How to Organize Your Day for Maximum Results | Jim Kwik

Welcome back to the Kwik Brain Podcast. I am your host and your brain coach, Jim Kwik, and the topic we're gonna talk about today is I want to go to one of your questions that was in our private Facebook group. Many of you are part of it, and it had to do with, with task chunking. Jim, how do you organize your day to get the most out of the day? And that's what I wanna share with you today, a very simple framework on how I phase the day. And it's going to be really brain-friendly. It's going to be very, very quick. This is going to be a very quick episode. You're like, each episode is very quick, Jim. I wish there was, there was more of them. That's why so many people binge listen to and watch these episodes. And also make sure you subscribe on YouTube because you get to see it on video and the extended version often, and join our over a million subscribers there. And so let's, let's get into it. You know, the one thing that's equal is our time. Right, not everybody has equal income or equal network or connections, not everyone has an equal education, but everybody has 24 hours in a day. And my goal is to get the most out of that 24 hours, you know, and still get enough sleep. And so my day, I break down into 3 phases, and this is what really works for me for the longest time. I don't suggest you follow this rigorously, but understand the framework and the principles behind the framework, and it's gonna help you with your productivity, it's certainly gonna help with your performance, And even you might find your profitability and your peace of mind. Now, as I'm managing my tasks, I'd like to time chunk or task chunk these things together, that at certain times I like to batch the tasks that are similar around the same time, so I don't have to do a lot of cognitive switching. You know, when you're doing emails or whatever, part of your brain is lit up, you know, this cognitive web, this neurological web. And I don't want to go from thing to light that up, then shut it down, turn on another one, and go back and forth, because you can waste a lot of time to regain your focus. You could also lose a lot of energy. We talk about multitasking and people trying to multitask and make more mistakes, but it also takes a lot of brain glucose to be able to do all that. And so, the 3 different phases, I'm thinking about morning, afternoon, and evening. And I have a primary drive in terms of a focus for those 3 different parts of my day. And again, you don't have to follow this to the letter, but understand the process and the principles behind it, and you could apply it and customize it around your own life. And you don't have to do it completely. Even if you do it a little bit, I'm We'd be curious that if you share with us, you know, you text us, or you'll be able to send us a social media message, or post it online, tag us in it so we get to see it. We'll repost some of our favorites. Share your feedback as well so we can learn as a community. So the morning time, my brain is not looking for input. I don't want input. I'm not picking up my phone. I'm not turning on the news. When you wake up, you're in this kind of relaxed state of awareness. You're very suggestible. Information in at that point, especially things that distract me and hijack my day. That's why I stay away from my phone. I know it's easier said than done, but this is a discipline, right? But with every disciplined effort, as the saying goes, there are multiple rewards. And for me, I want output first thing in the morning. So my focus in the morning is about creation, is to be creative. And it takes different forms, and it could for you than it does for me. For me, that's where I go into the creative spot, where I'd go into problem-solving mode. I want to tackle some of my creative endeavors for my work. I want to write, for instance, and that's where I feel most creative first thing in the morning. I don't want to be reactive and having to react to all the messages in my texts or my email or my Slack. I wanna— don't wanna start my day on the defense. I wanna start it proactively by creating. So I will write a podcast, right? I'll go through interview questions. I will go and write my next book. And so I think I put it out there that there is a new book that I'm working on that I'm really excited about as well. But the morning time is for my creativity, and I protect it that way. Now, does that mean I'm not doing other things? No. For certain things I have to do, I'll do it. But for the most part, that morning time is for my brain to get information out, to be creative. Do you want to be able to remember confidently the information that you hear on this podcast? Do you want to improve your memory to easily and confidently be able to remember names and faces? Client information, give a speech without notes, learn another language, remember what you read, and so much more. There's a solution, and I call it your quick recall. In just 15 minutes a day for 30 days, I've designed the ultimate course, How to Unlock Your Quick Recall. Just go to kwikbrain.com/recall. Enter podcast15 for your immediate discount as a thank you Now, in the afternoon, instead of creating, I want to consume. And the afternoon is where I want to learn. You know, that's, that's more of my learning time. And so what am I doing? Primarily, I could listen to podcasts. I could be reading books, which is my favorite thing to do. Yes, I can listen to them on Audible, and I do that when I travel. It's in higher speeds, obviously, because I'm a very fast reader and processor. But I like to read. You know, for me, it's a physical book. And I like to get my reading done at that time. I like to consume information or consume conversations as well. So in the morning I create, in the afternoon I am consuming. And then finally in the evening time is when I wanna clear. And what does that mean? You know, I'm not being creative at night. I don't wanna be in that creative state and I don't wanna be consuming a lot of stuff at night either, 'cause I don't wanna be in my executive brain, right? I wanna be able to phase and go in that parasympathetic rest and digest. And what am I doing? I'm gonna clear my mind of that So what am I doing? I'm journaling. That's a wonderful way to clear your mind. You know, I think a journaling practice is important, whether you're journaling things that happen during your day. It's great training for episodic memory, the