
Ask HN: How do you schedule your life? - gymshoes
Also, how do you keep sticking to that schedule?
======
mikekchar
I got married (answers both questions, I'm afraid). I often wonder if that is
a really bad way of doing things since I tend to simply do what my wife wants.
If I want "me time", I need to tell her in advance so she can put it in my
schedule. However, I've always been super easy going in that respect. My wife
loves organising things and trying to optimise stuff so that everything fits.
She even optimises the meal preparation so that we _never_ throw out any food
(it's a miracle as far as I'm concerned). However, on the weekend I often want
to cook and my wife will say, "I'd like paella. Please use up the mushrooms,
milk, sauerkraut and pickles". So, I have to be pretty creative.

To be a bit more helpful (because I don't really want you marrying my wife --
it would be inconvenient for me), I think the real key is to ask yourself why
you want a schedule. Where are the places you are hurting? It might be better
to address those pain points directly rather than trying to overhaul your
approach to living life. At least as far as I'm concerned (being very easy
going in this respect), there is nothing wrong with not having a schedule. In
fact, it is completely liberating. However, you need to have priorities and
make sure that your priorities are addressed.

~~~
xcubic
For me, at home, it works in a similar way.

There is a downside though.

I'm very very forgetful, so sometimes, my wife needs to remind me to do a
certain task 3 or 4 times before I actually do it. I started noting things
down to avoid forgetting as this puts some strain on our relationship.

~~~
bemmu
I've been trialing the Things app recently. Pressing F12 anywhere, even when
using some other app, pops up a window where you can quickly add a todo. When
you're doing something else, and suddenly remember something you might want to
do later, it's very easy to store it.

When you have the popup open it has shortcut keys for associating it with a
certain project or date. If you're in a hurry, you can skip that and move it
to the proper place later. Because of the shortcut and being able to organize
later, it's completely effortless to note something.

Everything you add shows up on your phone as well, so it's really convenient
for taking notes around a topic and not forgetting stuff. You can have daily
repeating tasks too, which are nice for habit-building.

------
nnrtw
I don't have any strict schedule really, but I've made one weird thing
recently, which seems to be making a difference. Not really long term yet, but
over this weekend I seemed to actually do more useful things, than usually.

I've listed all the things I tend to do while procrastinating, instead of
doing things that matter. Then I've layered them on top of each other, like "I
should do X", but "instead I think about doing Y", and then "instead of doing
Y, it seems I am actually doing Z instead". X -> Y -> Z -> U -> V -> (...). On
some levels it splits into branches too, when I consider things of equal
importance.

These layers seemed to align pretty well with my priorities, i.e. further
"down the chain", I get less and less important things. (The last, least
important activity, seemed to be "desperately seeking attention". :D)

Then I've noticed that this realization about doing many useless things,
actually motivated me to do things from "the top of the chain"
(important/useful/urgent). Not sure if it would work for everyone, but maybe
worth a try. :) Personally at least I'm going to try to keep using this
approach.

UPDATE: there, I've obfuscated it a bit, and put it online with sources -
[https://bl.ocks.org/nnrtw/43c0b5d4fed216c7d98bb65645212495](https://bl.ocks.org/nnrtw/43c0b5d4fed216c7d98bb65645212495)

~~~
ArrayList
> but I've made one weird thing recently,

Doctors hate him!

------
kirubakaran
I use [https://crushentropy.com/](https://crushentropy.com/) It's like
markdown for planning the day, with easy revisions.

~~~
Jefro118
This is really cool, going to try it out tomorrow, although it could really do
with a view optimised for mobile.

------
atiredturte
I have ADHD, so I'm not naturally an organised person. That being said, I've
developed some really good systems to help me out. They've varied a lot over
the years, but here are some key elements that I've found to stick around.

1\. Writing everything down

I make sure to write down every event, task etc as soon as I can, and then
process it. This makes sure that I don't keep things in my head. Just this
alone gives huge returns.

2\. One week at a time

I organise my life one week at a time. First, write down all your time
commitments for the week (things you've already committed to doing). Then look
at the time you have left. Once you have that, look at your backlog of
tasks/things you want to do (from element 1) and select the things that you
can reasonably do in that week. I then schedule these tasks roughly for each
day.

I found that setting a few tasks for a day meant that I was able to focus on
one or two tasks, rather than dealing with the weight of all my different life
facets at once. This was especially useful to me during university, when I was
balancing multiple subjects and clubs.

