Scheduling your daily activities will help you manage your time more efficiently. You can get more done, forget about assignments less often or be tempted to do things that don't really matter. While you may initially think you can complete the task at hand, you may end up feeling overwhelmed, confused, and forgetting everything. Making and sticking to a schedule takes some getting used to, but in no time you'll be grateful for it. A schedule will help reduce stress as well as make you feel more in control of your life. Scheduling daily activities also allows you to organize and monitor your own behavior by keeping track of what you have to do and what you have done.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Making a Schedule
Step 1. Purchase a calendar or agenda
Make sure there is space in the calendar that can be filled with your to-do list. Some calendars come with weekly, daily, or even hourly agendas. You can also use a notebook. Choose the one that best suits your needs and desires. Whatever you choose, make the most of it. Do not use 1 agenda book for work, 1 for school activities, etc. Record all your activities in one place.
- A digital calendar is also available for use on a laptop or mobile phone. This calendar can also be synced with all the electronic devices you have so that your calendar of events can be accessed from anywhere. There are also a number of apps that can help you schedule activities that come with reminders and timers
- Paper calendars or digital calendars that allow you to fit notes into your schedule might work even better. A calendar like this can track not only what you've done, but also how you've done it and/or how you're feeling. For example, maybe in addition to ticking the "go to the gym" schedule in your calendar, underneath you could add a note "running 1.5km further today and it was fun!" so that your behavior can be better monitored.
- If you're switching from a paper calendar to a digital calendar, the first 1 or 2 days may feel a little hectic as long as you're still getting used to the new system. Bring both calendars with you for the first few days and check to make sure no scheduled activities are missed or written down over and over again.
Step 2. Organize your tasks
Electronic calendars allow you to mark different tasks with different colors as well. For example, you could mark office work in red, schoolwork in blue, homework in green, vacations in orange, and sports in pink. You can also do this easily with a paper calendar or agenda book, just use a colorful pen or highlighter to mark it. After marking various tasks with different colors, you can determine the order of priority.
Organizing and marking tasks with different colors will also help you visualize and understand how much of your time is being used. For example, you might notice that there is a lot of red (work) and green (homework), but very little pink (sports) in your schedule. Recognizing a lack of exercise may help motivate you to increase your exercise schedule
Step 3. Set priorities
Determining the most important tasks and must be done first and which tasks can be postponed is very important. The following is an example to help you understand the priority setting. Let's say there are 2 exams, 1 practicum report, and 1 essay and presentation assignment to be completed in 1 week. Ouch!
- Ask yourself to determine what needs to be done first and how long it will take to complete: which tasks should be submitted first? which tasks are most important, relative to your grades? For example, how much do exams, lab reports, essays, and presentations have on your final grade? Which task is the most difficult to complete?
- Ultimately, it's up to you to determine the deadline for completion, the time you need, or the relative value of scheduled tasks in your priorities. For that, you must know yourself and your best abilities. Create a priority system that suits yourself.
Step 4. Mark the tasks you prioritize
After determining how to prioritize tasks, mark them in the schedule. You can open your daily schedule and write the letter "A" next to tasks that are important and must be completed first, the letter "B" next to tasks that must be completed before tomorrow, and the letter "C" next to tasks that must be completed by Friday, etc.
Step 5. Schedule time for each task
Write down how long you plan to take to complete each task. For example, you might schedule time in the day to study (2 hours), exercise (1 hour), write 2 emails (30 minutes), and walk your dog (30 minutes). This is the main step in dividing the time it takes to complete each task. You will feel stressed if you make a schedule that is too tight and do not allocate time realistically.
Remember to include travel times in the itinerary. For example, do you have to drive from the library where you study to the gym?
Step 6. Allow extra time in the schedule
Most people generally underestimate the length of time it takes to complete a task. Taking into account all the time it takes to prepare for a particular task as well as taking a break afterward will help you schedule your daily activities more accurately.
