Everyday productivity
Start the day with a short check-in
You will have a daily note template and a five-minute morning and evening routine.
Before you start
- A notes app you open every day
- Five minutes in the morning and in the evening
Step 1: Make the daily note
Create a note with four headings: Top three, Waiting on, Notes and Tomorrow. Duplicate it each day.
Step 2: Run the morning check-in
- Write down the three things that would make today a good day.
- Check your calendar for anything that blocks them.
- Move anything else to a separate list.
Optional prompt
Here are my tasks and calendar for today: [paste] Suggest the best order for the three most important tasks and flag any that look too big for one day. Do not add new tasks.
Step 3: Run the evening review
- Tick what you finished.
- Write one line on what slowed you down.
- Move unfinished items to Tomorrow.
Keep it light
- Do not store private health or financial details in a note that syncs to tools you do not control.
- Skip a day without guilt and start again the next.
- Change the headings after two weeks if they do not fit.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing ten priorities
- Making the note too long to keep up
- Skipping the evening review
- Storing private details in a shared note
Final checklist
- I made a daily note template
- I wrote three priorities this morning
- I reviewed the day this evening