Being a few weeks into the project, I have come to feel that my daily schedule works less well. Thinking threw the reasons for this, I have come up to a possible solution.

Generally, a schedule is based on an experience of how long time different tasks will take. In the real world, this is rarely the case. The only time your life fits well with a schedule is acctually when you have regular tasks with a time for start and finish. When you are studying, this is the case. You have a schedule with lectures, seminars and breaks. What I have noticed is that the schedule does not serve as an efficient tool in my working life. At work, it is hard to estimate how long time things will take. And often the obligations aren’t the same from one day to another. Then, setting clear goals and intentions within a timelimit becomes the schedule. When you choose to do it is less important than getting it done.

I woke up this morning because the sun was shining so brightly into my room. It really is a great way to wake up, and it reminded me that I want that phillips alarm clock that wakes you up by turning a light slowly on simulating the sunrise, anyway, that was not my point. When you haven’t seen the sun for almost six months, which is the case here, it truly is wonderful when spring finally arrives and you get to spend time outside again. Most of what my day consist of however, is dependent on me being indoors.

What happens is what normally happens with me, I rush through things. So the quality of what I have done today is probably lousy. But I did do what I set out to, so that’s a plus.

One way to resolve this would be to just schedule in study time and things that are not dependent on other people in the evenings, and have free time during the day. That way I will still get things done, but be able to spend time outside. I am not completely sure that this would work though since I hate having work, that I know needs to get done, ahead of me and not getting to it. But I will give it a try.

For a few days now, I have been planning and structuring weekly and daily schedules as well as my master plan consisting of 50 days and several final goals. Every single part has been well analyzed and discussed with friends. What to read and when to work out etc. is stated.

From here one should guess that I feel totally calm and satisfied about knowing exactly what to do and when to do it. But instead I feel quite stressed and I could crystalize two main reasons for this. First I feel like I have too many tasks to do. Is it reasonable, in one week, to both study, work, exercise, have dinner with friends, read books and news, watch movies and documentaries, go to bars, meet family, take long walks and so on..? While reflecting over it, it seems a little overloaded to me.

Secondly I feel pressed because I am not on track. I am far behind my schedule and here it doesn’t help having everything planned. What I have to do now is making a plan for how to get back to my real plan!

Conclusion: Planning and scheduling are great tools as long as you are on the road, otherwise they will create a sense of unease until you are back on track.