3\. Plan, record, reflect cycle

This part is quite simple, and could also work on its own. First you plan your
week (See 2), then during the week you write down notes for yourself. This
could be: \- Where you failed (e.g. I was late for work today) \- How you felt
(e.g. I really enjoyed hanging out with x friend) \- Any random
thoughts/observations (e.g. I tend to get scared by strangers in hats)

I tend to set goals for each week, and then record relevant metrics (e.g.
Hours on my phone if I'm trying to cut down, or days taking my medication)

Once the week is done, I do a reflection over the past week and look at what I
want to change for the following week. Because I iterate weekly, there's no
harm in me trying radical things with each week as an experiment.

Just the weekly iteration has been incredibly valuable for me, and has lead to
some great insights.

------
PeOe
Getting things done and time blocking are good methods. The worst ist setting
all up so you can start over with this methods. It's a lot of work but in the
end, it's an awesome feeling. In the beginning, after setting it up, you
really need to stay focused on this methods and stick to them. After a while,
you get used to it and it becomes much easier.

If you want to learn more about it, I can recommend this articles about GTD
[https://zenkit.com/en/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-
thin...](https://zenkit.com/en/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-things-done/)

Time Blocking [https://zenkit.com/en/blog/why-you-should-be-time-
blocking-a...](https://zenkit.com/en/blog/why-you-should-be-time-blocking-and-
not-just-writing-to-do-lists/)

~~~
vi1rus
GTD has too much upkeep even when setup properly. It gives the illusion of
progress because it indirectly focused on efficiency not effectiveness.

As a project manager with multiple projects where my work was to have others
do the work it was a good methodology.

As a DevOps guy that is heavily in the dev side I find it destructive.

------
skohan
I've got a few different complimentary systems for different things:

\- For working out, I rely on habit. I forced myself to go to the gym at a
certain time for long enough that I just feel like doing it now, so I go
automatically.

\- For personal projects, I work off a queue based system. While I'm working
on a task, I try to minimize task-switching, but if I come up with a new idea,
or something else I want or need to work on related to the project, I note it
down in my project management software. Then when I'm ready for a new task, I
pick up the one I most want or need to work on from the queue.

\- As far as the actual scheduling/time management strategy, I work from the
model that will power and focus are limited resources, and that distractions
and issues interfering with work tend to accumulate over the course of the
day. Therefore, I start each day by pulling tasks from the queue which need
the most focus, and put off communication with the outside world for at least
an hour or so (or until my "first wind" starts to wear down). Getting up early
helps with this.

\- Other than that, I work more or less intuatively. When I find myself no
longer able to focus effectively, I put down the work and knock out whatever
administrative tasks I have to take care of, and when that's sorted I relax
and do something I enjoy.

~~~
vi1rus
How do you keep track of your queue?

Also is it FIFO, LIFO or a priority model?

My queue seems to bloat, then I tried to mitigated that by telling myself if
something is in the queue for X amount of time remove it.

Nowadays that removal just becomes a JIRA story but it's rather inefficient
for me.

~~~
skohan
It's a pretty loose priority system, with the basic heuristic being that I try
to choose the task that brings the most value to the project at the given
moment.

That usually means I end up sort of ping-ponging between feature development
and refactoring/tech debt. I develop features until I feel like structural
issues are annoying/slowing me down, and then I focus on code quality until I
can move fast again.

But honestly it's a very loose system and it's fairly sensitive to what I am
most driven to work on in a particular time period. But I'm not really trying
to micro-optimize the project, my main goal is to have a system which lets me
be consistently productive. That means it's loose enough to not get in my way
when I'm in flow-state, and it's organized enough that I can have a list of
achievable goals to work through when I'm lacking in intrinsic motivation.

I also don't mind having a pretty huge back-log. When I'm totally uninspired
it's nice to be able to pick up on ideas I haven't thought about in weeks and
play around with them with fresh eyes.

edit:

> It's a pretty loose priority system, with the basic heuristic being that I
> try to choose the task that brings the most value to the project at the
> given moment.

I built my own _very simple_ tool for that. It's a bit redundant since there's
a lot of great tools out there, but it does everything I want and nothing I
don't, and it's very low friction/distraction free.

------
wordpressdev
I use Todoist to plan my life (and work), and try to stick to it.

If you are interested to know what is Todoist and how does it work, I have
written a blog post on it. Have a read.

[https://www.kashifaziz.me/todoist-productivity-
tips.html/](https://www.kashifaziz.me/todoist-productivity-tips.html/)

~~~
btkramer9
This is what got me through college. Since then I've continued using it for
everything from appointments to bills and I never forget to do anything I put
on it.

------
creep
It depends on the time of year.

