Productivity and useful scheduling tips are all over the internet, but not all of them are actually effective, and sometimes they do more harm than good. Different people benefit from different ways of scheduling their time. There’s a range of methods, some that may work great for you and others that might not be as effective.

“There is this central idea behind scheduling and efficiency that it should be there to improve the quality of life for everyone involved.”

Emily

Evaluate where you’re spending your time, figure out what you want the purpose of your schedule to be or how productive you want to be, and you’re in a great place to start improving the quality of your life by scheduling (or not scheduling!)

Four of the most important game changers when it comes to productivity are:

1. Sleep: Getting a full 7-9 hours of sleep each night has insurmountable benefits, and increasing productivity, staving off depression, and maintaining a healthy immune system are just a few of them.

2. Reading and exercise: This includes audio books! Reading or listening to books helps keep your brain active and healthy, and physical exercise both benefits your body and has the added benefit of releasing endorphins for better mental and emotional health.

3. Place boundaries around your personal (unstructured) time: Sometimes not sharing your calendar with friends or partners makes this easier, even though prioritizing communication is still important. Ensuring you have some free time to do with as you please is crucial to maintaining a good productive mindset.

4. Get over the glory of being busy: In our current society and especially within the American culture, being busy is sometimes seen as a “social badge of honor,” even though there isn’t any reward from it beyond bragging. Figuring out how to do your work more quickly and smartly as opposed to the longevity of it can be a more healthy mindset when taking a look at how busy you are versus how busy you want to be.

Listen to the full episode to get the scoop on all the specific tips for how to effectively schedule your time and maximize productivity in a way that makes you feel good!