HOW TO PLAN IN GRAD SCHOOL using Passion Planner + the High Performance Planner (PhD Candidate)
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Start mornings with energy-building habits (exercise) and then plan, rather than relying on an early-bird schedule that can drain later wellbeing.
Briefing
Graduate students often start PhD life with an “early bird” reading-and-writing routine, but the long-term cost can show up later in the day—less energy for exercise and other habits that protect wellbeing. One PhD candidate at the University of Toronto describes a practical fix: reverse-engineer the day so mornings begin with movement, then planning, so energy and focus are supported rather than depleted.
Her morning workflow starts with Passion Planner, a system she has used for about four years. On Sunday evenings, she typically reviews her “big picture strategy” and turns it into both a personal to-do list and a work to-do list, then assigns tasks to specific days and—when needed—maps them onto her calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts with high-priority work. On the day itself, she begins by checking her calendar for any notes already made about what must happen today.
Next comes the High Performance Planner, developed by Brendon Burchard, which she uses primarily as a daily planner (with optional weekly reflection and some monthly planning, though she prefers monthly planning in Passion Planner). The planner begins with a “morning mindset” section designed to prompt high-performance thinking through short, targeted questions. Examples include what she can get excited about that day, who needs her “on my A-game,” what might feel stressful and how she’ll handle it, who she could surprise with a note or sign of appreciation, and which big projects may not be completed in a single day. She also identifies what would make the day a success—so the day’s work is tied to outcomes and feelings, not just tasks.
After completing the mindset prompts, she transfers her day’s tasks from Passion Planner into the High Performance Planner. Then she converts each item from a simple list into a concrete approach: if a task is attending a meeting, her goal becomes how she will show up—listening closely and asking at least one thoughtful question. She also plans relationship-focused actions, asking who she needs to lead or connect with and how she will do it.
The system then adds small but intentional reminders, such as an affirmation or message aligned with the morning mindset. She plugs in her calendar activities into the planner’s large time blocks, using the space to rehearse how she wants to approach each event. Finally, she reflects at day’s end—what she appreciated, what went well, what she learned, and what could be improved—then scores herself on areas tied to high performance. Those numbers are personal rather than meaningful to anyone else, but tracking them over weeks and months helps reveal patterns in performance “ebbs and flows.”
For a doctoral candidate facing demanding conditions and constant workload pressure, the core value is daily structure that keeps attention on execution, relationships, energy, and joy—turning planning into a habit that supports both productivity and wellbeing.
Cornell Notes
A PhD candidate uses a two-planner routine to make graduate work feel intentional rather than reactive. Passion Planner handles weekly strategy and day-to-day task lists, including mapping tasks onto the calendar to prevent conflicts. The High Performance Planner (by Brendon Burchard) adds a “morning mindset” section with prompts about excitement, stress, appreciation, and what success looks like, then turns tasks into specific behaviors (e.g., how to show up in meetings). Large calendar blocks reinforce how she wants to approach each activity, and an end-of-day reflection plus self-scoring tracks performance patterns over time. The payoff is a repeatable habit that supports focus, relationships, energy, and wellbeing during strenuous PhD conditions.
How does Passion Planner fit into the routine before the High Performance Planner is used?
What does the High Performance Planner’s morning mindset section do, and what kinds of prompts appear there?
How are tasks transformed from a checklist into actionable priorities?
Why does she use the planner’s large calendar spaces, and what does she write there?
What happens at the end of the day, and how does self-scoring help?
Review Questions
- How does the routine prevent calendar conflicts between meetings and priority work?
- Give one example of how a task can be rewritten from a list item into a behavior-based goal.
- What is the purpose of end-of-day reflection and self-scoring in this planning system?
Key Points
- 1
Start mornings with energy-building habits (exercise) and then plan, rather than relying on an early-bird schedule that can drain later wellbeing.
- 2
Use Passion Planner for weekly strategy, task lists, and assigning tasks to specific days, including mapping tasks onto the calendar when needed.
- 3
Use the High Performance Planner’s morning mindset prompts to define excitement, stress handling, appreciation actions, and what “success” looks like for the day.
- 4
Convert tasks into concrete approach goals (e.g., meeting goals focused on listening and asking thoughtful questions).
- 5
Plan relationship-focused actions by identifying who needs leadership or connection and deciding how to show up.
- 6
Rehearse scheduled events using large calendar blocks so each activity carries a reminder aligned with the morning mindset.
- 7
Track end-of-day reflection and self-scoring over time to spot performance patterns rather than treating daily scores as judgments.