The Two Types of Schedules
it seems to me that most people will tell you that there is only one type of schedule. However, that is not true. I know of two different types of schedules. I don’t have a fancy name for either one, so I am going to call them: The schedule people tell you about and the schedule people don’t tell you about. I’m open to your suggestions on what to call these.
The Schedule People Tell You About
The standard schedule looks like this:
8:00 - Task A
8:30 - Thing B
9:45 - Activity C
11:00 - Lunch
1:15 - Something D
3:00 - Stuff E
4:00 - Job F
This is what most people think of when they think of a schedule. It is the template phones give you for a calendar. I do not need to explain it much further because we have all seen it.
The Schedule People Don’t Tell You About
This schedule focuses on objectives, rather than time slots. Instead of scheduling each task at a specific time, you give yourself goals for the day. Once you do X, Y, and Z, you are done for the day. I used this schedule every day when I was a freelance writer. I would set a specific number of words I needed to write for that day, and when I hit that number, I could stop writing for the day. Some days, I was done working by lunch time. Other days, I worked until bedtime.
You can even break your daily goals into categories. For example, if you are a teacher and are looking to schedule your Saturdays in a way that helps you efficiently use your day off, you can make the decision that, every Saturday, you need to correct 20 papers, do two lesson plans, and enter 10 scores in the grade book (I have no idea if this is realistic; I’m not a teacher). This allows you more flexibility in your work day while still ensuring you get stuff done.
Today’s Reset ADHD Challenge:
Find the schedule that works best for you!