While many people rely on their computer’s calendar, writing down events and to-do lists in a day planner or journal forces you to spend a few minutes each day setting short-term goals and prioritizing tasks. Reader Simon Ponce uses the 90-Day Success Planner. Of course, the Franklin Covey planner is a beloved classic. And other readers have discovered The 7-Minute Life Daily Planner by Allyson Lewis, who suggests the strategy of a “5 before 11™” list—the five things you want to accomplish before 11 a.m.

Hopes and dreams remain fantasies until you identify them, write them down and create a plan for achieving them.

Are you a night owl? An early riser? You may already know your peak times of day for energy and creativity. If not, take a week and chart the times of day when your energy and attention seem to peak or lag. When do you work quickly or creatively? When do you make the most errors? Once you know your peak times, schedule activities accordingly, keeping in mind that everyone has highs and lows throughout the day; it’s what you do with them that counts.

Not only a diary, a journal is an all-encompassing log of thoughts, ideas, discussions, phone numbers, tasks, planning, reminders, etc. By keeping a journal, you’ll have only one place to look for previous ideas, thoughts and plans. As SUCCESS reader Jim McMonagle says, “My journal is my productivity tool. It keeps me focused on what is most important every day.”

Once a week, have a 30-minute accountability call with another superachieving peer. Discuss your wins, losses, fixes and ah-has, and challenge each other for better results the following week.

Historian Arnold Toynbee said, “Nothing fails like success.” Using old strategies to tackle new circumstances may be keeping you from taking greater strides. In his blog, Stephen R. Covey recommends taking time to rethink. “We have to examine our paradigms (our view of things), our tools, our skills to determine if we’re approaching the problem in the right way. As a first step, we may even step back and make sure we’ve correctly defined the problem. Then we need to see if, based on the evidence of results or lack of results, we need a new approach.” If you find you need some new tools or skills, don’t be discouraged. “This can be an exciting proposition because you will most likely find new growth and development in the process—this is success!”