A Solid Routine
How to schedule your life
Since I started with Praxis in September of this year, I have made a lot of changes to my life to accommodate for the program and make sure I always have time to complete my work. One of the biggest things I’ve implemented so far is a new life schedule. Now, I say new but in all honesty I didn’t have a great schedule before this year. My job had a very inconsistent schedule and being homeschooled, I typically split my schoolwork between the morning and night depending on when I was working. Because of the lack of scheduling in my life I typically just did whatever, wherever and whenever I had the time to do it. I lacked a daily routine and it very often caused a lot of stress which led to lower quality work.
Once I started Praxis, it became very clear that I was going to need to create some sort of schedule for my life. It started with trying to wake up at the same time everyday. This had always been a challenge for me because I typically stay up past 3 am each night to work on music or work related things. So some days I would be okay with waking up at 7, but others I’d be so exhausted that I’d sleep till 10. I now keep a balance of waking up at 8 am everyday except for Saturday which is the day I allow myself to sleep in. However, that was only the start of creating scheduling for my life. Since the end of September I have created a solid daily routine that works very well for me. My current job at Fed Ex has a solid schedule of 3-8 everyday, this is perfect for me because it makes planning everything else easier. I wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, I work on praxis from 12pm-2:30pm each day, I go to work at the same time. When I finally get home, I finish my work for Praxis, spend some time with my friends, and then spend the rest of the night relaxing or in my studio. I still stay up very late into the night, but I’ve gotten used to 5-ish hours of sleep per night and it no longer has an effect on my work. My life has become less stressful and more productive since I introduced a schedule. I would highly recommend creating one for your own life as I could almost guarantee positive effects.
So how do you create a solid schedule for yourself? Well, for me I basically followed a three step process. If this is something that interests you I would recommend following these steps to create your own routine to help reduce stress and improve productivity.
Step 1 - Time Scheduling
The first and most important step is scheduling your life around the clock. I understand that not everyone has a solid work schedule and that may make this more difficult. If you can, speak with your boss about having set hours every week. That way you never have to change your daily routine to accommodate a fluctuating work schedule.
Start by training yourself to wake up at the same time everyday. Some people aren’t morning people and are just generally more productive in the evening, so if you don't have anything going on in the morning it’s okay to sleep in a little. There’s no reason to get up at 5:30 am everyday if you don’t need to. Keep your mental health in mind before anything, if you find yourself working better if you sleep till 8 or 9, then sleep till 8 or 9. Just make sure you’re working up at the same time everyday because this sets the foundation for your routine. Next give yourself a time limit for showering, eating breakfast and getting ready. Usually 1-2 hours is plenty enough for most people. Next comes your work schedule, obviously this will run your life for the most part but that’s why set hours help here. If you have school, homework, or other programs, plan a few hours into your day to accommodate that. It’s also very important to allow 2-3 hours a day of personal time to relax or do something you find fun. The Idea here is to have everything on the clock and work on your responsibilities at the same time everyday. It won’t work out perfectly every day but it will help you keep your life on track.
Step 2 - Hobbies / Social life
Life isn’t just about work. If all you ever worry about is work, school, or responsibilities, you will find yourself being very stressed unhappy. Having a hobby or a social circle you enjoy will give you an outlet for your frustrations. First find what you want to do for that outlet time, and then add it into your schedule. I recommend putting it at the end of your daily routine for a few reasons. One, most people in your social circle will be more free during the evening. Two, if you have something at the end of the day to look forward to you will automatically work faster and harder to get your responsibilities completed to get to that free time. If you have something to work towards, you will typically be more efficient. The important thing here is making sure you allow time to relax each day to maintain your mental and physical health.
Step 3 - Health
If you want to be able to maintain a life schedule, you must also maintain your health. Figure out how much sleep you need to function properly and allow enough time each night for that. Typically it’s safe to assume you need 7-8 hours per night. However, some people don’t need that many and some people need more to feel well rested. Allow time a few days a week for physical activity. Whether you’re the type of person who prefers to go on a nice walk or jog, or the type that like to hit the gym and lift for a few hours. Whatever it is, make sure you’re allowing time for physical activity. This is so important to your physical health, and your physical health affects your mental health which affects productivity. Finally, don’t over work yourself. Find a balance between rest and work. Too much rest and you can become lazy and unproductive. Too much work and you become tired and stressed out. Remember, your health is the most important thing you can worry about. If you want to live a happy life, live a healthy life.
These three steps are a solid foundation for creating a reliable life schedule tailored just for you. Routine will help you maintain a happy and productive life. I recommend that whoever you are and whatever you do, you work on implementing something like this, and I promise you will see positive effects.
-Braden Schmidt 11-10-2019