How often are you happy about how you’ve spent your time during the day, and have you ever considered how to schedule your ideal work day for both fulfillment and productivity?
Jordan Peterson has some ideas on the subject, and today’s short video shares his advice on scheduling your day.
It boils down to this …
Instead of designing and scheduling your day by focusing on what you “should” do, schedule it for what you “will” do … and for what you’ll be pleased for having done at the end of the day.
Did you just have an a-ha moment with me? There are a few things to unpack in that advice.
3 Principles to Keep in Mind to Schedule Your Ideal Work Day
- Proactively DESIGN Your Day with Intention
Instead of time management, this is about managing your priorities. It’s about planning your day according to your priorities instead of reacting to the whims and demands of others … at least as much as possible. Of course, there will be unforeseen things that you’ll have to handle. But if you don’t start with a proactive and intentional schedule, you’ll always be playing catch up to reach your important goals. - Be REALISTIC About What You Can and Will Do
Putting unrealistic expectations on yourself by putting too much on your schedule each day is counterproductive and can even be a form of self-sabotage. You’ll feel defeated when you don’t accomplish what you planned. You’ll get further and further behind. And the negative cycle just continues. Instead, if you’re realistic about what you will do each day, you start a positive cycle of affirmation. - Keep YOU in Your Schedule
You need to be sure that you’re going to be pleased at the end of the day … proud of what you’ve accomplished. This is about putting the right things on your schedule. It’s about staying true to yourself and who you want to be. Yes, you’ll have some tasks that aren’t always highest on your list of self-fulfillment. You still have to meet professional obligations. But losing sight of yourself is a sure path to burnout and feeling unfulfilled.
The Full Focus planner that I use has pages where you define what your Ideal Week would look like. It’s like setting a “time budget” to help guide your time management.
And it’s the first step in being able to schedule your ideal day. Because you have to be able to see where you’re going … you have to know what you want … in order to get there.
At the very least, start by being more intentional about how you spend your time. Take control by being proactive instead of reactive.
You’ll be amazed at how many more good days you have as a result.
I’d love to hear what you think about this topic. Post your thoughts on social and tag me (@coachmichelepeterson), or simply comment below!
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