Life is unpredictable, but planning is still important. Use your phone's calendar and to-do list, or install an app to create daily and weekly plans:

• Plan even for small errands.
• Keep in mind that things take longer than you expect.
• Block chunks of time, or an entire day for a task.

Opt for actions and daily habits that naturally align with you, or are less of a challenge. Be realistic and commit for the long haul.

If you regularly sleep at 1:00 AM then trying to wake up at 5:00 AM can be a self-defeating exercise. 

You should choose your wardrobe, your exercise routine, and your recreational habits according to you.

For example: If you don't like reading, opt for podcasts or watch informing documentaries.

We cannot keep self-sabotaging ourselves by failing at our unrealistic expectations.

We can opt for consistency, understanding the impact of incremental progress. Opt for continuous effort towards a realistic, doable target.

In our pursuit of perfection, we neglect balance by doing what's urgent over what matters. This can lead to stress, burnout, and feeling drained and lethargic:

• Avoid spending too much time at work
• Prioritize physical activity
• Try meditation or just simple writing
• Unwind on a good movie or spend time with friends
• Get a good amount of sleep.

To make time to accommodate what's important, we may have to say NO to certain commitments and remove certain areas from high priority.

Deprioritize what is urgent but not important.

Too much stuff around you means too much to think about, too much to do, leading to chaos.

Just like a to-do list takes care of our mental chaos, we should clean and declutter stuff around us, so that we are able to think better.

It is important to measure your progress, reviewing every aspect of planning and execution.
Track your time and progress with a good app on your smartphone.  Minimize distracted and zero-productivity time.

Not everything requires manual, hard and laborious work, even if you are habitual or accustomed to doing things that way.

For example, writing a check for rent every month can be automated with online payment.

Introduce some spice, some novelty in your daily routine: go with the uncharted route, explore life without a specific plan.

You can find a new hobby, join a social group, even seek out some work in a different domain.

Most of us keep doing seemingly urgent work (answering a phone, replying to an email, etc.) but this only gives an illusion of productivity.

Real productivity is a distraction-free high-impact work that you must find time to do daily.