For those who don’t know, I am very anal (cue giggling). In other words, I am organized and get slightly bothered when things aren’t. Although it isn’t as bad as clinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, it’s similar. This means that I tend to organize myself, but I am also a lazy teenager, so this can be a complicated mess. I tend to forget to organize and then become very annoyed with myself, which often results in me staying up late in order to organize at the last minute. I have been trying to organize myself more lately, and it has largely been a success. So, I thought I would share a few of the things I learned during my endeavor.
- Calendars, calendars, calendars. The first thing you should do when scheduling your life is fill out a calendar. I went to iCal on the family Mac and filled it out in week view. This allows me to mark down what I will do each day on an hourly basis. This provides you with a preset schedule for each day. Even if you don’t look at the calendar a lot, filling it out will help program the schedule into your brain. If you have to, set reminders on your phone, too.
- Follow said calendars. “Oh, I’m too tired to do this tonight” or “I don’t want to, tomorrow sounds better” — don’t listen to your excuses. If you make excuses, you’ll fall behind, which makes you no better than where you were prior to the calendar. Unless you have a legitimate reason (such as something due sooner), just follow the schedule.
- Prioritize. Everything has a specific value in my scheduling. If I have homework, an essay to do, and article due, and I am tired, this is the breakdown: 1. essay, 2. article, 3. homework, 4. sleep. I know that the essay will have a major effect on my grade and I will not be able to get it delayed. The article is important, but if I have to get it delayed, I can. The homework can be done during other classes, study hall, before school starts, or, if it isn’t done, it will have a relatively minor impact on my grade. Also, I can sleep when I’m dead. Everything must have a relative value when scheduling your life.
- Become ritualistic. There must be certain things you do no matter what. For example, I work out every weekday no matter what. It is something I should do and I find that it helps keep me from getting tired too early and reduces how easily distracted I am. Also, if I break the ritual, I am more likely to stop doing it all together. Also, I try to eat the same breakfast every day that I have weightlifting. I have become very good at making eggs, so it’s a quick process for me. Also, it helps get protein in my system. These patterns help keep life fluid and work well into the scheduling.
I’m not saying everyone should schedule their life. Some people do better with a spontaneous life. If you’re like me, though, and work better when organized, hopefully these tips can help!