schedule events as if I'm a busy man

With my phlegmatic temperament, I tend to go with the flow, and the easy-flowing life is what I prefer. But recent events made me realize that I’m actually quite busy.

So I’m going to play at being a bustling man of business, with appointments and events scheduled according to a timetable.

Last week’s being without internet put my Google calendar plans on hold for a bit, but now it’s back, so I can try again.

If I had a schedule for visiting the dentist my teeth would not be in the state they’re in.

A schedule might be a good idea, but for ease of use nothing beats a routine or a habit. I tried to have a scheduled place for writing my journal, but it only happened infrequently. Then I got in the routine of writing after supper, sipping my tea. This is much more effective.

I’ve tried a few software calendars before, PDA and PC, but they never seemed to do it for me. Now I’ve discovered Google Calendar, and it seems that it might be the thing for me.

What makes it work? It sends me an email to tell me what I have to do today, and I can create events months in advance.

No promises, but it seems that my use of it is growing.

I’m very tempted to give up on this. I’ve not had much luck with setting up any kind of schedule.

I notice that some of the ideas I had about a schedule was based on how I though things are, and not how they really are. It’s difficult to change reality, but it’s impossible to change illusion.

I find the hardest thing to do in the pursuit of scheduled living is to actually read the attempt at schedule that I had written down. (The second hardest is to write it down.)

Maybe I should print a set of instructions for the use of a scheduler, and have the first step say: “1. Read the instructions.”

It seems to work, the little change in thinking. Instead of thinking “today I must do this” I think “today is the day for doing this” and it becomes easier.

I just need to get it all down on paper.

Got some good tips from Julie Morgenstern, via Gretchen Rubin

Things that need a schedule:

Car: Weekly, Monthly, Annually, at clock intervals.
Money: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annually
Entertainment: Weekly, Monthly.

I’ve been vaguely trying to have to-do lists, and weekly plans and stuff, but I’m dissatisfied with how it works. It’s simply not easy to do without much practice, and there is very little help for it in my day-to-day life.

So the schedule for this goal is this: By 13 April 2010 I will live a fully scheduled life. I will next evaluate my progress on 13 July.