Tips and tricks for remaining scheduled and motivated with unscheduled time?
I've always had a fairly structured routine life (clock in/out of work) and am able to stick to deadlines/routine in this format. There are only a few times in my life when I have more unstructured time and have to self-employ deadlines and things tend to fall apart during those instances (staying up late wasting time -> wake up late -> vicious cycle). I find when I'm held accountable to others (eg showing up for an appointment or a start time for work), things go fine, but when I'm only accountable to myself things tend to fall apart fairly quickly.
I'm sure many of you have jobs / hobbies where you work remotely and have to come up with your own schedules and am wondering what tips and tricks you've accumulated from your experiences that you would be willing to share that have been helpful for you to accomplish your goals?
I have a few months of free time coming up, and am hoping to make the most of it to improve my personal / professional life and make progress on my own personal projects/hobbies.
Some tips / tricks that I will be employing that have been somewhat helpful in the past:
- Creating a schedule for myself at least a day ahead
- Using time-blocking websites to block or temporize access to certain websites (I like coldturkey for PC)
- Minimizing distractions (putting phone on do not disturb / airplane mode), working in a quiet environment
Interested in what tactics you have all successfully employed in your own lives!
I learned about bullet journaling probably 5-7 years ago and have made it a central part of my planning.
I don't do anything fancy, but I do make sure the following happen on any day where I'm trying to be productive:
This has been unreasonably effective for me. I do more bullet journaling rituals, but the daily log is the "meat and potatoes" of how I stay productive during unstructured time.
What I really like about bullet journaling using pen and paper is that I can fit it to whatever usage patters I need. Maybe I need to doodle a diagram, so I do it. Maybe I'm going to make a list of Pros/Cons of various approaches, so I just do that.
I think the freedom of pen and paper combined with the task of actually writing things by hand really helps me retain the info I write down, and feel motivated to get it done.
If you'd like to learn more, I still occasionally re-read the official book by Ryder Caroll, "The Bullet Journaling Method". It doesn't need to be pretty, but if you like that sort of thing it's also a great outlet for that sort of creativity.
There are several reasons for procrastination, such as:
No prioritization: if you have several tasks with same level of importance, it is difficult to choose which task you should be doing right now. Inability to make a decision creates internal discomfort and you usually end up "doom-scrolling" just to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
Unclear motives: do you really want to do the project or is it just "I should be doing it"? Why? How it ties to your long-term life vision? How your life will look like in 5 years if you don't do it?
Too much friction: does your environment allow you to easily start working? Do you have all the tools/etc at hand or do you need to spend an hour preparing before you can actually start doing?
Tasks are too big / too vague: use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) technique to break down big tasks to smaller actionable steps
Other tips:
If you have difficulties starting, try saying "I'll sit down to work on it for just 5 minutes, I can stop anytime I want and I allow myself to not feel guilty about that"
Does not finishing a task make you feel bad about yourself? Try time-based approach instead: "I'll work on this 1 hour on Monday and 1 hour on Thursday"
Reward yourself for doing the work!
Schedule some procrastination time between work too (even if its personal and "for fun" projects). "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" :)
I also want to add the 5th reason of executive dysfunction, which can happen with any number of mental illnesses. The procrastination may be a symptom of something larger. You make excellent points, and those points can also assist people who struggle with executive dysfunction, but I also want to acknowledge that executive dysfunction is...rough.
When I have things I need to do and I know that I’m in a period where my phone is extra distracting for me I use forest (it’s on iOS, I don’t know about android). You set an amount of time you want to focus for, and it grows a little tree while you’re busy. If you leave the app before the time is up, the tree dies. You can also just use timers but this adds an extra reminder not to swipe away from the app.
I also am someone who gets a lot of satisfaction from crossing things off a to do list, so I break things down into the smallest tasks possible so that I’m constantly getting that dopamine hit of crossing things off (eg instead of just “laundry” as an item, I might have “start laundry”, “put laundry in dryer”, “fold laundry”, and “put away laundry” as separate items). Of course, number one on my to do list is always “write a to do list” so that I can cross something off straight away and build on that momentum!
I LOVE Forest, I’ve been using it for ages on my desktop and my phone. It’s such a lifesaver to be able to put away that sneaky dopamine drip machine of my phone!
Others have suggested great resources, and what works for you is likely to be personal, based on your personality and what motivates you. As one more anecdote, here's what works for me as a self-employed person working on projects that don't involve a ton of collaboration and external meetings.
Having a daily routine for non-work stuff has been hugely helpful in working independently and not sliding into bad habits. Wake up around the same time, go to bed around the same time, start the day with whatever gets you going; a walk, coffee, etc. Not going into an office strips a lot of structure away, so it's helpful to have some daily scaffolding.
For tasks, I've tried a zillion things. Bullet journals, Kanban boards, etc. But outside the go-go corporate world I've found those things less useful and more complicated than I need. Sometimes the tools themselves can become a source of procrastination for me! These days I have a to-do list and a calendar for appointments. Most days I wake up with 2-3 things I want to get done, and I don't even need the list.
Your coming time off sounds like a mix of work and play. Enjoy it! You can be productive without micromanaging yourself, especially if you're working independently on hobbies. If internet distraction is a concern you could try putting your devices in airplane mode and listen to music. Flip the internet on as needed to complete a task. Working on something you're truly excited about also helps. Browsing is poor competition compared to something you're truly jazzed to do.
Good luck. :)
If I am procrastinating something, I try to figure out the emotion behind it. Am I feeling defiant re what I need to do? Am I scared it won't be good enough when complete? Am I confused about how to accomplish it or what to work on first?
Jane Burka wrote a pretty good book about procrastination. Also Cal Newport Deep Work and So Good They Can't Ignore You, and Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear are books I found inspiring. Stolen Focus by Johan Hari is good about distraction.
I would say, big picture, pick a goal or two that you hope to accomplish during this unstructured time, then use project management to get there. Also say no to things that don't move you toward your goals or improve the lives of your loved ones.