Tomorrow we will become what we choose today.
—John Maxwell
I was chatting with a women’s director when one of her ladies joined us. “Excuse me, Stephanie, I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to come to lunch today. It’s been such a busy week—extra time at school, my son got sick, and I’m behind at home—that I haven’t had time to spend time with my mother, and her birthday was last weekend. So I need to be with her. Let me know when you have it next time. I’ll be sure to come.”
As the woman walked away, Stephanie looked stunned. “Can you believe that? The hostess has a gorgeous home and planned a luxurious luncheon at her own expense so we could meet together. We only had six women coming, and this lady tells me she can’t come the hour before? Why couldn’t she at least have called yesterday? That’s just inconsiderate. Grr!”
When you simplify your time, one of the most considerate steps you can take is to plan tomorrow the night before. This saves yourself and other people time. And it keeps you in everyone’s good graces.
Set Up Tomorrow for Success
Anyone can develop the habit of preparing for tomorrow the night before. You’re set up for a good day when you have items placed in a regular “launching spot” and appointments confirmed as soon as possible.
My husband saves time by neatly zipping up his computer case with his papers inside at the foot of the stairs at night. He has a mental checklist of items laid out on his dresser to take: his watch, his work badge, and his favorite pen. He has never had a bad day because of a forgotten necessity.
I began the practice of calling clients the day before our meeting to find out the top three to five issues they wanted to cover, to answer questions and confirm the time, and to find out whether I should dress for organizing their garage or their paperwork. It relieved their fears and gave us a fast start when we got together.
Lucy, a busy executive, liked to have our daughter babysit overnight while she was on business but often missed getting Lisa because of waiting until the week of her travels to call. When Lucy learned to call immediately when a trip came up, she got her dependable sitter almost 100 percent of the time.
Does Planning Take Time or Save Time?
Those who plan tomorrow the night before have learned it takes just a few minutes once they consistently practice the habit. Now they are no longer surprised that someone doesn’t show up for lunch because they had it on the wrong week or they missed jury duty because they forgot.
At work, there are numerous ways to plan tomorrow the night before. Consider the following:
Confirm tomorrow’s appointments.
E-mail your group, reminding participants of the meeting time, location, and agenda.
Print all directions for sales calls, and confirm with the client the time and topics.
Go through your in-box and list important items and time frames in which you’ll handle them.
Check with support staff on the status of project steps.
Confirm due dates with team members.
At home, there are numerous ways to plan tomorrow the night before. Consider the following:
Prepare your grocery list.
Find your receipt to return an item.
Pull together the dry cleaning to drop off.
Schedule an online package pickup with your mail carrier.
Get your old watch battery ready so you purchase the correct size.
Call to confirm your babysitter.
The Rewards of Planning Ahead
The bonus for planning ahead is a successful day, meeting people on time instead of showing up to a locked door of someone who forgot an appointment with you. Errands get done when you gather materials the night before, so your clocks get fixed, lightbulbs get replaced, and you can stay home for the rest of the evening.
Driving Down the Highway of Life Management Skills
I learned to apply this time-saving principle to driving to new places. As helpful as an accurate set of directions is, I always focused on the next turn. But when I got off the freeway, I didn’t know which way to turn without scrambling for my map while driving.
No more. I realized I could train myself to think of not just the next turn but the next two or even three turns. That’s what you can do as you plan tomorrow: teach yourself to rehearse the next three things you are going to do during the day so you keep driving smoothly from one task to the next.
Planning sequentially the night before allows you to accomplish BOTH major tasks and minor necessities so all is complete by the end of the day. Remember, the most important time you spend in a day is the time you spend planning tomorrow.
It’s Your Time
Plan Tomorrow the Night Before (Time Habit #6)
■ Call or e-mail to confirm your events for tomorrow.
■ Keep a notepad at the same spot and write out tomorrow’s tasks the night before.
■ At night, review how well your day’s list worked and improve the one for tomorrow.
It takes time, effort, and the ability to overcome setbacks. You have to approach each day with reasonable expectations and not get your feelings hurt when everything doesn’t turn out perfectly.
—John Maxwell