The Importance of Creating a Schedule

[InvestedWriter]

A few years ago, I was feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to become a successful writer, find a stable job, and create time for myself and my friends. I had spent so long organized by the routine of school that I didn't know what to do with myself once I was setting my own timetable. I took advice from anyone who would give it until I realized I just had to sit down and focus.

On a Sunday afternoon, I sat back on my couch, took out my phone, and began breaking up the coming week into hour-long intervals. I would take an hour to write then an hour to read followed by an hour to apply for jobs. I even found an hour to exercise each day. Soon, I had a firm schedule for the next 7 days that I could follow, and it made all the difference. In just a few short months, I had written a draft of my first novel, gotten into the best shape of my life, and begun to feel good about where I was heading.

I adjust my schedule each week to suit my focus, but I make sure to always use that schedule to find time for writing, reading, exercising, and enjoying life. With a steady job now, it feels even more important to manage the remaining hours in the day to accomplish my goals. All it takes is somewhere to write down a schedule and a commitment to following that schedule even when it can feel easier to just relax. It may sound simple, but I have found consistently that schedule management is an important step that not enough people take to find the time to accomplish their goals.

I would love to hear about your experience with managing time for the projects that you are passionate about and if you have tried to set a strict schedule. I will check back in if you have any questions about my experience or want any advice.

 

[JJ1203]

Great thoughts on scheduling! Maintaining a solid routine is something I struggle with. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to keep a strong schedule while still allowing for down time. For me, personally, too strict of a schedule leaves me feeling burned out or stifled. I am looking for a way to balance between the two extremes of strict schedule and no schedule.

A few years ago, I was feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to become a successful writer, find a stable job, and create time for myself and my friends. I had spent so long organized by the routine of school that I didn't know what to do with myself once I was setting my own timetable. I took advice from anyone who would give it until I realized I just had to sit down and focus.

On a Sunday afternoon, I sat back on my couch, took out my phone, and began breaking up the coming week into hour-long intervals. I would take an hour to write then an hour to read followed by an hour to apply for jobs. I even found an hour to exercise each day. Soon, I had a firm schedule for the next 7 days that I could follow, and it made all the difference. In just a few short months, I had written a draft of my first novel, gotten into the best shape of my life, and begun to feel good about where I was heading.

I adjust my schedule each week to suit my focus, but I make sure to always use that schedule to find time for writing, reading, exercising, and enjoying life. With a steady job now, it feels even more important to manage the remaining hours in the day to accomplish my goals. All it takes is somewhere to write down a schedule and a commitment to following that schedule even when it can feel easier to just relax. It may sound simple, but I have found consistently that schedule management is an important step that not enough people take to find the time to accomplish their goals.

I would love to hear about your experience with managing time for the projects that you are passionate about and if you have tried to set a strict schedule. I will check back in if you have any questions about my experience or want any advice.

 

[InvestedWriter]

Thank you.

The importance of scheduling to me is finding time for the things you want to accomplish, so, when you commit to the schedule, you will see the tangible results. With my writing, I could see how quickly the page numbers were increasing. With exercise, I could measure the weight loss and feel myself getting healthier. For that reason, it's important to be strict early on so that you can feel what it is like to commit and what the results are.

Over time though, you can adjust to suit your own passions. If you feel like the schedule is too confining, you can spread out that time. Try starting out by creating a list of the things you would like to get done then figure out how much time you would like to spend each day committing to each goal for just the first week. If you can keep that schedule consistently for just that week, you can then look back on how much you accomplished and adjust how long you think it will take to complete that goal.

If you put in 4 hours that first week and you got 20% done, you will need about 16 more hours to finish, barring complications. You can then spread out that remaining time as you see fit each week, but it is important to keep scheduling out that time. Commitment doesn't have to be all-encompassing, but it should be consistent.

Great thoughts on scheduling! Maintaining a solid routine is something I struggle with. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to keep a strong schedule while still allowing for down time. For me, personally, too strict of a schedule leaves me feeling burned out or stifled. I am looking for a way to balance between the two extremes of strict schedule and no schedule.

 

[JJ1203]

Commitment doesn't have to be all-encompassing, but it should be consistent.

You make great points in all that you stated. And the last line is the one that hit home the most for me. It is consistency that I am seeking. I am going to try your suggestions! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will find that I am accomplishing more and able to relax more fully in my down time. At this point, the down time I have I cannot fully enjoy because I am often fretting about all that I would still like to accomplish that day or week. Thanks again for the great advice!

 

[InvestedWriter]

You make great points in all that you stated. And the last line is the one that hit home the most for me. It is consistency that I am seeking. I am going to try your suggestions! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will find that I am accomplishing more and able to relax more fully in my down time. At this point, the down time I have I cannot fully enjoy because I am often fretting about all that I would still like to accomplish that day or week. Thanks again for the great advice!

No problem. Everyone has their own way of handling time and commitments, and it's important we all find that avenue for ourselves. If I could help in that at all, I will be happy. Hopefully you see the results for yourself soon enough. If you do or you need more advice on this, let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

 

[anbrown72]

Your scheduling system is very detailed and concise. I have always enjoyed making schedules and planning out my days. It is very comforting to have a plan of what my day/week looks like. I use a daily planner calendar to schedule everything from meal planning to exercise to dates with my husband. It helps me stay organized and know how much "free" time I have.

 

[DanialIbrahim]

In my day to day life, I always find it pretty difficult to take out time to relax as my work takes its toll on me by being unrelenting throughout the day. My friends complain about me never meeting them; my family does the same. Your post, in particular, hit home since I have to correctly figure out how to allocate time to all these things since they are all important in their own way. Scheduling is important, and I shall give it another go. Thanks again for the good advice!

 

[Genelle17]

I really love this! I personally struggle with creating a schedule for myself, which is ironic because I am someone that normally needs everything laid out in front of them and always has a to-go list, its just not actually organized. In college though, I was amazing at scheduling everything I wanted to accomplish for myself! This definitely is motivation to get back into the habit of using a planner and actually scheduling out my days

 

[ethanez]

As a college student, scheduling is always a great tool to help me figure out my day, week, or even month. Also, writing out was has to be accomplished during the day and being able to cross each item off is an amazing feeling! I have been starting to use my phone as another organization and scheduling tool but I haven’t found any really solid apps to use. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions?