There are different camps of thoughts on this. Some people pursue a very rigid and steady schedule that is the same or almost exactly the same every week. Others are completely spontaneous and follow absolutely no schedule whatsoever, they do whatever comes up and have no rhyme or rhythm at all. The rest of us are somewhere in-between, and whichever one we are closer to is the question. I definitely always have and still do lean towards the first one, the scheduled person. When I was younger, I used to be very rigid and inflexible. While this can appear good and like I was solid at following a schedule, to the extent I was, it would only work in a perfect world where there were deviations to any schedule related activities. I have learned to become more flexible, that way if something does change in my schedule, it’s not the end of the world.
Which one are you more like? You probably have figured that out after reading the first few sentences containing the descriptions. Extremes on either are problematic. The ideal way to go is to keep a consistent schedule, but of course with flexibility. A consistent schedule can best be created by having an ideal routine with room for margin and differences. Every day will have some unique differences. Personally, I have found and amazing tool to keep an ideal routine and then create a schedule around that for each day. It is called Time Tune and right now is only available on Android, but looks like other versions are hopefully in the works. This app allows me to follow a consistent schedule much more easier by ease of moving activities around and the ability to see the amount of free time there is for unplanned activities easier.
Reasons to follow a consistent schedule:
- Having a consistent routine creates a pattern in your life where you don’t have to think about it. Any opportunity to automate in your life will make your life more productive
- Save time on thinking about what you will do next. Instead of thinking about what you have to do next, it will already be determined easily
- Save time on manually writing or typing out a schedule. Whether you use a planner, computer application, mobile app, you will save time because you already have a good template to go off of
- Stay on track. It is easier to stay on track when you have one to follow regularly and this will allow for a productive mindset.
Personally for me, whenever I have the mindset of staying productive and I follow a schedule consistently, I feel more refreshed and fulfilled. It’s up to you to determine which one is best for you.
Time Tune - https://timetune.center/