In this post, you will learn how to make a daily schedule for yourself by following 10 terrific steps.
Importance of Daily Schedule
Have you ever wondered why most successful people stick to daily routines? What is it about them that people have grown enslaved to routines and timetables? Exactly why are schedules important?
Primarily to achieve success, you need to invest hundreds of hours every day working on your goals. That is where your daily routine comes into play. It helps you to form good habits and deliver your best performance consistently at everything you do.
A well-planned daily routine not only helps you in getting your life back on track but also supports you in achieving long-term goals.
If you find yourself powerless and ineffective at work, it's time to make some changes to your daily lifestyle. Starting with - creating a SOLID daily schedule!
Today, walk away with a step-by-step guide for making a daily routine that works for you.
“Your future is found in your daily routine. Successful people do daily what others do occasionally!”
How to Create a Daily Schedule
If you've never attempted to create a daily schedule before, this post will guide you from the basics. However, if you've already established a routine but aren't seeing the results you want, I've got you covered as well!
How to create a schedule for yourself in 10 fail-proof steps:
1. Create a Ritual
When it comes to the basics, it is essential to start your day off right!
After concluding your morning routine and before commencing your work, perform a ritual (or rituals).
Performing a set of activities before will convey to your mind that it is time to begin working.
- It may involve practices like organizing your workplace, adjusting the room temperature, or even setting up your desk.
- Keeping certain items close to hand, such as tools, papers, notepads, a water bottle, etc. is also a good idea.
Besides, doing these little things beforehand will save you from getting distracted later on while working.
2. Distinguish the Tasks
Our daily tasks are (roughly) divided into two distinct categories –
- proactive tasks and
- reactive tasks
PROACTIVE TASKS are your most important tasks, which include working on new innovative ideas.
- These types of tasks - appear daunting at first, but they are enjoyable and have long-term advantages.
- Performing proactive tasks requires some mental clarity as well as more energy. As a result, the odds of procrastination increase.
On the other hand, REACTIVE TASKS are the not-so-important tasks that simply need you to respond (but are still necessary).
- These types of tasks are - simple to perform, monotonous to work on, and do not provide many long-term rewards.
- Some of the most common reactive tasks include responding to emails, messages, attending meetings, etc.
- Performing reactive tasks comparatively requires lesser energy. That is why they appear to be more appealing to work on.
The foundation for making a daily routine is to first distinguish between proactive and reactive tasks (so that you can schedule them accordingly).
I cannot stress enough how important this step is for having a truly productive day. This step will make determining your priorities easier.
3. Prioritize your Tasks
Now that you've distinguished the different types of tasks, you can start prioritizing them. To make things easier, start by making a to-do list.
Once you have determined your priorities, you'll be able to focus on the most important tasks first. Similarly, you can put off doing a less important item on your to-do list until you've completed a considerably more important one.
4. Schedule your Day
It may be urgent to answer your emails and messages early in the morning before you even begin with your actual work. But, if you want to be more efficient, this is not the approach to choose.
So, how to schedule your day?
- Always reserve the hours when you feel more energetic (in most cases, the morning hours) for your most important tasks (i.e., your proactive tasks).
- As you are low on energy during the mid-afternoon, it is always a good idea to acknowledge and respond to emails and messages (i.e., your reactive tasks) at this time of the day.
5. Schedule your Tasks
One of the most effective ways to schedule your tasks is by using the time blocking method.
Time blocking is a powerful time management strategy that will enable you to complete tasks on time.
It is a method of dividing your day into blocks of time. Each block is assigned to do a specific task or a set of tasks of the same type.
Blocking your time to perform multiple activities will help you -
- execute all of the various (types of) tasks in a day without feeling overwhelmed
- avoid procrastination and
- work within deadlines.
These days, there are quite a few time-blocking applications available to let you manage your time effectively.
6. Limit your To-Do List
Sometimes your to-do lists end up being way too long to finish in a single day, so they get pushed to the following day.
Furthermore, an unfinished to-do list can demotivate you, affecting your productivity.
As a matter of fact, you should limit your daily to-do list to 3 to 5 items at the most.
If you continue to add items to your list throughout the day, you won't be successful in completing it.
7. Manage your Energy Skilfully
You are most likely aware that your body has its internal clock. This clock regulates your body's sleep-wake cycle every 24 hours. As a result, your body needs to sleep when it's dark outside and wake up when it's daylight out.
So, don't try to disrupt your body's natural cycle. When creating your daily routine, try aligning your habits with your body's natural rhythm. By properly managing your energy, you can complete quality tasks faster.
Making healthy lifestyle choices, such as developing a relaxing night-time routine and engaging in self-care activities, will support you in managing your energy more effectively.
8. Create a routine based on your Body's Rhythms
Apart from your energy levels, you should structure your schedule around your body's ultradian rhythms.
Ultradian rhythms are natural cycles that your body follows - that include simultaneous energy production and recovery. It has been observed that after 90-120 minutes of energy output, your capacity to work drops, and your body needs a rest.
So, instead of pushing yourself to work, all you have to do is take a short pause for renewal in between your schedule.
You could make this time by taking a five-minute break to talk with a coworker or hit the restroom.
Basically, you should spend a few minutes doing any mindless activity to relax and recharge yourself for the next 90-120 minutes.
RELATED POST: Daily Habits of Highly Productive People
9. Stack your Habits
Human behavior is driven by a chain reaction. Your first action sets the tone for your subsequent actions. This helps in building habits by stacking them.
But what is habit stacking?
Habit stacking is a method in which you identify your existing (strong) habit and then add a new one to it.
Establishing a set of good habits will help you form a good routine. That is why you must practice stacking habits for them to become ingrained.
RELATED POST: The Ultimate Morning Routine Checklist
10. Show Up (regardless of how you feel)
Last but not least. Stay consistent and show up every day!!
Many people are creative when they are in the mood. But what will distinguish you as a professional is your ability to be creative even when you are not feeling like it. And you can achieve this ability by practicing your work regularly and consistently.
Thus, turning up every day, even if just for a few minutes, is essential.
If you do even a little bit every day, you can accomplish a lot in the long run. The key benefits of being consistent at work are -
- To begin with, starting your work is a struggle in and of itself. And it's even harder to resume work or a specific project after a gap. As a result, if you stay consistent with your work till it is completed and do it regularly, it will be easier to keep on with.
- Secondly, consistency lets you immerse yourself in your project. Allowing you to generate more fascinating ideas and get your creative juices flowing.
- Thirdly, when you work regularly you don’t feel guilty for not getting much done every day. As you know you’re working consistently, it helps to reduce tension. Also, it allows you to take risks often.
- Fourthly, staying constant makes tracking your growth easier and more rewarding. It further helps you boost productivity and lessens the anxiety caused by procrastination.
This concludes the 10 steps to create a daily schedule.
“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
Now that you know how to make a daily schedule for yourself, it's time to take action and create a daily routine timetable that lets you manage your day the right way.
Furthermore, with the help of a daily planner, you'll be able to create a daily routine with ease.