Micro scheduling – Why it works for me
Most us live off of some sort of schedule whether it’s what time you leave to get to work or what days of the week you have plans or commitments. Having a schedule means that we’re in the right places at the right times and nothing gets missed. For me, it goes a bit further than that and I like to micro-schedule which is planning to smaller timeframes. This could be on a partial day basis, hourly basis or even tighter schedules.
I am meticulous about every part of my day even down to the way I use office storage to keep my tax information, receipts and paperwork together. As my makeshift office is now my parent’s dining room table a Smartbox would be handy for keeping all my files in but currently, they’re in a pile on the desk. like most millennials I don’t just have one job, I work full-time and then blog/ freelance. But I also need to build in the normalities of life such as errands and live admin, seeing friends and self-care. So I find a schedule works well for me.
My experience of micro-scheduling
I actually spoke to Femail about this topic, although the title is misleading as I’m not a mum. And then I did chat with one of the Northern BBC Radio shows about scheduling. The presenter was very concerned about how I’m spontaneous. As a person, I have never really need spontaneous. Even as a teenager I almost always knew what I was doing each weekend. This probably stemmed from starting work at 15 and always pushing myself to do the best I could with everything. I worked full-time while I was at university, although granted my course was only in 1-2 days a week. And I’ve worked solidly since I was 15 when I served food and drink at Watford FC.
To ensure everything is done and nothing is forgotten I like to plan my day. This could be planning 15 minutes to reply to comments on my blog in the morning. Or half an hour at lunchtime to schedule some social media. Even an hour in the evening to write a post. But it doesn’t just stop at blog or work-related stuff. I plan in booking flights, watching TV shows and pampering sessions to make sure my life is balanced. I like to make everything fit into bite-sized chunks so I know I am maximizing my time. Then even if I have just a half an hour train ride, or a 15 minute sit down before going out that I can make the most of it.
How I micro-schedule
For me, Google Doc’s works the best for this as I can access my ‘To-Do list’ on my laptop at home, on my laptop at work and on the go. Knowing that I have this at the tip of my fingers means I can go to bed without worrying that something important has been overlooked or I’m creeping too close to a deadline I haven’t started preparing for.
There’s never enough time to do everything so every single minute of my day is precious so I can make the most out of it. For example, I’d rather plan every day to the minute to allow myself the time to go and see an evening on a Thursday evening or spend a Saturday afternoon in London with a friend.
Do you plan your days or have you tried micro-scheduling before?
18 responses to “Micro scheduling – Why it works for me”
Leave a Reply
All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
Nothing currently planned
This is really interesting – I’ve not heard of micro scheduling before, but it’s certainly something that would have appealed to me prior to children. My life is too busy to be scheduled completely, although we have a good routine which is the same every day š
I used a bullet journal for a long time to keep me on track but I have to admit these days I find it a bit combersome and I don’t have the motivation needed to keep it going!
I used to use one but then I realised that digital worked so much better for me x
Really enjoyed this post – given me some ideas on micro-scheduling, I really need to be more organised
Reading through this post has made me realise how much of a micro scheduler I am. I’ve been doing it for ages without even realising!
It can be so much easier to plan everything quite specifically as I find I’m more productive this way x
Oh I haven’t heard this term before but actually I think I am definitely doing it already! I am trying hard this year to be more organised!
I love this! I recently got a new calendar app for my month and started setting myself reminders of stuff like when to work freelance hours or food expiry dates to cut waste! x
Food expiry dates is such a good idea, I should do this the day before they go bad to make sure I use it x
Micro- scheduling is certainly the way to do things. Life can be incredibly busy and it is so easy to feel overwhelmed, but with little targets and goals it can all be done in good time. I find to do lists are rally helpful and it is always satisfying to tick something off when it’s done.
I 100% agree, I love marking things off my to do list x
Ohhh I haven’t heard of Micro Scheduling before. I would thrive of something like this but it’s impossible with 2 little ones. x
Yeah it must be tough to plan your day too much x
I don’t microschedule every minute but I do have a to do list for every day that has pretty much everything from blogging to cleaning to downtime on there. I use an app called actions and onenote on my phone to keep on top of everything
Oh actions sounds like a good app, I might need to check this out! x
I will be honest, I have never tried micro scheduling before. I usually just write down lists of things I need to do! However, this sounds like a much more organised way to list things.
I think if you’re guilty of always rolling over tasks and not having too much structure to your day then this could work x
I’d never heard of this before! I think it’s something I should look into too!