This is a simple yet very effective system to plan a day or a week that is efficient and well-balanced. The credit for this system should be given to authors of "The Power of Focus" namely: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hanson and Less Hewitt.

Everybody knows that they should have a balanced life. A balance in how much you work, spend time with the family, exercise, think by yourself. Yet practically it seems to be difficult to keep that up.

I found B-ALERT system very helpful and practical. It is a method you can implement it for a day or a week. It is an efficient and very REAL way of planning your days and weeks.

First of all B-ALERT stands for:

• B: Blueprint
• A: Action
• L: Learning
• E: Exercise
• R: Relax
• T: Think

You don't have to follow it in this order. It is up to you which part you do first, second etc. The order of the letters "B-ALERT" just make it simpler to remember.

ALERT is also to remind you that you are ready, mindful, on guard, conscious and prepared.

Time: 10-15 Minutes Essence: Plan your day beforehand.

This is how you prepare for the day. Just the fact that you are preparing for the day can improve your productivity by %20+. It is amazing when we want to print a brochure or send an e-mail to a client we make sure we have everything set before we print or send the e-mail. Why not doing the same for your every single day? Doesn't your day worth as much as a brochure? If you don't plan you get what shows up. If you do plan you get the most out of what shows up.

Planning for a day can take 10 to 15 minutes max. You can do it in the morning or preferably the night before. If you plan the night before your subconscious has the whole night to figure out the best ways to do things. You wake up with new ideas on how to do things or during the day you get some hunches on how to perform better.

Use a journal, dairy or and electronic organizer to document your plan. So you can refer to it several times a day or later on the week to see what you have accomplished.

You might as well use a scrap paper or a napkin if you dont have time or patience. Lousy planning is better than No plannig!

Time: 8 hours or more

Essence: The actual physical actions you take to accomplish things

There is a BIG difference between being busy and taking planned specific actions that move you towards your goals.

Your actions, by definition, move you closer to your destination and goals.

WARNING on Law of Attraction and Action

If you believe in Law of Attraction my personal advice to you is to "take action" and don't wait to the "right time". Believing, visualizing and affirmations are not enough for a happy successful life. However mixed with action they can create life mastery.

Don't let people sell you on the idea that just thinking and visualizing will solve the problem. I have been there, done that. It doesn't work.

A quote from Anthony Robbins: "Taking action is the Foundational Key to all success"

Time: 15 Minutes or more           

Essence:  Learn anything you like, but learn SOMETHING!

If you are serious about your life and your success you should be learning on regular basis. No, Not from newspapers and not from Hollywood movies! Those are OK, but you need to allocate time to study the business you are in, efficient ways to improve your productivity, health, raising children, writing better reports, planning, learning Spanish, national history, and international history and so on.

Every day allocate sometime to learn something new that moves your closer to your goals or widens your imagination. Sometime it is an excellent idea to learn about something you have nothing to do with. It expands your horizons.

I personally love personal development books. They give me inspiration and I learn from other people's failures and successes.

Don't like reading?

• Watch documentaries, on people, history, culture and personalities who shaped the world

• Watch Biography on A & E, the Learning Channel, Discovery Channel, the History Channel, PBS Television.

• Ask a friend to teach you how they do things they are good at. Cooking, exercising, communicating, handling their e-mails, etc.

Time: 15 Minutes or more           

Essence: Get busy exercising. Move your body by program or spontaneously        

Did you know that even 15 minutes of exercise a day can drastically improve your health and vitality? If you just exercise for 15 minutes continuously, your metabolism increase, you burn more fat, your blood circulates better, your immune system functions better, it uplifts you mood and makes you a happier person!

Don't know how to exercise?

Walk, jug or run around the block. Do some push-ups. Ride a bicycle. Move your body in any way you can. Be spontaneous, just decide to exercise and get busy. You will learn or invent a couple of exercise you like!

Of course, you can also get a book on airobics, hire a trainer or go to gym but until you do DO NOT create excuses for yourself.

Time: 15 to 30 minutes

Essence: Take regular breaks to Re-Energize

Most of us get physically tired or exhausted during the day. If you are an early raiser (5:30 to 6:30) around 13:30 to 15:00, probably you have a "sag" time. Some of us try to fortify it by drinking 3 or 4 cups of coffee.

Instead take 20 minutes off in the middle of the day. May be you can lock the door, put your head on the desk and relax.

Go for a walk. Take some fresh air. Breathe deeply for 2 minutes. This will improve your productivity dramatically for the rest of the day.

When you go home consider a transition time. Ask your family to give you 20 minutes to put yourself in homey mood! Before the kids are unleashed on you!

Niche Content Packages 

Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Essence: Think. Ponder. Wonder. Mediate. Reflect on you day and on your life.

Regard each day as a mini-movie and you as the star. How did you do? Are there any adjustments to make to improve the way you did something? What did you do that made you happy?

Use your journal if you want to. Write a couple of lines or even paragraphs. Just start writing. You will have realizations while you write.

Make reflective thinking a daily habit. It only takes a few minutes and it will make a lot wiser, stronger and happier person.

You can plan your week like the below table. Put a tick next to each letter if you have done it well for that day and a circle if you need to do some more work on it later on.

Do not be too hard on yourself. Implement the System. Just Remember B-ALERT and plan.

Reward yourself for planning, regardless of the result. Remember success can be built upon success. Reward the fact that you have planed.