If you want to be motivated and find purpose throughout the day, working on your daily routine is a powerful habit that will guarantee growth and progression. No matter what your daily schedule looks like, there are numerous principles you can use to maximize your productivity and make efficient use of your time.

In this guide, you'll learn tips to help you achieve more, discover opportunities for personal growth, and find a daily routine that works for you. Taking these steps will make you feel satisfied at the end of the day, no matter how challenging the day ahead may be.

1. Set Daily Intentions at the Start of the Day

The morning is a valuable time of day to set yourself up for success. Instead of diving into the news or social media, you can use this quiet period to connect with yourself and think about the goals you’d like to achieve today.

Before setting your daily intentions, it’s a good idea to have your calendar open or have a brief awareness of the key parts of your day. Then, you can answer some of the following questions in your digital journal:

• What would I most like to achieve today?
• What would a perfect day look like today?
• Who can I spend time with to make sure I achieve my goals?

An extra approach you can take is following specific goals using an app. Dreamfora is a daily goal-setting app where you can build new habits and discover plans for your personal growth. You can enroll in a wide selection of plans to meet your goals in the Discovery tab, with categories covering Health, Career, and Enjoyment.

Dreamfora focuses on short-term progress to help you grow as a person every day. The Habit component of every goal you start allows you to set tasks to repeat on certain days of the week. You can also create a custom goal plan in the Dream tab. Dreamfora is a perfect aid for setting your intentions at the beginning of the day.

Download: Dreamfora for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Determine What Times of the Day You’re Most Energized

If you have a relatively consistent sleep and eating schedule, you’ll find that there are points each day when you’re feeling most energized, and others where you are not. This is largely thanks to the circadian rhythm—your body’s internal clocking system that cycles through day and night.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage. In the next week, take note of the times of day you’re at your most energized and when you’re feeling a little tired. You can then plan your day around this knowledge to maximize your productivity. It’s as simple as completing demanding tasks when you’re most alert and saving low-effort tasks for when you’re more tired. Here are some examples:

• High energy: Working on a project, arranging a big event, giving a presentation at work.
• Low energy: simple cleaning, checking emails, and miscellaneous tasks.

Of course, relaxation is also important during low-energy periods. If you want to refresh your brain in a short span of time, you may consider using some mobile apps for relaxation for an instant cool down.

3. Create Multiple Plans Throughout the Day

You may have heard the quote from Dwight D Eisenhower: “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” What’s worth considering: no matter how clear and refined your plans may be, there will inevitably be changes throughout the day that are beyond your control.

Rather than giving in to change, you can use it to your advantage by creating multiple plans throughout the day. This way, you optimize what your best path ahead is at the current moment, rather than dwelling on your outdated plans and trying to play catch up.

Laverna is a simplistic online note-taking tool that allows you to take notes with minimal distractions. It supports markdown editing and comes with a tool to attach files. Its clean interface and basic features will help you to create new plans fast. Unlike larger note-taking applications filled with overwhelming features, Laverna provides the perfect editing environment for maximum productivity.

4. Prioritize Efficiently to Focus on Your Most Important Tasks

One of the best ways to have the most productive day possible is to determine what tasks need to be done today, and what can be left until later. Prioritizing your tasks smartly will help add purpose to your day and keep you aligned with your goals.

4 Do is an app based on the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize your tasks. You can add tasks to the four quadrants of the matrix, which describe a task’s urgency and its importance. You can create categories such as Home and School and filter the homepage tasks using these options. There’s also the choice to show only due or overdue tasks, which can reduce the contents of your list for a less overwhelming appearance.

This system will help give you a clear perspective of what you need to do today to succeed. More importantly, it gives you an idea of tasks to avoid (in the meantime) to help keep you in line with your biggest goals.

Download: 4 Do for Android | iOS (Free, offers in-app purchases)

5. Save Time to Reflect on Your Achievements

In a society that’s focused on results and hard work, it’s easy to forget about time to self-reflect. Many companies offer progress reviews every month, but imagine the opportunities for self-growth if you reflect on yourself every day.

Prompted journal is a journaling app centered around self-reflection. For every new entry, you’re given a new prompt to write about and reflect on. There’s also a Dive Deeper button that expands on the prompt if you’re seeking further inspiration. A highlight of the app is the cycle that prompts to follow.

After you've gone through all the prompts, a previous prompt will repeat itself. You can see your previous response to the prompt from several months ago and compare it to how you've answered today. This is great for seeing your progress through time and how your current goals compare to past ones.

Noting down your accomplishments and what you’ve achieved today will help keep you motivated at work and allow you to live every day with your fullest potential. Don’t be consumed by constant work and generating output—give yourself some praise for the hard work you’ve put in today for some extra motivation.

Download: Prompted Journal for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)

Have the Most Productive Day Possible Using These Tips

Nothing is stopping you from having a super-productive day today. Practicing these tips will help you determine a schedule that works for you. You can perform at your best during peak productive periods, and relax perfectly to recharge for the next day.

You're in control of how you want to spend your time. Don't waste any opportunities—use these tips to gain a broader understanding of yourself, so you can smash your daily goals.