When I was in high school my schedule was pretty much set for me. In college, same thing. Once I got married and we moved to Oklahoma I didn't have a schedule set for myself. I wasn't working as we were only supposed to be there temporarily (6 months) before moving to Germany. That later changed to us getting stationed in Oklahoma. However I was expecting Courtney and it made no sense to go back to work only to quit a few months later.
About 2 months after we moved I realized I wasn't very productive with my time, I was watching an insane amount of TV, and I wasn't feeling good about myself. Since we were originally there temporarily we were in temporary lodging and had a maid that came daily to clean. I literally didn't have a thing to do!
One day I woke up, and realized that I need to get control of my time and get on a routine/schedule. I promptly got ready for the day (at around 11:30am) and took myself to Walmart (no Target in this town) to pick up a planner. Because that is what makes the most sense when you don't have a routine. Getting a planner and all the pens was bound to get me together, right?
It was just what I needed. I was able to write down my doctor appointments, the times for the Officer's Wives Luncheons and FRG meetings, I started planning on what things I needed to buy for my new baby. With that I was on time to things. I had a good idea on how long it would take me to get around my new town and I left my home with plenty of time to be on time!
This was the beginning of scheduling myself to be on time. Here are a few tips to scheduling your time:
Write it down: The first step in being scheduled is writing it down, either in your planner or your digital calendar.
Add Time: When I add anything to my calendar I actually put the start time as the time I need to leave my home to be there 5 minutes early. Example: If something starts at 4:30 and it will take me 45 minutes to drive there I block it off in my starting at 3:40 (and probably 3:30 just because it makes sense).
Weekly: Each Sunday I sit with my calendar and remind myself what things I have the coming week. I will also write my to-do lists each day.
Nightly: I review the next day so I know how I need to plan my morning routine. Doing this ensures I don't mix my days up and forget an appointment, meeting or playdate.
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