Have you created Eisenhower matrices, used the Pomodoro technique, tried the elephant and frog methods, but none of it has stuck? Perhaps the reason is not that planning methods are ineffective. It’s just that squeezing life into a schedule drives many people crazy. However, there are simple techniques that will help rewire the brain and connect pleasant associations with the daily routine. In this article, we will tell you what to do to follow it easily and naturally.
Add Value to Task Formulations
Whatever planning technique you choose, each requires writing down and distributing tasks. Much depends on their wording. For example, familiar phrases can create a feeling of Groundhog Day if you repeat them week after week. To stay motivated, try adding a goal and emotional value to task descriptions. Instead of “call the contractor,” you can write: “Call Evgenia and remind her when to deliver the book print run in time for the author’s birthday.” From an impersonal, dry example, the contractor has turned into Evgenia, with whom you have a trusting business relationship, because she, like you, knows that it is important to have time to print and deliver the print run to the author’s birthday boy. Or another example, from important but not urgent: “Sort photos into folders” can turn into “Create folders with photos from 2010 to 2017 to edit a film about how the child grew up before school, and send it to grandparents in another city.”
When the task is specific, related to other people and leads to a result that you yourself consider important, the desire to complete the task increases. “Sort photos” may sound like something insignificant, but making your loved ones happy is already important.
Try Diagrams and Sketches Instead of Boring Lists
If you don’t want to write down, draw. Sometimes you don’t have the strength or desire to read a detailed description. Then pictures will come to the rescue. You can draw the main activities that need to be done during the day so as not to miss anything, or depict the main event that should lead to the tasks done on time. This applies to both homework and work assignments. Approach visualization with humor – even the biggest elephant task won’t seem so big if you draw yourself bigger than the elephant next to it.
Instead of lists, it is also convenient to create mind maps, or intellect maps, – diagrams built on associations. This way it is easy to group tasks and break large tasks into small steps.
Create a Playlist for Your Routine
Going to the store, taking notes, working out, and even walking in bad weather can be much more enjoyable with your favorite tracks. Music is good because it switches you on an emotional level. It also allows you to not have to keep track of the timing. In music services, you can create selections by activity, and then set a timer for the desired time. When it ends, the music will stop – it means it’s time to rest.
Make a Plan Like a Pessimist
Plan your day with time gaps for the unexpected: something can always go wrong. In addition, not all the tasks included in the daily schedule are probably within your control. There are tasks that move to the “completed” status only through team efforts. And when you add such a task to the diary, it is worth calculating possible bottlenecks and problems that can delay the solution. When you plan like a pessimist, you give up expectations that everything will go perfectly. This means that you are ready for different scenarios.
Another important point is to include rest in the plan. Psychologists warn: do not follow the attitude “The best rest is a change of activity.” This is a direct path to burnout. Remember that you are a living person, not a superhero. Insert breaks between tasks.
Combine your Routine with the Routine of a Loved One
Doing something together can be more exciting than doing it alone. If you want to feel supported in a routine that is difficult to overcome, try to share it with someone who is close to you. For example, with a colleague in the office, you can schedule simultaneous calls with clients that are difficult for you and which you therefore often postpone until a critical deadline. At home, you can agree with your partner to simultaneously sort through accumulated archives – one in electronic folders, the other in physical ones. And with a child or a friend, you can read a book synchronously: you will do the same thing at the same time, but each on your own territory. The bonus of this approach is that after completing the task, you will have the opportunity to exchange impressions and life hacks.
Reward Yourself for Following the Routine
Positive incentives will help to reinforce the habit of following the daily routine, like any other useful habit. A material reward in the form of buying something very desirable that you have been putting off for a long time will do. Or pleasant impressions: going to a play, a massage, a concert. Try creating a ritual that will serve as additional motivation to follow the plan. For example, if you stick to your routine for a week, treat yourself to a fun evening at slotsgem online casino, where exciting games and big wins await.
