Schedule Your Time
I often feel like I don’t have enough time in the day. I spend most of my day working, eating, sleeping, and still feel like there’s not enough time to do what I want.
So, at the beginning of December 2024, I started scheduling my time. Now, after one week of living on a schedule, I want to share my experience and think about how I can improve it.
What is it?
First of all, you can check how people like Elon Musk or Cal Newport schedule their time. This can really help you find and improve your own model. However, doing exactly what they do can be difficult or may not work for you, depending on your goals and lifestyle.
So, I decided to schedule my life in a way that suits me. I usually use my MacBook, so I created a Google Sheet and always keep it open. I divided the day into 30-minute chunks, with the time as the first column and the days of the week as the table headers.
| Mon, Dec 2 | Tue, Dec 3 | Wed, Dec 4 | Thu, Dec 5 | Fri, Dec 6 | … | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | Sleep | Sleep | Sleep | Sleep | Sleep | … |
| 12:30 AM | … | |||||
| …….. | … | |||||
| 09:00 AM | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | … |
| 09:30 AM | … | |||||
| …….. | … | |||||
| 11:30 PM | … |
I scheduled all my fixed routines for the week, such as:
- Sleep (every day)
- Daily meeting (every weekday)
- Meals (3 times a day)
- Shower (every other day, excluding weekends)
- Haircut (every 3 weeks)
- …
Then, I added my tasks for the next day in the appropriate columns. If a task had a fixed time, such as a work meeting, I scheduled it precisely. If I planned to do something in the evening, I scheduled it around that time.
What did I do?
The next day, I checked my schedule and knew exactly what I needed to do and when I would do it.
I didn’t fill every hour of my day to stay super busy. I just told myself, “Tomorrow, I will do these tasks.” I always keep a sticky note app open on my MacBook to jot down thoughts, so I don’t need to ruminate on them.
After finishing one task, I looked at my sheet to see what to do next. If a task took longer than expected, I either stopped or extended it, depending on its importance.
I try to finish breakfast or lunch within 30 minutes (including preparation), but I allow more time for dinner since I spend it with my wife. Sometimes, dinner can take up to three hours if we watch a movie or relax afterward.
Note: Currently, I don’t schedule short tasks like brushing my teeth or bathroom breaks.
Improvements
Categories
After a few days, I decided to categorize my tasks, such as:
- Side Project 1 (Code)
- Daily Job (Code)
- Side Project 2 (Meeting)
- Play (Video Game)
- Prepare (Dinner)
I also combined tasks if I did them simultaneously:
- Breakfast, Daily Job (Presentation)
This method made it easier to write concise titles and reduced verbosity.
Additionally, I could create charts or gain insights into how much time I spent on projects or entertainment.
It also helped me see how time was distributed within a project — for example, what percentage was spent on research, meetings, or coding.
Scheduling the Whole Day
At first, I scheduled my day from 9 AM to midnight. But soon, I realized I needed to schedule the full 24 hours. Some days, I wake up earlier or later, or I go to bed at different times.
This update also allowed me to track my sleep. Last week, I went to bed at 12 AM, 1 AM, 1 AM, 12 AM, 2 AM, 3 AM, and 3 AM.
It also gave me the flexibility to extend tasks past midnight when necessary.
Decreasing Chunk Time
I started with 30-minute chunks because they were easy to manage and less stressful. However, this sometimes made scheduling difficult.
For example, if a task took 40 or 80 minutes, I faced a dilemma: Should I stop when just a bit was left or extend by 30 minutes and waste the remaining 20?
Next week, I plan to try 15-minute chunks. Honestly, I’m not sure yet 😅. Maybe someday, I’ll use 5-minute chunks!
More Hacks and Improvements
- I’m considering using the Pomodoro Technique to stay focused and protect my eyes during long screen sessions.
- This might sound funny, but I’m thinking of using a short beep alarm between chunks. I’ve been checking the clock more often lately 😂. It reminds me of a character from the Mr. Robot series.
- I tried this before, but I want to define long-term goals (yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly) to stay more focused.
Why Use Fixed Chunks?
I find it easier to manage fixed chunks compared to fluid scheduling. Fixed chunks are simpler to measure — I can count cells and see that I spent 2.5 hours on a task.
Plus, I can easily update my Google Sheet from my MacBook or phone.
Benefits
- I realized I can complete all my tasks if I schedule my day.
- I wasted less time.
- Time feels more valuable.
- I’m getting better at estimating how long tasks take.
- I procrastinate less.
- I’m more mindful and aware of how I spend my day.
When I decided to try this method, I didn’t research what others were doing — I didn’t even ask ChatGPT!
If I research and improve this method, I’ll update this post.
Let me know your thoughts on this method and how you manage your time! ✌️
Schedule Time