A Daily Schedule for YOU
I have been watching a series of videos on YouTube of a guy (Nathaniel Drew) who tries to emulate some famous historical figures' daily routines. It has varying results. Each video features a routine that has its benefits and drawbacks. He sees some good in the way these people supposedly lived their daily lives, and he has some struggles. Both the guy in the video and I see how certain aspects of the schedule could help and how certain aspects could be a hindrance.
What the takeaway for me from these videos is each person needs to find the daily schedule or routine that works for us. Someone else’s routine might be fun to experiment with, but there are reasons why all the historical figures emulated in those videos had different daily routines. They found what worked for them. You and I can learn from that. We need to find what works for us as unique individuals.
Sleep
I talk about sleep a lot, but sleep is so fundamental that it bears talking about a lot. In your daily plan, you need to consider how much sleep you need and when you need to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults. That is a wide range. Experiment with what works for you. I know I fall more towards needing nine hours of sleep. The guy in the videos says he needs eight hours of sleep per night, and he really struggled with Benjamin Franklin’s schedule, which only allowed for seven hours of sleep. Find what amount of sleep works for you, and build your day around that.
Also, bear in mind your chronotype. Are you a morning lark, a night owl, or somewhere in between? When is the ideal time of day for you to wake up, and when is the ideal time for you to go to bed? This necessitates taking into consideration what you would like the rest of your day to look like. Some people need a lot of time in the morning to plan out their day. Others need time at the end of the day for reflection and planning the next day.
Reflection
The only way those schedules worked for those historical figures is they reflected on what they needed and what worked for them. The guy in the videos never says he will permanently adopt the schedule of those he tries to emulate in the videos. He does, however, reflect on his experiences and tries to learn from them about himself and what he needs.
Deep Work Time
What time of day are you most alert, active, and ready to work? That is the time of day you want to set aside for your deep work time, those tasks that are most important. Block that time off on your calendar and let nothing disturb you.
The Right Job
One of the things that is apparent from my exploration of daily schedules is the need to find the right job. You cannot sleep at the right time if you are forced to be at a job at a time that does not conform to their needed routine. Finding the right job is not easy, but it can help you live the life you want to live.
Don’t Go It Alone
Sometimes, it can be hard to know what is best for you when you just roll things around in your own head. Having another person to sort these things out with can be extremely useful. This could be a friend or a family member, but a coach would have a unique perspective and would be able to use their skills to help you find the daily routine/schedule that works best for you. Let me know if you are interested.