It is universally agreed that making a plan or a schedule will improve your productivity and help you move through your day with little to no stress. However, most of us struggle with making a schedule and are often pigeon-holed into thinking that it is a much more complex process than it is.
Therefore, in this blog post, we will look at how to make a schedule and some reasons why you should continue to stick to one that works for you.
How to create a schedule
Write everything down
Having things on paper or an app like Routine's universal inbox makes your life a lot easier. So, sit down and dump your tasks and ideas into a trusted space.
Our brains are not meant to hold ideas or tasks, so building this vault can help free up your mind for other creative/cognitively intensive activities.
Assess your available time
You'll need to know your time inventory to schedule things to do. So if you are not using a calendar to schedule your non-negotiable appointments or commitments for the day, start there.
Once you have added your commitments that are non-negotiable to your calendar, you can assess at the time available for strategic scheduling.
Identify priorities for different time frames
It is essential to identify and review your priorities across different time frames. Something that will be a high priority in a few weeks might not be a high priority in the next couple of days.
So understand what you need to finish first and pursue it (thereby schedule it) so that your weekly/monthly priorities align with your daily priorities.
Set a clear target and know when something is "done"
To schedule time for a task effectively, you need to know how much time is a fair allotment, and for that, you need to understand what the goal for that task looks like.
Start with clear expectations of what needs to be done within a time block so that you can push for that goal. For example, the output goal for a task like "Write a blog post about XYZ" should be "Finish a blog post with 800-100 words and 5-6 subsections," instead of something like "finish the blog post."
More specific the target, the more effective the schedule.
Batch similar/connected tasks together
While creating a schedule, try to work in batches instead of small tasks that are spread out on your calendar. For example, if five similar or connected tasks will take 10 minutes each, then consider scheduling them as two batches of 20 minutes & 30 minutes each instead of scheduling five slots of 10-minutes each.
Batching tasks will help you reduce context switching and improve your productivity. You could also try time blocking on your calendar.
Set forcing functions
Forcing functions are items in your daily schedule that push you to stick to your schedule. For example, I often keep a mid-day checklist that I want complete for my day to be a success, even if I am not as successful in the second half of the day.
Another example is scheduling tasks that are chronologically connected right after each other. This will force you to finish the task on hand in time instead of falling into the shiny object syndrome.
Block time with strategic breaks
If your schedule is packed without any time to let you breathe and be unproductive, then that schedule will likely fail.
We are wired to expect breaks after intensive work, and these breaks enhance our performances if they are taken strategically. So when you create a schedule and block time, add buffers and breaks to your schedule, so you do not overwhelm yourself.
Advantages of having a schedule
There are several advantages to setting up a plan and scheduling it on your calendar. Here are some of them:
It reduces the anxiety that arises when you don't know what you are going to do.
It boosts productivity by aiding time blocking so that you focus on essential tasks that need your attention.
It helps establish habits that are beneficial in the long run.
It reduces procrastination
It helps promote healthy work/life balance
So that was it about making a schedule. Creating and maintaining a schedule is super easy on Routine, and you should check it out.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know on Twitter @RoutineHQ.
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