Master Planner: A Powerful Tool for Productive Planning

Derek Flanzraich, the founder and CEO of Greatist—a popular blog dedicated to sports and healthy living—shares his experience using an innovative planning tool called Master Planner. About a year ago, Kenny Herman from Single Platform introduced him to a "Working Agenda" template, which gradually evolved step-by-step into what is now known as the Master Planner.

This planning method has been tested and highly praised by Greatist's subscribers. Interested in creating your own version? Here's how you can build your personalized Master Planner:

• Create a Google Doc and title it "YOUR NAME Master Planner."
• Divide the document into sections: (1) today's date, followed by (2) a daily schedule that includes all tasks (3) you need to accomplish, ideas and thoughts (4), and an archive (5) labeled "Completed" for each past day. This simple structure ensures you never miss anything important.

Before wrapping up your workday and shutting down your computer, plan your schedule for tomorrow (e.g., 10:00 AM – meeting with investors, 12:30 PM – lunch with I.V., etc.). Then, list the tasks you intend to complete. Keep the list concise—focusing on 2–3 truly important tasks is more effective. When entering tasks into your planner, prioritize what needs to be done first.

The next day, take notes after each meeting and record everything you accomplish. These small margin notes at the end of the day help create a comprehensive overview, allowing you to reflect on how the day went and draw valuable conclusions. This habit can be incredibly useful in the future. Once the day is complete and your planner is filled out, move the entries automatically to the "Completed" section.

Many activities involve recurring tasks. You can plan your Master Planner a month ahead, inserting repeating tasks on the appropriate dates. Highlight, bracket, or color-code different tasks or important comments to make them easier to find when needed.

Derek keeps his planner open in a small window at all times, adding updates as soon as new needs arise. While some may find this approach time-consuming or cumbersome, for others, it’s a game-changer. If you’ve met someone multiple times but can’t recall details from your last conversation, simply check your planner notes for a quick refresher.

There’s also an app called Day One, ranked among the top 10 lifehack apps, which serves as a personal journal to record thoughts and moods related to specific events. Reviewing these entries can help you identify obstacles or irritations, or even make crucial decisions—like whether to stay in your current job or seek change.

Master Planner is essentially a simplified version of such an application, accessible to everyone with a computer and internet access.

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