The great German thinker and philosopher, Immanuel Kant, lived a nearly mechanical scheduled life. His day-to-day lifestyle was so precisely structured and methodical that the villagers in his town say they could set their watch to his 3:30 pm walks every day. For Kant, his strongly scheduled lifestyle allowed him to produce some of the greatest philosophical works to come out of the Age of Enlightenment, most of which is still taught today at universities across the world.
Following a schedule may seem simple in theory. Scheduling means setting up parts of your day to specific tasks or events. When you plan to go on a walk or exercise each week at a certain time of each day, you are scheduling. Yet, even though scheduling is simple, so many people do not have the right tools, methods, or mindset to design an effective, well-structured daily schedule. Here are some strategies that you can follow to design a schedule that will lead you to more productivity and success:
Be Proactive instead of Reactive. Plan your day in advance instead of following a reactive lifestyle. A reactive lifestyle where you plan as you go may lead to you losing control of your schedule. Blocking out time to organize yourself throughout your day is much healthier and will lead to higher productivity. Of course, all of our schedules are different, and we cannot control unexpected problems such as travel, traffic, work delays etc. Therefore, planning in advance and being proactive is an excellent technique that will allow you to devote a higher degree of attention to your tasks. Lastly, write down your planned schedule in ink!
It is generally better to block off your schedule with this work earlier in the day because your mind is most fresh and you have the most energy. Also, this helps set the tone for the rest of your day, as you go through the rest of your day knowing that you have accomplished something. You will have a better and higher sense of self-efficacy knowing that you accomplished something to set the tone for your day.
As much as you can, it is essential to schedule your day in a way that is a match for your energy levels. Schedule the day so that you are working on important tasks when your energy levels are increasing and taking breaks or working on less demanding tasks when your energy levels are lower. It is common for people to try to maintain the same high energy levels of productivity throughout the entire day, often depending on caffeine and pseudo energy drinks to fuel up when energy levels drop. We are not designed to be constant productivity machines.
It is essential that you design your schedule to include an evening routine that prepares you to be successful the next day. The goal is that you are not feeling rushed and scrambled the next morning, but focused and in control. Immediate traction to begin your day! Furthermore, the evening routine may be helpful for you to get a good night of sleep. Knowing that you are prepared for the next day will help you rest. Your evening routine can include the following:
Your Schedule is a superpower tool that allows you to become who you want to become!