The day is spent working based on the plan. Mark completed items with an X and items moved to the next day with a hyphen.
Toward the end of the day, manage any incomplete items so that the people who made the requests are not surprised to learn of the delay.
By the end of the day, all items have been managed, meaning they have either been completed or somehow worked into future days. The point is, rather than going home feeling like you still have a huge burden, you can go home feeling that all tasks have been managed. You can go home with a smile, knowing that you did today's work. Tomorrow's work will tend to itself.
If you finish early, reward yourself. You can do a personal project, get caught up on work-related reading, clean/organize your office, get ahead on tomorrow's tasks, and so on. If you have a flexible work environment, you can go home early.
When new tasks are given to you during the day, you can schedule them for tomorrow or reshuffle today's plan to fit them in. If you consistently get new tasks throughout the day that have to be done "right now," you can allocate a certain amount of interruption time each day when you create your plan.
Personal tasks can be managed using the same system. By using one system for both work and nonwork tasks, you get more practice at using The Cycle, you have only one system to carry around, and you benefit from not forgetting the nonwork stuff that makes your life better.
The system you use isn't as important as having a system. That is, The Cycle System works for meif you have a different system that works for you, use it. However, if you are reading this book, there is a good chance you don't have a system. Try The Cycle for a while, then start customizing it for your work habits and lifestyle.
The Cycle can be done with either a PDA or the pen-and-paper equivalent, a PAA. Each of these has pros and cons. Try both and use the one that works for you.