episodes of your day. If you want to do a little gratitude at the end of the day, it's a wonderful time to clear that. It's also a great time to plan, meaning some people have trouble sleeping because they're ruminating, thinking about all the things they have to do the next day. I want to clear that also, so I will plan my day The night before, and it'll clear my mind so I don't have to be thinking about all the things I need to do. And I'll do an experiment where I will fast forward at the end of the next night and say, somebody asked me, like a family member or friend, how was your day? And I was like, this was amazing, you know, this was incredible, I crushed it. And then I ask myself, what had to happen in order for me to feel that way? And I just think of like 3 things personally and maybe 3 things professionally, but not a 200-thing, you know, to-do list. 3 things personally, and they don't have to be big things. Maybe I walked the dog, you know, a little bit extra time or something like that would be on my personal And I think about the 3 important things for my work that I want to focus on, but I'll clear it at night and I'll plan it, and then that will be my focus the next day, if that makes sense. But I don't have to think about it once I release it, because what you resist persists. If you try not to think about all the things you have to do the next day, it gets even harder, right? So I'll journal. I will plan my day and put it out on paper so I don't have to think about it. And okay, that's a way of clearing. And my third way that I prefer to clear is through meditation. And I will actually phase down. And meditation is where I kind of clear my mind, right? And it's not that you don't have thoughts that are in your mind. You know, our friend who we had on the podcast, Emily Fletcher, who's my meditation coach, says that, you know, getting your mind to stop thinking is like trying to get your heart to stop beating. Your heart beats. That's what it does. Your mind thinks. But I go into this meditation mode where I think it's important to disconnect to reconnect. And that's my way of clearing, you know, not only just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. And, I have a certain process, I've talked about it before in terms of how I go about my meditation process, or I'll use some kind of technology like our NuCalm. I talk about that. We had a podcast interview with the founder of NuCalm, the CEO, and that kind of makes meditation a lot easier, or I'll use a device like Muse, which makes meditation easier. And so, there's different things that you could do, but the main thing is I stay off my devices at nighttime. I'm on my devices more for work in the midday where I'm consuming also podcasts and things, or if I'm reading online and stuff like that, that's more my afternoon activity, but I want to clear. Now, I will give you a 4th C, and I like alliteration a lot, which is connection. And connection goes throughout the day. And so I could use connection throughout the day and use it in conjunction with the 3 other Cs. So if I'm being creative in the morning time, I can be creative with my team, right? We could be doing group brainstorming. We could be doing problem solving as a group. You know, so it's not just your neurological networks, it's your social networks, right? Because who you spend time with is who you become. But you can make this a collaboration. So this connection is very important. So I have connection throughout the day. I think that's very important, you know, for all of us who might feel a little disconnected from others. I could use connection also in the afternoon when I am consuming, right? And so I could be consuming and learning from other people also in conversations. I could be listening to a podcast with somebody, right, and have that social connection also. And then in the evening time, in terms of clearing, it's a wonderful time. Even if I do watch something with a friend or family member, that would be a way of clearing. You're decompressing. And I think that's important also. Your brain is not always meant to go 100 miles an hour all the time. Sometimes you have to slow down. That's where socialization, connection happens. And you could connect over clearing. You know, you could do that. You could journal and talk and help vent, right, about your day and how your day was or how your school was. And that's a way of you clearing in the evening, maybe over So I want you to take this idea, these 3 different phases. Morning, you could be creative. Afternoon, you could consume. So you create, you consume, and you clear, and have connection throughout the day. So those are your 4 C's. And I really want to get your feedback. You know, what do you think about this episode? And if you found value in it, please, the greatest compliment— we don't put any sponsors in our shows because we really value your time and your attention. We want to give you as much value as possible. So, but the best value that we could get in return, if you feel like there's a, there's an energy exchange here is to share this with somebody else. So forward this episode to somebody who can listen to it. Also leave a review on iTunes or wherever platform you're consuming it because those stories really light us up. You know, our team is small in people, but we're really big on purpose. You know, and it's good to go out there and people make money, but the meaning is very important to us. You know, we're on a mission collectively to build better, brighter brains. You know, no brain left behind. I feel a moral obligation to share this with you. So I hope this was a little bit of insight into Jim's brain about how he organized And, and manages his time throughout the day. And if you find it valuable, please post this episode, take a screenshot if you like, and tag me in it on social media so I get to see it. I will repost some of my favorites and share your big takeaway so your fans, your followers, your family, your friends who are following you get the benefit of it as well. Because that's what it is all about, right? If you give someone an idea, you enrich their life. But if you teach someone how to learn and how to live, Then they can enrich their own life. And that's really what it's all about. So thank you for watching this episode, listening to this episode. Make sure you subscribe on your favorite platform, definitely on YouTube. And until our next episode, be limitless, everyone. Limitless.