I'm still in university in a math degree. I hope to continue on to the PhD
program. During the school year my schedule is mostly tight and math-focused.
I work between classes and on off-days. Occasionally I take a break to write
or make art. I keep a little list of due dates and deadlines, but apart from
that the schedule is not very strict. I don't like to get caught up in the
mindset that "school is your life", and like to be a little flexible and give
myself space to recuperate or work on my hobbies.

I look ahead five years. In five years I'll hopefully have my PhD, and in the
next two years I'll find some undergrad research. In the next year I'll start
TA'ing for classes I enjoy. Beyond that, I have dreams. I keep a close eye on
my dreams-- that is, I wait for them to change, if they change, and then
update my "path" to point more in that direction. But only a little bit! I
point in the general direction of my dreams while keeping myself open to new
possibilities. And I keep a few back-up plans, or general sustaining plans I
can follow if stuff gets a little slow or doesn't work out. For example,
tutoring in my country starts at $25/hour. If for some reason I'm not up to
continuing my education after the bachelor's right away, I'll go into tutoring
full time, then save up enough money to get back to school or really anything
else. I might get a bachelor's in computer science in that case, or I might go
traveling.

In the summer I do "computery" stuff-- coding challenges, coding games. I'll
write more and solidify my understanding of certain math concepts that
interested me during the school year.

Don't look too far ahead and don't find yourself in a position where you
aren't dreaming-- yet still, don't let your dreams consume you. Always make
sure you're taking one step forward. Plan your next steps or meander, but
press on.

------
kup0
I just live a life that doesn't require scheduling much at all. Though, I
understand it's not for everyone.

I work, I eat, I do hobbies, I sleep. Repeat ad nauseam.

When I do have to schedule/remember or outline things, a simple to-do list
and/or Calendar app is adequate (or phone reminders, which work quite well for
me)

------
EADGBE
> Ask HN: How do you schedule your life?

Logically, we use iCloud, since all of us have iPhones/iOS. We subscribe to
calendars and it helps everyone know what's going on. Each person in our
family has a calendar, there's also a catch-all calendar to which can be
"assigned" to anyone. When something's changed or added, all of us find out.

If something's not on the calendar, you can't legally get mad about forgetting
about it in our house. Just the rule.

This is easy to implement right now as all three kids are under 6, so it's
just my wife and I administrating it. But should be easy for everyone else
over time.

I've considered implementing an always-on calendar setup in the kitchen with
an old iPad. A previous job used this for meeting room scheduling and it
worked really well.

------
a-saleh
On macro-level I have a shared calendar with my wife. We try to put there all
planned vacations together, my business trips, nights-out, friends visiting,
who needs to babysit when e.t.c

On micro level, I don't have a schedule. I try to cultivate habits. I.e. for
past month I managed to wake 30 mins earlier than my daughter to drink my tea
in peace and do some quick workout :-) It really helps me with the structure
of the day.

------
dyeje
I don't. I put things on my to-do list if they are important (it has never
been more 20 or so items, some stay on there a long time too) and I put
scheduled events on a shared Google calendar with my wife.

Aside from that I have rough goals during the week that I try to achieve such
as working out 3 times, cook so and so dish, go grocery shopping, play X game,
etc.

I'm pretty happy with the results.

------
karanchawla
I use the GCal CLI and document my life every 30 minutes. I use it both
retroactively and to plan the future. It helps me analyse my weeks, months and
years and figure out where I wasted most of my time and try to optimize it.

------
nickthemagicman
Trello plus Google calendar.

It's taken me several years to get a good system down but I think it's pretty
pretty good at the moment.

------
zzo38computer
Just write stuff on the calendar if something needs to be scheduled.

------
kentms
I use Google Keep. Its very helpful and convenient.

------
drewr
Married with children. Google Calendar and Todoist.

~~~
magwa101
Google cal + google docs, searchable!

Plus: small 8x11 white board sitting around the kitchen for reminder items for
each other. Simple efficient reminder so you're not always cracking open the
computer.

Also, let some things slide till tomorrow. If you do EVERYTHING that needs to
be done, you'll just be busy all the time.

------
tomjen3
I wouldn't worry too much much about sticking to the schedule. Just be sure
you skip it for a good reason (e.g you realize you have run out of milk, so
you postpone your haircut to go shopping).

Also, and all credit to this is to Jordan Peterson, make sure you schedule
something you can actually _do_, e.g make sure to schedule no more than you
are willing to do, and make sure there is space for fun things in the
schedule.

------
skaomatic
Just Remember. (R)

