So after I had my lists of things to do, and could see what was and was not a priority for my life and career, it was time to juggle it all into a schedule.
Doing this was a lot like the time I wrote my very first budget. As with money in minus money out in a financial budget; this was like a time budget. I have a certain number of hours in each day and a number of things that need to be achieved. If one doesn’t equal the other, there’s a problem.
I was also completely anal when it came to setting out my schedule – just like when I started my first budget, I needed to account for every single minute of the day in order to kick start good habits. I am going to try to stick to it as much as possible, but while I don’t expect to stick to it without fail every day, having the framework there in black and white should help me to know what I should be doing, as well as helping me see what I’ve achieved each day, and stop that treading-water feeling. If you are by nature an organised person you’re probably looking at me like I’m from another planet right now, but I am, don’t you see? The planet of I Have No Idea What I’m Doing.
The main epiphany that came from organising my schedule was that it helped me to see that the sense of urgency I carry around with me every day is not only pointless, it’s completely unnecessary, because everything doesn’t have to be done right now all at once. Rather than feeling guilty about all the things I haven’t done yet, it helps me understand that, no they haven’t been done yet, but they will get done, so don’t fret – like, ‘look there’s two hours scheduled for that on Thursday, so put the panic back in the box, pet’. Oh, the relief!
I am now going to spend one week sticking to my new schedule. I expect to have to make some adjustments as I go, and will reassess things after seven days. Right now I would mark my default stress level at 7 out of 10, and I will let you know how I’m going at the end of next week.
I’m hoping that once I learn some good time-management habits, the positive effects will trickle out into the rest of my life. I mean, really hoping, because being a naturally anxious person who is highly disorganised is, well, not much fun at all.
See you in a week… wish me luck!
Catch up on parts one, two, and three of the series.
Good luck with your schedule! I always take the time to set a rigid schedule, but I can never seem to adhere to it. If you have any good time management resources, I would love to hear them!
I love this series! I am trying to make a time budget but since time is fluid and my work schedule erratic, I am finding it a challenge. When I am working at home, I find it too easy to think that I have all the time in the world, hence too much pottering and not nearly enough doing. Good luck this week!