At some point in our lives, we will feel lost. Even if you are the most put-together person in the world, there will come a time when you don't know where you are or why you are there. We are unsure about what to do with our lives going forward or even just how to get through the day. When we are stuck or lost in this maze, it helps to have a daily strategy in mind. You need to know what you're going to do today in order for it to have a clear direction, regardless of whether you're a stay-at-home parent, a house husband, a student, a travel vlogger, or a professional.
It may be difficult to multitask when you have a lot of obligations and strive for perfection in all you do. You become less productive and eventually feel lost and stuck. You need to have a plan in place to avoid getting caught in an overwhelming pit. Taking over your daily schedule is what you need to do, but how can you do that exactly?
Why not adopt the behavior of Bill Gates and Elon Musk, two millionaires from our generation? These two are recognized for "micro-scheduling," which is completing a job for the day every five minutes, as a method of time management. It comprises segmenting your schedule into time blocks in order to maximize productivity and complete more things.
Time Blocking's Operation
If you've never heard of it, time blocking is a well-known time management method. You will block off a period of time to complete a certain activity; this is known as "time chunking" or "monotasking," and there should be no interruptions at all.
For instance, you might choose a specific time of day to check your email. Before reading and responding to every message you received, you were not allowed to visit any other websites. Additionally, a specific window of time should be set apart for browsing social media. You couldn't simply log onto Facebook or Instagram whenever you wanted to. You must be very disciplined not to respond to pop-up notifications. You might disable them or only enable notifications for crucial contacts that you must stay in touch with. Of course, you might still be flexible, but the ideal scenario is to simply work on one particular task for a fixed period of time. Your daily plan will be divided into time slots that are designated for each activity. This task must be completed before you can go on to tackling the next task.
You will have power over the everyday activities you must complete before engaging in activities to unwind in this manner. The method will assist in improving your focus and, ideally, putting an end to your procrastinating phase. You will get to check items off of your to-do list and, towards the day's end, pat yourself on the back for doing even one activity.
Employing Time Blocking into Your Workday
Time blocking, as a time management strategy, may be the solution to your dilemma if you feel trapped in a rut. When you concentrate on one task at a time, you devote all of your attention to it, which reduces or eliminates the likelihood that you will make mistakes. The big picture of what you must achieve and what you have already accomplished becomes clear to you. The following advice will help you incorporate time blocking into your day.
Don't be modest to not spend money on tools that will increase your alertness and productivity.
Instead of using a regular fixed desk, utilize a height-adjustable standing desk to keep your mind alert and concentrated on a single activity. You are compelled to stand up straight and won't ever feel the want to doze off. Make an investment in ergonomic products to lessen pain and increase productivity and efficiency.
Make sure that the entries in your to-do list are precise, exact, and detailed.
Make a basic schedule of your goals for each day at the beginning of the week. Include dinners and social commitments when you list everything. Write specifics under this general framework the day before so you automatically have a checklist prepared for the following day. You must be completely aware of the number of phone calls you'll be making and the length of time required for each. You must also be aware of how much time is required for dinner preparation. Draw attention to the chores that need to be completed right away and cannot wait until the next week. It's sufficient to only take two or three every day so that you don't become overburdened and that you can finish everything on time.
Organize your daily schedule according to a blueprint.
Decide how much time, the exact minutes and hours, you'll need to spend on each item on your list after setting your priorities.
In this step, you'll set out time blocks for tasks like preparing your meals for the day and driving to where you need to go, which will take an hour and thirty minutes respectively.
Keep in mind that each blueprint will be unique because it depends on your lifestyle. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to set aside an undisturbed period for your priorities. Remember to arrange a time for work meetings that are already scheduled, visits to the doctor, and travel/commuting as well.
If you lead a busy life, you could require a fresh blueprint every week. Choose the option that is perfect for you. In order to maintain control over your schedule, you should also be willing to make changes if the need arises on short notice.
Break up a large task into several days.
You can divide a large task into smaller ones so that it can be finished over the course of a few days once you've estimated the amount of time required to complete it. On Friday, you might have to meet up with a client and present updates for a significant project due. If you determine that you need four hours of concentrated time to do it, split your time into two days: spend two hours on Monday writing your screenplay and another two hours on Tuesday putting it all together in a presentation. You can set aside an additional hour on Wednesday for peer review and an additional hour on Thursday for you to make any final adjustments.
