“A busy calendar and a busy mind will destroy your ability to do great things in this world.”

Naval Ravikant

Being a motivated goal-oriented individual like yourself who reads a site like this you probably naturally end up with a busy schedule. There is a fine line to walk. You want to march towards your goals, but also have time to think.

Long time readers of this blog know that I’m a huge fan of using an index card for my quarterly goal setting. The constraint is perfect for me as it limits the ideas I can work on for a quarter and forces me to prioritize.

I’ve recently found this same beautiful card to function perfectly for my life outside of work. If you’re a balanced individual you have irons in the fire outside of your 9-5. Here is one method I’d found to keep my life outside of work on track and underloaded:

Step 1: Every Sunday night pull out a) your calendar b) your quarterly goals card and c) a blank index card.

Step 2: Make a row for each day of the week.

Step 3: Make a check-box for all your appointments during the week.

Step 4: Examine your quarterly goals and decide which ones you will work on each day of the week. Add in accordingly.

Example:

As you go through each week you will get better at optimizing your card. I recommend reviewing what you have on your plate for the following day as a part of your shut-down ritual.

Another analog solution keeping things simple.