Time is an equal opportunity giver. No one gets more or loses it without choice. The truth is everyone gets the same amount of time in their day…24 hours or 1,440 minutes to be exact. And no one can magically make it speed up or slow down for them.

So why is it that some people seem to have way more time than others? Why is it that some can accomplish more in the first quarter of the day than most people do in a full day? Why does it appear that some people are able to find time for everything while others can’t even find the time to catch up?

The answer lies in the approach. You see, how you approach your day will determine what you get from it. Those who prepare are equipped to maximize their allotment. They are excellent stewards of the time given to them. They don’t squander it by wasting precious moments. They schedule time into their schedule to schedule time. Meaning they have a plan of action to get things done. Benjamin Franklin once said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

Here are 3 tips to schedule your time better:

1) Don’t End Today Until Tomorrow Is Planned

Make it a habit of ending your day by making sure you have a game plan for the next. If you wait to plan your day when it arrives you are already late to the game. You’ll end up living reactively rather than proactively. Everything will get your attention because you haven’t determined what should even be allowed to get your attention. Things may not go exactly as planned, especially if you operate in a mixed variable type of schedule, but at least you have a game plan to keep you on track.

2) Protect Your Schedule From Vampires

Vampires are things like: TV, YouTube, Social Media, Ad hoc meetings, daydreaming, etc…they suck productivity out of your day. If you allow these vampires a place in your day, they will bleed you dry. You have to keep yourself protected against distractions and derailments. Learn to say, “NO!” The truth is, whenever you say, “Yes” to something you are in a sense saying, “No” to something else anyway. Every time you say, “Yes” to a distraction you are saying, “No” to productivity, so learn to say, “No” to the good so you can say, “Yes” to the best.

3) Envision A Plan, Execute The Plan, Then Evaluate The Plan

Look into the future and envision what your priorities should be. Have the foresight to clearly define what your goals are. You can’t hit what you’re not aiming at. Get a plan in place that helps you work to your destination. Then you need to execute the plan. This takes discipline to keep moving one step closer to that goal every day. Execute relentlessly until you have attained your desired outcome. But remember you always need to evaluate the plan to see what worked, what didn’t work, and why it happened the way it did. You need to study your successes as much as your failure so you specifically know what you learned. The more you evaluate, the more you can improve the process.