How to build a schedule that actually works for you
My alarm went off. Before even rolling out of bed, the question, “What do I have to do today?” Already started to plague my mind. I already felt stressed about the tasks I had to do and the day hadn’t even started. How am I going to get everything done? Will I even have enough time?
Maybe instead of getting up, I should just lie back down. No.
Before you find yourself blowing things out of proportion, remember that there are multiple ways to organize your day that take little to no time.
The baby steps of planning
Even thinking about planning can be extremely stressful.
For years, I would avoid a Google Calendar or anything that remotely had to do with a to-do list. But planning doesn’t have to be so stressful, and it certainly doesn’t mean scheduling every minute of your life.
By focusing on writing down simple tasks for the day, you can gradually get more comfortable with using a calendar. This approach lets you become organized while avoiding the pressure of an overwhelming schedule.
It can also improve how productive you are throughout the day. Once you feel comfortable writing down tasks for the day, try setting aside time each evening to plan for tomorrow.
I have found that planning what you need to do a day in advance can keep you more organized throughout the week.
If writing things down in advance feels too stressful, you can also focus on taking the time to write out extra things in your daily to-do list. Examples of this may be blocking out time to work out or writing down what time you know you want to have lunch.
Gradually developing a more detailed calendar over time will make it feel less like a chore and more like a part of your routine.
Again, you do not need to have your whole schedule planned out. The whole point of a routine is for you to feel less anxious about planning time for tasks.
So many different ways to plan…
Planning looks different for everyone, and there are many ways to approach it. Personally, I like to write my daily to-do list in my notes for smaller tasks while using my calendar for bigger or more specific events. That might sound like a lot, but it is certainly not the only way to stay organized.
Trial and error are key to figuring out what works for you. You might try writing a list on paper, using Google Calendar or using your reminders and notes app.
Many other apps such as Notion or Structured can also help with tracking daily tasks and regularly updating your schedule.
If mapping out your schedule by the hour or day feels overwhelming, you may prefer planning weekly or by semester.
Only putting bigger events on the calendar is a great way to take some of the stress off.
However, in that case, remember that many events may change. Updating your calendar if a change does occur will help prevent any confusion.
Prioritizing your to-do list
For those with overwhelming to-do lists and not enough time to do them, consider using a method such as the Eisenhower Method to decide which tasks need to get done first and which ones can wait.
The Eisenhower Method is a great way to help distinguish tasks based on their urgency and importance.
The goal of this method is to go through the tasks one by one and separate them into four quadrants: do, schedule, delegate and delete.
Quadrant one will always be the first quadrant to start in; that is the do quadrant. This is where you’ll place the tasks that are both urgent and important. These are the tasks you’ll prioritize first.
The second quadrant is schedule; in this box, you will put all tasks that are still important but less urgent. These will be the tasks you can schedule for later.
Quadrant three will be delegate; these are the tasks that are urgent but not important. You may wonder, why would I put tasks that are still urgent in the third box? The point of delegation is that these are tasks that aren’t personal or require a skill set to complete. This means you can delegate these tasks to coworkers or other team members.
The fourth box is where you will put all of the tasks that are unimportant and not urgent. An example of this may be unnecessary busy work, unless you have some personal attachment to the task. These are tasks you can take off your to-do list.
Following the Eisenhower method can help calm any anxiety you have about your schedule.
Make time for yourself, too
While it’s easy to make a list of all the urgent things on your to-do list, it’s also very important to schedule time for self-care. Taking a walk on your break between classes, planning a time to watch a movie or scheduling dinner with your friends are great ways to practice self-care.
It’s important to remember that a schedule is there to help you remember, not forget about yourself in the process. One way I make sure to schedule in these times is by making it a point on Sunday to schedule in these exciting events throughout my week.
Start the day with less stress
Instead of letting morning anxiety keep you under the covers, remember that a few minutes of simple planning the night before can change your outlook.
Your schedule does not need to be overcomplicated for you to feel more organized. If your schedule still feels overwhelming, try breaking those bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, so your simple plan can stay stress-free. The more you continue to build a habit of making a schedule, the easier it will become.
Your schedule should never be there to induce more stress, but rather help minimize it.