Sharpen Your Focus with Daily Planning

I missed a meaningful moment.

We had just returned from a trip. Milly (a pseudonym for my youngest daughter) was resting, so it was just me and Anna (a pseudonym for my oldest daughter) in the kitchen.

Anna found a yo-yo and started playing with it, but she couldn’t figure out how to use it. I suggested, “You should stand on that chair so the yo-yo doesn’t hit the floor.”

She climbed up, stood on the chair, and tried dropping the yo-yo while yanking it back up.

It didn’t work.

She tried again. Still didn't work.

Again and again, to no avail.

“I'll show you how,” I said.

I wrapped the loop around my middle finger, slowly dropped the yo-yo, and gave it a quick yank just before it reached the bottom. It snapped back into my hand. I clutched it with pride, thinking, I still got it.

Anna was in awe.

She eagerly retrieved the yo-yo and tried again. It still didn’t work.

But she kept going. And going. And going—like the Energizer Bunny.

I lost patience and grabbed my phone to distract myself.

Then she screamed in excitement, “I did it!”

“Really?!” I replied, astonished—and regretful.

Astonished because she had just learned a new childhood skill.

Regretful because I had missed the moment.

I had let distraction steal a special memory on a chilly January afternoon.

So I told myself, Be present. No more distractions.

That regret became a lesson.

The Daily Sync Session

Distraction is the biggest threat to my priorities.

I have a Weekly Blueprint to align my values with my schedule.

I practice a 90-minute Weekly planning session to plan my top priorities for the week

But the real game-changer in staying focused is my Daily Sync Session.

This simple daily practice keeps me anchored amid distractions. I carve out at least 20 minutes, five days a week (on workdays), to go through it. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Pray

As a follower of Jesus, I start my daily sync session with a short prayer, often reciting:

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." — Proverbs 16:9

I ask for divine guidance to align my plans with God’s higher purpose. I also recognize that some things are beyond my control, so I surrender them to Him.

2. Review My Mission and Semester Goals

Next, I review my personal mission statement, which has taken months to refine:

I empower people to thrive with purpose in faith, life, and leadership.

Revisiting my mission regularly ensures that I stay aligned with my purpose.

I then review my semester goals. I set 1-2 major goals for each semester (four months) of the year. I’ve found that focusing on semester goals is more effective than planning annual goals.

3. Plan Time and Schedule

I then plan my time and schedule for the current and next day:

• Confirm appointments – I text or email to confirm meetings.
• Review my top 3 habits and top 3 projects – These are pre-set in my planner from my Weekly Sync Session.
• Time-block key tasks – I ensure my top priorities are scheduled.
• Check my project lists – I review my lists in Things and my planner to track progress.

4. Process Buckets

The final step is reviewing and processing my communication and task “buckets.”

If a task takes less than one minute, I do it immediately. If it takes longer, I schedule it.

Communication buckets (primary ways people reach me):

• Text messages
• Email
• Calls/voicemails
• Facebook messages

Task buckets (where I store tasks):

• Apple Calendar
• Planner
• Things (task management app)

Finally, I process my meeting notes—reviewing them and adding action items to my task list.

Why This Matters

Without my Daily Sync Session, distractions would pull me away from what matters most.

Even if you start with just 10 minutes a day, adding a daily planning routine to your workflow will help you stay intentional—no matter how chaotic life gets. Try it today!