21.06.25

Best Planning Strategies for Both Personal and Business Purposes

If you have a goal without a plan, it is just a wish. Planning is the first step to your achievement because, while planning, you define the timeframe and the resources necessary to reach the goal.

Effective planning is no doubt the key to your productivity. There are some proven strategies and habits that anyone can develop to achieve significant success in their business and personal development.
 

1. Reserve some time for planning each day 

Shaping a vision of your day requires at least a few minutes. We suggest working on your daily plan in the morning or in the evening of the previous day. So in your to-do list, the number one task is to map-up the upcoming day.

 

2. Use some planning tool

If you prefer to use your phone for it, consider downloading some app or to use a simple pre-installed notes app. Google calendar or any analog may also work for planning. Microsoft To Do also performs well.

If you prefer writing on paper, it would be good to have a special notebook for planning. Start by writing today's date and listing in no particular order all the tasks or wishes you would like or need to accomplish.

When you have this planning tool near, it helps you to be consistent in planning in the long run.

3. Sort your tasks by relevance 

After having a list, pick up the top 3 or 5 tasks that are the most important to do. The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your tasks are the most important, leading you to 80% of the overall result.  

Highlight the most important ones somehow and try to make them at first, if possible. Among them there has to be one or two which is easier to do, so maybe it would be better to start with it at the beginning of the day to get into working mode and quickly get satisfaction from the first completed task.

 

4. If the task is big, divide into several smaller ones

As Seneca says in his Moral letters to Lucilius: “you can master the whole part by part”. Divide a complex task into smaller tasks in a way that you can do one or a few per day and soon you’ll reach a big goal.

 

5. Consider grouping some of your tasks

Some of your daily tasks can be done at home, some at the working place and some even during your commuting to the working place, like emails and calls or web research. Combine tasks depending on there and when you can do them in a row.

6. Reserve a big part for breaks and recreation

It is super important to give your body and mind some rest during the day and especially at night. Always keep this one among priorities. 

Instead of burying yourself in work and overloading yourself with tasks, it is better to postpone some of the tasks until the next day and allow yourself to walk, run, swim or meet a good person. Sometimes a meeting, a short trip or reading a book opens up new perspectives in work and self-development.

 

7. Review Regularly

Set aside a bit of time once a week to review your overall progress. You don’t have to review every day, but at the end of the week it is quite good to do. We wish you to find good progress and to be proud of your performance. 

If the results are not too impressive, it is still worth analyzing. This helps you to find adjustments to improve performance. Sometimes you just need to reinstall the operating system or free up your phone. Sometimes you need to go to bed earlier and reduce the time spent on social networks. 

We sincerely wish you success in your fair business and may conscious planning help you achieve it.

Read More: The Best Online Tools for a Virtual Assistant in 2025