I bet each of us is familiar with time management issues. In this post, I won’t remind you that time is one of the most valuable resources we have at our disposal. Perhaps you, the reader, haven’t thought about it seriously yet. Then just take something to heart. And for those who have already realized the value of time, I suggest that we look into this ‘plague of the 21st century’ together. After all, like any other resource, time requires competent management and directed use.
Agree, just from the desire “I do not want to lose my time” will not change much, and then you, as I once did, begin to frantically type in all search engines “How to learn to manage your time”. Before you opens a marvelous world of so-called time management, where everyone is trying to teach you “Jedi technique”, with which you will become superhuman and no longer ask this question. It all starts small: realizing where you generally spend your time, trying to figure out how to optimize it, and so on. Then you become more determined, you have a whole plan for the day, or even the week. It’s possible that you start using all sorts of Pomodoro trackers and the like. And then comes day X - the very starting point of your new life, where everything is in its place and there is no room for haste. But here’s the problem. Trouble happens, and on your “to read a book at 15:30” you get an urgent call from work and say: “We need to make edits immediately, we have seen a critical bug”.Once - it’s not a big deal, it happens to everyone. You move the rest of your business for n number of hours, and thoughts start to creep into your head: is this exactly how it should be? Another couple days go by. You, after a hard day, are very tired and went to bed late. Your sleep was sound, but it’s 6:30, and the plan is to “Meditate”. Then you face an important question: if I sleep 2 more hours and get a good night’s sleep, will it do more good than a 15-minute meditation and a broken state all day long? Immediately the words “Discipline - without it there is no success” or something similar come to mind. You decide to get up and, as if anticipating it, you walk around all day with about zero productivity. After a while, a similar situation happens, but you decide to sleep 2 hours more. And, oh wonder, you get up in a cheerful state, quickly do your household chores and sit down to work (let’s say you work remotely). You close tasks in a matter of hours and you have free time. You decide to do some meditation. And again, miraculously, you get more done than you would have if you had followed the plan.
In fact, it was a little long prelude to my developed format of time organization (a la the same time management), but in a new way: CHAOS MANAGEMENT. As is easy to guess, it is based on chaos, specifically its full acceptance and coping. Chaos is usually thought of as disorder, confusion, or a mixture of various factors that are confusing. It can be chaos in one’s thoughts, in one’s business, or just in everyday life. For me, however, chaos is not just a disordered situation. It’s the whole list of to-do’s, tasks and commitments that need to be accomplished. It’s a combination of work, school, personal hobbies, and everyday minutiae. This kind of chaos can seem daunting, but I’ve learned to not only live with it, but to use it to my advantage. Now I’ll tell you how.
I, like many, have gone through all the circles of techniques to find the one that works for me. To bring you more up to speed, I’ll tell you a little bit about my situation: at the moment I’m still studying and I have obligations to complete tasks, I work as a programmer and I also have to fulfill the tasks I’m given. On top of that, there are my personal hobbies, which, oddly enough, also need time. So, getting to the point. Let’s start small, you need to emphasize your focus day to day. For myself, I’ve made some sort of task prioritization plan for myself that helps me choose what to do first. Here’s that plan:
0. Training #
It always stands at zero. BUT an important caveat: ONLY in the morning, because according to my circadian rhythms and chronotype, it is easiest and most effective to gain new knowledge just a short time after waking up. What do I mean by ground zero? It means that learning is the primary task that needs to get done first, but it gets prioritized not always, but specifically in the morning hours.
1. Work #
A long time ago, having decided to become a programmer, I got a job to improve my level. But, due to my studies, the mandatory requirement for me was to have an adequate and measured workload. And so it happened: when I got a job, I got what I wanted. My experience allows me to spend relatively little time on tasks. Therefore, work is at the top of my priority list.
2. Study #
This comes right after work and is divided into two branches: learning and repetition of material. Repetition (doing assignments, consolidation, etc.) is right after work in terms of importance, and learning - well, you know. It comes right after work and is divided into two branches: teaching and repetition. Repetition (completing assignments, consolidation, etc.) comes right after work, and learning - well, you know.
3. Personal hobbies #
Reading books, entertainment - all of these come after all of the above. If there is time left or everything is done, I favor it.
It is also equally important to write down tasks in some todusnik so that I don’t forget anything. Where to take the task - I think you can figure it out. And to always keep everything in your head - I don’t know :) So use this to make sure you don’t have free time, even if it seems that way. Great, the hardest part is done. The only thing left is to spread the load for the day and start taking action. First, determine how much time you want to devote to each task. For me, every day (except Sunday), studying takes an average of 2 hours, work takes 2 to 6 hours, and hobbies take about an hour and a half. Repetition tends to take up the rest of the time in the current period of the day (usually in the evening).
But how do you put this into practice? #
Let me tell you an example: today is Saturday, a pleasant day, in the morning I would prefer to learn something new, because this is my priority for the morning hours and there are no other commitments right now. In the afternoon, since there is no work today, and there is no desire to repeat anything from studying either, I will make this day an unloading day. I can devote it to personal hobbies - like reading a book or doing something that brings me joy. This is the quintessence of chaos management: using chaos to your advantage, when things and tasks don’t limit you, but help you be more productive and happier.
Now, I’ve covered everything you need to know to start using chaos management now. Tomorrow is X day, it’s time to take action. You can study in the morning, or you can work. If there is no work or training, you can study or rest. On a day when there is work and you get home, you realize you’ve met the work plan. If training doesn’t fit in and you don’t have the energy to study, don’t torture yourself and rest. Tomorrow morning you study again, work, and in the evening you can repeat the material.
I truly believe that this is a very convenient time management strategy. I’d love to hear your opinion or criticism.