- Always try to increase the task completion time by a few minutes. Try adding 25% of the time you schedule to completing a task. For example, schedule a task that can technically be completed in 4 minutes for 5 minutes, and schedule a task that can technically be completed in 8 minutes for 10 minutes, and so on. These few extra minutes will accumulate and give you extra time to avoid delays or lags.
- Ask yourself are there small tasks within a big task that should be considered in making a schedule? For example, do you have to shower after exercising? Do you often chat with friends for 15 minutes in the locker room? Most people experience that a 1 hour exercise schedule will end up being spent on 2 hours.
Step 7. Pause in the schedule
Allow some free time at the end of the schedule for low-priority tasks. If you have time today or on any day of the week, you can start working on these tasks and start early. These additional tasks, for example, organize closets or file tax receipts at home. These low-priority tasks will eventually be completed even if they are not urgent or bound by a certain time limit.
Part 2 of 2: Sticking to a Schedule
Step 1. Check your calendar/to-do
Get in the habit of checking your calendar every morning and evening to prepare for tomorrow. You should also schedule a few minutes each day, perhaps after your morning coffee or during your commute to work, reviewing what needs to be done in the day and adding new tasks or crossing out old ones.
- Checking and reviewing your schedule for a few minutes before doing anything can be a powerful way to start the day in high spirits!
- Use alarms on your phone or computer as reminders of certain tasks or appointments. For example, many doctor's and dentist's schedules are made long in advance. So using a reminder that goes off about a week in advance might help. Thus, your plan can be customized.
Step 2. Complete tasks in order of priority
After assigning an order of priority to the schedule, stick to that order.
Step 3. Adjust the schedule as needed
While you should try to stick to your schedule as much as possible, sometimes things can happen that force you to adjust. Shift more flexible tasks or less urgent tasks to the next day in case of an emergency, problem, or distraction.
Just avoid piling up tasks and delegating them too often to the next day. If you experience this too often, try to allow more time for each task you need to complete in one day, rather than having to change your schedule for the next few days
Step 4. Cross out the completed tasks
This activity was a relief to many! Remember to move today's unfinished tasks to tomorrow's schedule.
Step 5. Reward yourself
It's important to give yourself positive encouragement after completing tasks and sticking to a schedule. After completing the day's responsibilities, reward yourself by soaking in the tub, watching your favorite TV show, or enjoying a sweet snack. You will feel successful and deserve the reward you worked for.
Step 6. Check and adjust the schedule as needed
You should check the schedule every now and then and ascertain the benefits of the schedule for your activities. One way to do this is to look at your agenda while monitoring your feelings and moods. Do you see that most of your schedule has been crossed out and feel positive and productive? If the answer is "yes," chances are your schedule is useful.
- However, if you feel like too much of your schedule has been shifted to the next day (and another day, and so on) and you're just losing your mind, you should make some adjustments to your schedule.
- Identify problems by checking the agenda and looking for what was left behind. You may need to reevaluate and reorganize your priorities if what you missed is important to you (eg exercise). You may also need to change the time allotted to each task. For example, reduce the time to get ready in the morning from 2 hours to 1 hour 3 days a week, and schedule a 30-minute jog using the remaining time.
- Be aware that rescheduling is common and normal. Until you get used to the most suitable schedule, of course it takes time.
Tips
- Your time is very valuable. Creating a schedule will help you make the most of it.
- Sticking to a schedule can make you aware of previously undetected patterns. For example, maybe you are constantly tired when you wake up every Thursday because you spend time in the cafe after work every Wednesday night. That way, it can be changed once you realize it. Maybe, instead of spending time at the cafe once a week, you can reduce the frequency to once every 2 weeks. So you can still have fun with your coworkers but don't have to feel exhausted every Thursday.
- Creating and sticking to a schedule can help you work more efficiently and productively because you allocate time to each task. This means you can avoid "not enough time!"
