- Sometimes “time” makes me nervous. I especially feel this way when I am using a planning tool that
has divided a day into 15 minute increments like this:
- 8:00am
8:15-
8:30-
8:45-
9:00-
Unless I have an appointment where I need to be someplace at an exact time (I call that a fixed time
activity), and I know I will be there for a predetermined time, I find this planning tool to demand
more out of me than I can deliver. I have no clue how my day will actually unfold, so I can’t commit
to such rigid boundaries – especially being the divergent soul that I am. I prefer to call this kind of
tool a calendar rather than a planner.
Instead, I like a more flexible approach to plan out my day. I feel more relaxed about time when I
consider it in terms of “spaces” that divide a day into larger increments where I can have flex time.
Sometimes I feel like doing one thing over another, or I have to renegotiate based on circumstances.
- 6:00am – 10:00am
10:00pm – 2:00pm
2:00pm – 6:00pm
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Think about how time and physical spaces are related:
Stuffed calendars and stuffed closets lead to feeling overwhelmed. Both need margins.
I can’t always pinpoint exactly when to do a thing, or exactly where to put something away.
Both need flexibility.
Making all my phone calls when seated at my desk, and having all my library books to return in
the same place, lead to less stress. Both are done best when like categories are clustered
together.
Think about how most planners are “to do” lists, instead of action oriented “do it” planners.
My planner allows for flexibility, has predetermined categories, and is more than intentions.
This is my “do it” planner:
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