8 answers
suki
Student
Hong Kong
4
Questions
Asked
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How to construct a schedule while working for a full-time job and self-advancement at the same time
Hi Everyone:)) Good to tell you that I got offer as a temporary clerk so that I can afford myself a lunch now :) However, as the contract will be ended after 3months.Right now I am quite anxious to find the next stage to move on, I am planning to work on my Korean and other self-advancement such as yoga, guitar practise, reading, prepare a podcast and writing etc, however, I found myself very disorganised when everything need to consist for greeting a good result.Is anyone there is really busy but still perform the day well?
Thanks a lot! #career #schedule
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8 answers
Armin Grewe
Consultant (Finance)
3
Answers
Reading, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Armin’s Answer
I suggest to start with setting yourself a few goals/targets linked to your goals. The should be specific goals linked to what you want to do, not generic goals. Examples could be performing a concert to someone on a specific date (instead of just "guitar practice"), passing a test/exam (instead of just "work on my Korean") or publish a series of 10 podcasts on a specific topic by a date you announce (instead of just "prepare a podcast").
Then set up a visual calendar with your goals/targets and the steps activities you need to perform to reach them. On that calendar colour code your goals and activities as you complete them, so that you can visually see how you're performing. Mark the activities green if you performed them, mark them red if you didn't. Celebrate and reward yourself when you've achieved a fully green sequence of activities (e.g. two weeks of practising guitar every second day is marked green every second day).
Then set up a visual calendar with your goals/targets and the steps activities you need to perform to reach them. On that calendar colour code your goals and activities as you complete them, so that you can visually see how you're performing. Mark the activities green if you performed them, mark them red if you didn't. Celebrate and reward yourself when you've achieved a fully green sequence of activities (e.g. two weeks of practising guitar every second day is marked green every second day).
Victor Pineiro
Writer, Content Strategist, Social Media Expert & Creative Director, ex-Documentary Filmmaker, ex-Teacher
2
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Victor’s Answer
I've written four novels while juggling a job as an ad executive. The way I did it was simple, but took me a long time to figure out:
Find a way to give yourself an hour, preferably first thing in the morning. Then give yourself a deadline.
Our brains tend to work best first thing in the morning. If you wake up and immediately pursue your yoga/guitar/writing/podcast (just one at a time!) you'll be amazed how quickly you'll start making progress. And once you start making progress, you'll likely be driven to find a bit more time at the end of the day to keep working on it.
A deadline is necessary because otherwise you'll often get distracted. Pick a date to create your next podcast episode, or learn a song on guitar, etc. At first it will be tough to create a realistic deadline but you'll get better at it over time.
An hour in the morning can be hard (especially if you get up early as it is!) but I find it very hard to context-switch between work and other things, so I like to separate the two, hours-wise. Also, you'll enjoy your workday so much more knowing you were already productive on your dream project/side hustle.
Find a way to give yourself an hour, preferably first thing in the morning. Then give yourself a deadline.
Our brains tend to work best first thing in the morning. If you wake up and immediately pursue your yoga/guitar/writing/podcast (just one at a time!) you'll be amazed how quickly you'll start making progress. And once you start making progress, you'll likely be driven to find a bit more time at the end of the day to keep working on it.
A deadline is necessary because otherwise you'll often get distracted. Pick a date to create your next podcast episode, or learn a song on guitar, etc. At first it will be tough to create a realistic deadline but you'll get better at it over time.
An hour in the morning can be hard (especially if you get up early as it is!) but I find it very hard to context-switch between work and other things, so I like to separate the two, hours-wise. Also, you'll enjoy your workday so much more knowing you were already productive on your dream project/side hustle.
Mariah Manuel-Berry
Team Leader of Training
8
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Mariah’s Answer
A good start is with setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) goals. There are a lot of resources online and on Microsoft. I would also suggest using one journal to write your goals and progress.
Keri Dunkelberger
WA
20
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Keri’s Answer
Everyone on here has offered really great advice, I'm actually writing some of it down!
The one thing that you might find will help is creating a task list or some physical act that you can do every time you complete a task you have created, in the deadline you assigned for yourself.
If one of your goals for the day was to practice your yoga for 30 minutes, when you have completed your task in the time allotted, cross it off of your task list or add a dollar to your wish jar. Find some tangible "reward" for accomplishing your goals for the day, it may help motivate you toward a more structured, outcome driven result.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
The one thing that you might find will help is creating a task list or some physical act that you can do every time you complete a task you have created, in the deadline you assigned for yourself.
If one of your goals for the day was to practice your yoga for 30 minutes, when you have completed your task in the time allotted, cross it off of your task list or add a dollar to your wish jar. Find some tangible "reward" for accomplishing your goals for the day, it may help motivate you toward a more structured, outcome driven result.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
John Oller
Engineer, Project Manager, Quality Manager
160
Answers
Rockford, Illinois
Updated
John’s Answer
To add to Armin's answer - I have used three different tools that I have used. Outlook software which is part of Microsoft office does a good job. I place items on the calendar, color code them to show priority and show approximate times for each. This shows me how many action items, how much time it will take for each, where in my schedule I can realistically plan something else, plus easy to modify and move things around without retyping. Other tools are Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Project which I have used for managing major projects.
Of course you can do this on a paper calendar as well or create a booklet with one sheet of paper per day and write things in for each day and mark a priority next to each.
Good Luck!
Of course you can do this on a paper calendar as well or create a booklet with one sheet of paper per day and write things in for each day and mark a priority next to each.
Good Luck!
Carolyn Harrington
Property Manager
6
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Carolyn’s Answer
Time management can be difficult but achievable! Remember to prioritize and then set a schedule for yourself. Time off is just as important as time on. People often forget to recharge but it is necessary in order to efficiently work. Best of luck!
Rachit (Richi) Jain
Accountant
22
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Rachit (Richi)’s Answer
I do the following, hope it helps:
1. Allocate the hours you need for your activities.
2. Set your target for the month and then allocate hours per day to achieve the goal.
3. Set up a Calendar on your phone / Google Calendars/ etc.
4. Block time and build your schedule.
5. It's completely OK to deviate from the schedule. I personally just use it as a tool to build some structure to the day.
There are a ton of Excel calendar templates out there too that can help!
Good luck!
1. Allocate the hours you need for your activities.
2. Set your target for the month and then allocate hours per day to achieve the goal.
3. Set up a Calendar on your phone / Google Calendars/ etc.
4. Block time and build your schedule.
5. It's completely OK to deviate from the schedule. I personally just use it as a tool to build some structure to the day.
There are a ton of Excel calendar templates out there too that can help!
Good luck!
Greta Rossmeissl
Sales
6
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Greta’s Answer
Time management and prioritize activity based on daily responsibilities. Doing more important items first, and then completing other less important items in order based on priorities. Make sure you schedule time for yourself, fun activities, etc. so you truly have a work life balance situation.