Choose a day and time that works well for your schedule. For example, if you don’t work Monday-Friday, take some time on a day you have off to plan your week. Use a physical planner if you prefer to write things down. Physically writing things down could help you remember better. Try a monthly setup for long-term scheduling and goal setting, a weekly setup to be able to see an entire week at a glance, or a daily setup to keep more detailed day-to-day task lists. Use a digital calendar to integrate your email and share with other people. Choose one platform and stick with it. Some popular choices include Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook.
For example, you may have a weekly doctor’s appointment as well as a dinner with a friend. This already takes away 2 evenings, so you will have more limited time to do things at night than you normally would.
Schedule your most important tasks first. Once you have a list of everything you need to get done, pick out the most important items. Find a place for them in your schedule.
For example, if you made a goal to apply to grad school this year, take some time to reflect on what you’ve done to work towards that goal and what you still need to do. You may decide to outline your admissions essay this week and start drafting it the next week.
For example, if you have a hobby or leisure activity you enjoy, try to make time for it once a week. Make time for activities you find personally fulfilling.
Setting aside a few minutes to plan in the morning will help you stay on task rather than getting bogged down with small tasks and distractions right away.
Try to stick with one major task each day and several smaller tasks. For example, if you have to write a report, you might want to make it a goal to spend 2 hours researching and outlining. Smaller tasks can include things like responding to emails and returning phone calls.
For example, if you urgently need to schedule a doctor’s appointment, make it a goal to call first thing on Monday morning.
Also take into account that there will be unexpected tasks and events that come up and give yourself some wiggle room.
Make sure to give yourself credit for what you did get done. Celebrate your accomplishments!
