(A Realistic Look at My Schedule)
If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know I’m a little “type-A.” By that, I mean that I like to plan for things. I like my carefully curated schedules. I like to know what I’m doing, to the point that, honestly, I am a bit… well, over the top.
One of my personal resolutions has been to become more flexible. Despite how many times I’ve told myself that I’ll say “yes” more to things that aren’t within my schedule, I’ve fallen flat. Why? Because being a self-published author is incredibly time consuming. When you’re not writing or editing, your marketing, or maintaining your social media presence. And in today’s day in age, you can’t possibly just be on one platform! A lot of days, being a self-published author who is still trying to get their name out there feels like a never-ending uphill battle.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Over the years, I’ve played around with different schedules (in various states of structured and relaxed) to find what works best for me. At first, I was rigid—everything had its own time slot, and if it wasn’t penciled in, then it didn’t get done. Later, I went in the polar opposite direction, doing my best to let go of my white-knuckled grip of my routine. As you can imagine, that didn’t last very long. I felt more out of control than I ever had before. How could anything get done without a proper schedule?
Eventually, like Goldilocks, I found the schedule that was just right for me.
While there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all (nor should there be), I do think that there is an approach that works for everyone.
What’s the approach?
It’s simple, really. First, let’s account for your work schedule (or what I like to call “the immovables”). I’m fortunate enough that my workplace is within walking distance, though, I know that is far from the case for many people. You know your hours and how long it takes to get ready and commute. Block those times off in your schedule immediately. A good ol’ hourly planner really does wonders to help you map out your life. Trust me.
Take a look at your daily priorities and take stock of how much time is spent doing these tasks. Maybe you spend an hour cleaning, or maybe you need an hour and a half to have your coffee and stare blankly at the wall. Once you have a vague idea of these habits and how long they take, you can tweak them to fit your needs.
For example, I know that if I don’t make some time to clean, I feel like my entire house is going to fall down around my ears. I know that I like to have an hour a day set aside to do that. Now I have a block of time that I know I will want to spend on my habits. In my case, I know that if I don’t clean up after work, I’m flopping on the couch and there’s no power in the universe strong enough to pry me off those sweet, sweet microfiber cushions.
Here’s how the day looks thus far.
| Time | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6AM | Gym | Gym | Gym | Gym | Gym | ||
| 7AM | |||||||
| 8AM | |||||||
| 9AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | Yoga Class | |
| 10AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | Gym | |
| 11AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 12PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 1PM | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 2PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 3PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 4PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 5PM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| 6PM |
No, you don’t have to wake up at 5am. I am one of those dreaded morning people, so disregard anything before your usual wake up time. This is just how my schedule looks. Yours may look similar, or it may look wildly different! This blog is just about trying to find a schedule that works best for you.
Now that we can see our immovables and our habits/maintenance tasks, we have a better idea where we can squeeze in our writing time.
For me, I’m most creative in the morning. That means that, while I’m writing, I’m going to want to get started as early as possible.
| Time | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6AM | Gym | Gym | Gym | Gym | Gym | ||
| 7AM | Writing | Writing | Writing | Writing | Writing | ||
| 8AM | |||||||
| 9AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | Yoga Class | |
| 10AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | Gym | |
| 11AM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 12PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 1PM | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 2PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 3PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 4PM | Work | Work | Work | Work | Work | ||
| 5PM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ||
| 6PM |
Great, so I have work, my habits, exercise, and writing figured out, but where does that leave social media?
I’m glad you asked.
I’ve written about the pomodoro method on this blog before. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the pomodoro method is a productivity method that slots a certain amount of time for focused work, with a little break in between for whatever you please. During my work day, I split apart my tasks in fifty minute increments, ensuring that I have a ten minute break every hour. During these ten minutes, I engage on social media. I like some posts, I engage with my community, and then after those ten minutes are up, I resume my work day as usual.
Don’t have a job where you can do that? Fair. Try squeezing in ten minute increments wherever works best for you! If you’re like me and you’re overwhelmed by social media, breaking it apart into smaller viewing sessions can make the mountain feel more like a hill. You can even do this during “commercial breaks” if you haven’t ponied up for the commercial free hulu subscription.
That looks far less overwhelming than it sounds!
I know, right? Breaking apart my day into these smaller sections makes me more aware of the time I do have, as opposed to all of the time I feel I don’t.
Now, looking at my schedule, I can see that there is time in the evenings to write, or edit. Or, it can be time I spend with my family, taking a class, or partaking in self-care.
I find that it’s easier (for me, a classic type-A personality with a penchant for over-working and over-achieving) to relax when I have a mental timeline for how my day ought to go.
The trick is to stop yourself from packing every second with something. You’re allowed those blank spaces in your planner. In fact, encourage yourself to have them. Celebrate them.
I know I do!
If this was helpful, let me know in the comment section down below. I’d love to know what your schedule looks like, too!
Until next time!
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Ivy Whitaker 