4 reasons to have a schedule and not a to-do list. (plus: how to build one)

I'm an avid list maker. In all my past roles, I'd make a to-do list daily. Every single day. And guess what? The list grew longer every day, leaving me feeling I did not achieve much or not enough anyway.

Do you feel the same?  

And with the list growing longer every day, I spent more time re-arranging the to-do list and "trying to" prioritise… I felt overwhelmed by the list, and that alone held me back from making progress on things.

A few years ago, I heard about having a schedule. Once I looked into it, it changed my time management completely.

In this article, I'll outline

• What a schedule is – and what it is not.

• The 4 reasons why a schedule works (and a to-do list often doesn't)

• How you can build a good schedule. 
  

What is a schedule?

In its simplest sense, a schedule is your day and week chunked into blocks of time for specific activities.

Think about a typical school day from back in the day: You knew exactly the time, length and class subject you had from when you entered the school building to when you left again. And you knew how much time you had breaks in between.

But, why should you have a schedule?

There are 4 reasons why a schedule is a good idea:

1. It allows you to consider your whole life, not only your work life.
   
   If you're wired a bit like me, you will likely have a to-do list for our work-related tasks and your admin.
   
   But it's unlikely you will have a to-do list item for "go to the gym", "eat" or "spend time with family". Right?

   With a schedule, you consider all aspects of your life. Because you look at your whole day, you're planning out the activities that don't fit on a to-do list: The activities you must do (sleep, eat and get some work done), and the actions you want to do (like a hobby; spending more time with your family).
   

2. It supports what research calls the "implementation intention"
   
   We often have good intentions and plans. To exercise more, get up earlier, and eat better. But implementation is often the tricky bit.
   
   In psychology, the term "implementation intention" (here's a research article) refers to the idea: If we make specific plans to do a particular thing, the likelihood of us doing it has proven to be much higher.
   
   If you plan for something specific, including the time and place, you are more likely to do it.
   
   You only specify what you want/need to get done in a to-do list.
   
   But in a schedule, you specify when and also where you'll accomplish each of the activities. Planning a schedule in advance means thinking about how you will spend your time. And that alone goes further than a to-do list and increases the likelihood that you'll do it.
   

3. It helps you manage your attention.
   
   As Tony Robbins says, energy flows where attention goes.
   
   A typical day has thousands of opportunities for distraction: The news, your family asking something of you, your boss wanting you to take on another project, your colleagues asking for help…
   
   By giving your day and week structure, you focus attention.
   
   And by that, you manage your energy on the things that are important, urgent or pressing. You have a filter through which to view your week.
   
   And in situations where you have different projects and objectives to accomplish, a schedule helps you to mentally block things.

4. It focuses on progress, not on completion and/or ticking a task off a list.
   
   A schedule is ultimately about making progress on things rather than focusing on ticking off a to-do from your list.
   
   Let me give you an example: If I were to write a novel, it is a big task that I cannot tick off in an hour, not even in a week. And even if I break it down to the most minor possible component, e.g. a rough content outline, it might still take me a couple of hours.
   
   But let's say I have a weekly 2-hour slot in my schedule called "progress book writing". In that case, I don't determine what I might achieve in that hour, but I commit to making progress in 2 hours no matter what.
   
   In which scenario do you think I'm more likely to make progress on writing my book?

• In the scenario of having an item on my to-do list called "write book outline"; or

• ·        In the scenario of having a 2-hour time block every week called "write book outline"?

 
So, now to the most crucial bit: How can you build a schedule

Step 1: Choose a medium to plan out your schedule

You do not need a fancy new diary system to have a schedule.

If you use a physical calendar, use that. If you use Gmail (like I do), use that. And if you don't use any, a simple A4 piece of paper with columns for each day of the week will do as well.

Here are 4 ideas of how you can build a schedule:

1. Do it on paper – draw yourself a weekly schedule. Make 7 columns for each day of the week, and draw lines for hours, starting when you usually get up to when you go to sleep.

2. Use an excel file on your computer: If you prefer doing it digitally, you can do the same using an excel sheet. Or print yourself a calendar template for the week online.

3. Use your calendar app – I use google calendar to schedule everything! The handy thing with google calendar or an electronic app is that it can remind you (if you set reminders) about the item you are planning to do.

Step 2: Brainstorm all the categories in your life that need a time block

Before you put blocks of time to paper, list all the types of things happening in your day and week. You might draw a simple mind map or make a list.

Think about :

• Physical needs: Sleep, Eat (incl. prep time), Breaks, Exercise

• "Me-time": What activities do you need to feel better every day? Maybe that is a daily 30 min exercise routine or 1 hour of reading a book before bed.

• Relationships: Think about friendships (making new ones; maintaining old ones), parents/care responsibilities, partner/spouse; parenting; any community responsibilities you have.

• Work/Study needs: Make a list of your current priorities? For example, what regular meetings do you have that always happen? What objectives do you have? 

• Other/Miscellaneous

If you've a lot of items on that list, I'd recommend prioritising the above.

And also, look at your life right now vs what you wrote down. If you don't do any "Me-time" activities right now, but you have 30 items in that category for your schedule, pick one to start with. Be realistic! As you build your schedule, you can add things later.

Step 3: Once you've your categories down, plan one week for now.

Plan each day of your current or your next week using your schedule.

A few considerations when planning out your schedule:

• Every day does not need to look the same. E.g. your Monday morning might be blocked out for writing that report, but your Tuesday morning is for having meetings.

• Start with the activities that always happen at a particular time (e.g. children's school drop off; dinner with family; going to the gym)

• Consider your energy levels and attention span when scheduling activities. E.g. If you're a morning person with the best mental energy in the morning hours, then this might be the best time to work on those mentally intense (work/study) tasks? Think about when the best time for specific activities is.

• Does the balance of the activities and time scheduled for each priority reflect my actual priorities? E.g. if your #1 priority is to finish a report/paper, do you have enough time in the diary for that (vs other fewer priority activities)

Your schedule should be realistic and not idealistic! That means:

• Have sufficient time for breaks. Yes, that includes making and eating lunch, and planning for the 15 minutes coffee break.

• Consider any travel times, such as commute and driving times et al. This should all be included or a separate time block.

• Do you need any "open blocks" for other people to book you (or spend time with you)? E.g. in my case, I have a few mornings and afternoons in my schedule called "client time", where my clients book their sessions with me. Of course, I do not plan another activity at that time. But other scenarios might be: Playtime with the children or language study time.

 A schedule is all about being intentional with the time you have available.

Step 4: Review, adjust and iterate the best schedule for you.

Don't stick to the first iteration of your schedule.  

For a few weeks, review it on Sunday or Monday morning and adjust the schedule from the lesson learned. Over time you'll get to a good schedule that works for your life.

There's no perfect template or outcome here. Instead, it's about finding a schedule that works for you.

I'd love to know how you get on.



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