Alright, by now you all know that I am a bit pedantic about somethings and lethargic about others. If I am both with regards to one thing, it has got to be Time!
I remember when I was studying, I used to have a separate diary into which I would log I how many hours I would study what. (I honestly recommend this practice to all those who are preparing for competitive exams.) This habit is one I still maintain. I used to have a book for my day, but then Google Calendar happened and it is a fabulous tool to have. It is where I put in most of my day.
As you can see on some days, I am very diligent about filling my calendar in and on the others I am not. The purple coloured blocks are work, while the light green coloured ones are studying and reading. The pink coloured blocks are self-care or my time to be pampered by myself – do my nails, a facial or an oil massage… stuff like that. And the brown coloured blocks are my cleaning time, yellow is for food (snacks and meals!). The bottom half of that screen, not shown here, would have a thin red coloured block to show my prayer time. There would also be a few other colours like a lighter red for meditation and a shade of blue for exercise. The huge grey colour block is everything bedtime – Sleeping, pre and post routines. If you haven’t yet used such a system I highly recommend it, it gives you a fresh perspective on your time management skills.
So, how does my timeline every day look like? I am not a fully functioning human being before 10 am. Therefore that grey block will always extend to 10 in the morning. Then there is work. I start off by tackling off all the chores that need to be online, like making a booking or paying dues etc. Then progressing into work based on priorities. I take breaks every now and then, and I use a Pomodoro timer (Pomotasking extension on Chrome). I read or look up Feedly during this time. Once I have been at my desk for a couple of hours, I go and clean up the house. It is the break my body needs. So on till the evening when I have classes to teach. Then I have the classes I signed up for and then some exercise, prayer, dinner and TV time. Finally, meditate and bed.
That is about all what I can fit in into my day. But sometimes, I do not bother logging in anything into the calendar. Some days my body and mind are too tired, like yesterday when I skipped writing this post, and taking care of myself is my priority then. Things will pile up, but I need to be in top condition to function best. Making oneself a priority is important!
Frost At Midnite 