How to make a schedule for every day and never break it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Time is undoubtedly the most valuable resource we possess. Therefore, time management skills are critical. But making a good schedule is not enough. These tips will help you compose it in such a way that there is no desire to disrupt the established order.

Your well-being, productivity, good mood depends on how you manage your time. Use these tips and create a schedule that it would be almost a mortal sin to break.

1. You need to work without interruption

If you are mainly engaged in intellectual work (for example, you are a designer, engineer, writer, scientist), you need to focus on the task at hand and catch the so-called flow. To work well and productively, leave in the schedule clear intervals during which you will not be distracted, interrupted, or leave your workplace. Use these time windows only for work.

The optimal amount of time is easy to calculate according to the rule proposed by Facebook manager David Gillis.

Your schedule for the week should have at least six gaps of at least three and a half hours allotted strictly for non-stop work.

It is difficult, but it is necessary to strive for it. Basically, you need to work three and a half hours every day until lunchtime. And find a day when you will work three and a half hours non-stop and in the afternoon.

Review your schedule. Is there a place in it for this rule to be implemented? If there is no room, you have a problem. And you urgently need to solve it.

What happens if you don't follow this rule?

• You won't be productive.
• You will have to finish work after hours, at night, or spend your weekends on it.

You obviously won't last long in this state. So try to rearrange your schedule to fit the rule. To do this, you can:

• reschedule meetings so that they do not distract you from work;
• find a day during which there will be no meetings, no meetings, no planning meetings;
• talk to your manager: for sure he is ready to optimize your day so that you work more efficiently.

Once you've put together a schedule that strictly defines these time blocks, treat it as if it were grandma's jewelry. Holy cow. Collection wine bottle.

To make it easier to follow the new schedule, explain to yourself why you need it. Set a goal for yourself. For example, say, "I want to finish a project in a week."

It will be easy and pleasant for you to work. Find a comfortable place, turn off notifications on your phone, have a coffee. Catch the flow and get involved in the process.

2. Review your schedule weekly

Decide on your priorities

Your schedule should have a 30 minute window scheduled for Monday. Use this time to revise your calendar for the next week. Decide what three main goals you need to achieve in the next seven days. What are your priorities?

Be sure to check all appointments for this week. They should not interrupt working time blocks.

• If you are invited to participate in an event that you do not know anything about, write to the organizer and ask for the program of the event.
• If you have a scheduled meeting with a person, but you have nothing to discuss this time, cancel it.
• If you have a meeting or presentation scheduled, schedule some preparation time as well.
• If there is no meeting scheduled, but you have a few important questions for a person or team, schedule a meeting, meeting, or at least a phone call.

Active planning is not easy. But in return, you will get the pleasant feeling of complete control over your time for seven days.

3. Ask yourself if this is how you need to be in this meeting

Meetings, meetings, presentations - all this eats up a lot of your time. Usually, such events are inconveniently scheduled and completely ineffective. Why are they needed at all?

Why do we appear on them?

• We don't want to upset the other person. He made an appointment for you, which means he needs to discuss something. Reluctantly, you agree to come to the meeting, sacrificing your important affairs.
• We feel involved in the process. For example, if the whole team gets together to discuss a project, you feel like you should definitely come. Otherwise, your coworkers will think that you are not as dedicated as others.
• The desire to be in the know. If the meeting seems important (for example, someone from the leadership will be present at it or a fateful decision is planned to be made), naturally you want to be there.

In fact, your efficiency could be higher if you stayed in the workplace and did not break away from the process. How do you know which meeting you need to attend and which one you can skip? Use this rule.

You need to come to the meeting if:

a) you are confident that your presence will affect the outcome of the meeting, b) you will increase your efficiency through this meeting.

To see if your presence will affect the outcome of the meeting, ask yourself if you are going to talk about your work or if you want to sit silently. Perhaps there will be someone in the hall who can express your opinion more confidently and better.

To see if you will be more effective after this meeting, ask yourself if you will learn anything new in this meeting. If you don’t learn anything new, don’t intend to ask questions, don’t talk about your work and, therefore, don’t expect constructive criticism, then your effectiveness is unlikely to increase.

If neither in the first nor in the second case you cannot explain to yourself why you need to come to this meeting, skip it. Your time is limited and you need to use every minute wisely.

4. Make your meetings effective

Certain meetings and appointments can be more efficient and productive. Check if your work event meets these criteria and answer a few questions.

• There is a clear agenda and purpose of the meeting. If not, invite the organizer to announce exactly what needs to be accomplished at the end of the meeting.
• Are those who are not attending the meeting present at the meeting? The larger the planning meeting, the more it costs each team member, the more skills and abilities are required from the leader.
• Could you divide a large meeting into several smaller meetings? Thus, the whole team will work during the meeting, express their opinion, discuss the work done.
• Is the discussion going aside? Keep track of the time: When the topic of conversation changes, it is easy to get distracted and forget about how many minutes are left until the end of the meeting. Don't allow yourself to waste your precious time so thoughtlessly. Remind your colleagues: "We have 10 minutes left, and we have not touched on a few issues."

5. Leave time for study and creativity

Not all important tasks need to be completed urgently. But be sure to schedule a time for these activities.

Depending on what goal you set for yourself, leave a window for study, creativity, or seeking inspiration. It can be quite small - just a couple of hours. But in a few years, you will say thank you to yourself for these happy hours. Even such a small investment will make a profit in the future.

For example, I really love to draw and I think that this skill cannot be lost. Therefore, in my schedule there are two hours allotted only for drawing. I paint on Sunday, which is the least busy day on my schedule. This is enough to have fun and not forget how to hold the brush in your hands.

6. Remember: you need to do everything that you have planned

Regardless of whether you love doing it or not.

I really love the double cheeseburger, but I eat it much less often than salads, cereals and soups. Simply because eating double cheeseburgers all the time is not going to be healthy and strong. Sometimes it is very difficult to force yourself to eat the right food. But these weaknesses need to be overcome, because it is good for your health.

The same goes for your schedule. Do what you love. Do what you love not so much, but what is good for you, your career, health, development. The items in your schedule appeared for a reason: we have already discarded everything unnecessary, there is only what will help you become better.

Now the schedule cannot be violated.