I asked my daughter why her room was still a mess. “I didn’t have time to clean it, Dad.” My response to her was “No, you chose to spend time doing something other than cleaning your room.” (She just rolled her eyes and gave me that “you’re acting like a ‘motivational speaker’ look.”) But it’s true. There’s always time for the things we put first.

Peter Drucker says, “Time is the scarcest resource and unless we manage it, nothing else can be managed.” I believe that. It’s one of Steven Covey’s “Seven Habits” (read “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”), I admit managing time doesn’t come naturally to me. But it’s something that can be learned. Of everything I’ve learned about time management, daily planning is one of the most useful. The fifteen minutes used planning your day leverages the remaining eight or nine hours. It’s a great investment. Here’s what to do.

Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Put an “A” next to every task that absolutely must be done that day—‘there will be dire consequences if I don’t accomplish this task today.’ Put a “B” next to every task that that ‘should’ be done today. And put a “C” next to every task that ‘would be great if it were accomplished today.’ Then go back through the “A” list. Rank them. Of all the “A” tasks, which is most important? Which task is next in importance? And so forth. Do the same with the “B” list—then the “C” list. Now you have a list of your tasks in order of importance. And voila, your day is planned. When those inevitable crisies occur and something falls off of your list, make sure it’s not one of your “A” tasks.

Try this for 3 weeks. I guarantee you’ll be more productive.