've got your top task

over here. And obviously it's like three a day to do your math. You don't do it every single day, but like on the weekends. Even if you can do like top task and like your quick tasks, whatever it is, because obviously there's house resets and all that crap, it's up to you now that you've separated them. Moll I want you to open your planner and look at your days. But before you do this. This is a crucial step.

You need to think about when are you at your best to focus, because this time is when you're going to be doing your top three tasks. These tasks are always going to be bigger, they got more mental capacity needed focus mode. You're going to be doing them first. And I want you to remember, if it is a bigger task, you're not going to de clutter the house.

You need to say, spend one hour de cluttering the house or de clutter this room for this much time, because that's when you start to feel defeated, as when you set yourself up for failure because it's not possible to do all of that in one day plus your other top task plus your quick tasks. Now I want you to schedule in your top three tasks the best part of your day, and then your quick three can be like scattered around. I like to do them in a batch. Just smash it out and get it done.

And the best thing too, when you're looking over your week is to kind of work backwards from due dates or the best dates to get it done for you. So for example, say you have an event on Sunday, you don't want to really have to rush around in your lunch break at work to go and find a dress, maybe a order it for express right now, right your second or b wait till you have a half day off or a day off or like a late night shopping and then go get your dress, that's what I mean.

Or maybe a day your kids are at daycare or you know that type of thing. So now you've got your task, they're all categorized, you schedule them in, and now the left doovers that are on that list that you didn't do anything with, you're going to be transferring them and doing the same process for next week. But just remembering happen. Honestly, there'll be times like the podcast are recorded last week, just setting up the camera because it was being a little shit took me an hour,

so my whole day was moved around a bit. But it's about being flexible and not beating yourself up about it. This is just about you understanding your priorities and not putting a ton of things on your to do list that is just not possible. And at least you know in your call that if you get even half of these done, you're going to feel so much better. And it's the things that you need to be doing to move forward. As I said, some things can take longer than others. So what do you do if a task

takes longer than expected? I just just schedule. So if a top task takes longer than expected, figure out if it's feasible to continue because it's that urgent and that important. So for me, if it was something that was like really really important, then the other two tasks, I'm like, ook,

they can wait till tomorrow continue. Or you can break it down into as I said, a timeframe, or break it down into smaller tasks and prioritize, so focusing on completing the most critical task for and then you can reschedule the rest and then being flexible so things are going to move around. That's okay, You're not a failure. You're doing a bloody great job. And even just now knowing this framework is huge for you, Like this is

going to change your life. I shared with this on Instagram a while back, and I've had so many people message me. I shared how I do it in my planner. So in my planner, I highlight my top three tasks in like pink, so it's really bright, and then my quick three is in like a light color like blue, and I know, and then it helps my brain be like, oh yep, no matter what, these are the ones I really want to focus on, and then you're good to go.

And in general, like if you really struggle, even more so if you want a number, your top three and your quick three in importance. But please, I do recommend doing them in batches of three each, your top task when you have the most focused. For me, that's the morning after lunch. Right now, it's after lunch and I'm a mashed potato. Like my brain's just she's out, She's gone back to the dealership to find the bathroom. Work with your body, not against it. Okay. So I hope

this helped. I know this changed my life personally. And if you would love some more podcasts like this that it is really quick, deep dives into little tactics and things you can do that will literally change the game and your stress levels, please let me know. As always, I would really appreciate you guys hitting subscribe and leaving me a review. It really lights me up. Again. This is independently run. I do it for fun, I do

it for a passion. I do it to help you guys, and I love you and I will talk to you guys on one day.