Michael Kincy – Page 6 – Faceless Video

Creating a Workable Schedule and Sticking to It

Creating and following a schedule is the best way to use all of your time as efficiently as possible. Working on a schedule helps you meet deadlines, keep appointments and stay focused on the task at hand. But, following a schedule can be difficult – especially if you aren’t used to planning out your day. Here are some things to keep in mind while making and maintaining your schedule.

Make a To-Do List

The first thing to consider when setting up a schedule is knowing what you need to accomplish. Make a list of everything that you need to get done in a day, as well as a list of leisure activities or other things that you would like to do. Once you’ve made your lists, you can decide how much time you need for each activity and use this to develop a schedule. Schedule high-priority activities first and work everything else in around them.

Use a Planner

Record all of your scheduled events in one organizational tool like a planner. You can use a physical copy or an app on your phone, but it’s important to use the same planner for all your scheduling. This ensures that all of your appointments and meetings will be in the same place and easily accessible, and that no conflicting schedules are made. The simplified scheduling will keep you on track and relieve some of the stress associated with the scheduling process.

Stay Realistic

Don’t plan out a schedule that you won’t be able to keep. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time in between activities, especially if you have to travel from one to the other. Also, make sure you allow yourself breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge. Planning a schedule that is too busy will leave you feeling tired, and may affect your performance as well as your health.

Keep At It

Like any habit, good or bad, you have to keep at it in order to truly make it stick. The same applies to learning how to properly manage and maintain a workable schedule that you can consistently follow each day. The scheduling process will be less stressful and easier to follow through with each time you plan out your day. Persistence is key!

Expect the Unexpected

More often than not, things don’t quite go according to plan. Don’t be stressed out if things don’t happen exactly like you were expecting them to. Be prepared to make adjustments to your schedule if the situation calls for it. If something comes up that you hadn’t scheduled for, make sure you will still have time to see to everything on your schedule.

These tips cover the basics of managing your time. After you’ve worked out and followed your own schedule, you can adapt your organizational style to suit your needs. Try out different methods or techniques to see which ones you like. There is no perfect method for scheduling, so you have to find the method that works best for you.

You might be surprised to learn that most of the modern self-help ideas that we practice today really aren’t new ideas at all. Every modern book that you’ve read on self-help, including “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, came from ideas from the past – even ancient ideas.

Yoga – This method of self-care has been around for eons and comes from Asia. There are many different types of Yoga practice today purporting to help everyone take care of mind, body and spirit.
Prayer – Studies have shown prayer can change brain chemistry and helps people who pray positively to have more positive lives and feel happier. Various types of prayer has been around since civilization started and likely before. By giving over problems to a higher being, humans have found ways to become happier.
Meditation – Originating in Asian countries, meditation has actually appeared in many different cultures as a way to relax, focus on big questions, and try to access parts of our mind that we don’t know how to get to. Today, mediation is thought to lower blood pressure and help people with serious diseases deal with treatment better.
Positive Thinking – You might think of this as new-age, but nothing could be further from the truth. The idea of positive thinking actually started with the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Today, positive thinking can be seen in books and programs like “The Secret”.
Self-Acceptance – Some people believe almost everything is derived from fate and our lives are preordained. So, to be truly happy you have to come to accept the divine and control your actions through self-discipline rather than try to control what happens.
Self-Sufficiency – Epicurus taught the best way to be happy is to try to experience a lack of pain and you can do this through surrounding yourself with friends and family and experiencing pleasure as much as possible, but not in a hedonistic sort of way. But we ourselves are responsible for our happiness, not outside forces.
The Golden Rule – Confucius is said to have come up with the idea of treating others as you would have them treat you. Today, this can be said to be the “Dr. Phil” style idea: that you show people how to treat you by how you treat them and yourself. You set the standard and have the idea on what can be done to you and around you.
Self-Actualization – The Greek philosopher Plato came up with the idea that you needed to study yourself deeply to understand and uncover the gifts that God has given you so that you can find your true purpose. You can find some of these ideas presented in the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.

As you see most of these self-help methods were started long before you were born. They were just repackaged into new formats by various authors, doctors, and theologians as their own ideas. Some of these self-help masters are not so straightforward about where their ideas came from, whilst others quote directly from the ancient philosophers.