What's wrong with my schedule?
Hello IndieHackers, I'm a programmer, and I work from home.
I thought I had hit the peak of productivity, but not. I manage to keep the following schedule a few days correctly, but after a few days I return to destructive habits. I am not consistent with my schedule, I end up staying awake browsing with my phone late in the morning, in chats and forums, sleeping late, waking up late, when I wake up, around 13:00 I feel like I have destroyed the morning , and routine. And I return to the chats and forums. I eat junk food compulsively (anxiety maybe?).
----- the schedule that I try to keep ----
Daylight: from 07:00 to 21:00
From Monday to Friday:
- Wake up without alarm clock
- 12:00 to 14:00 work
- break, lunch, relax
- 17:00 to 19:00 work
- 19:00 elliptical
- 23:00 (turn off electronic devices to catch sleep)
after every 40 minutes of work, 10 minutes of rest
Saturdays and Sundays are for rest. (but I don't enjoy due to my low productivity)
I am unable to keep the schedule to the letter, I end up procrastinating and finishing work around 00:00, all day sitting in front of the PC and no exercise. ("hard to work" instead of "hard work" how would say Cal Newport)
I work on a javascript project, I have no income, I have been without income for months, I am about to finish it, and I will go to share revenue. Can the pressure of longing for a more successful future be boycotting my present?
What would my 20% be to give me 80%?
PS: I have suffered a couple of burnouts in my life, anxiety and depression
@channingallen and I talk about this all the time. It's one thing to plan out a schedule that sounds good on paper, but it's quite another to be able to stick to it regularly over a long period of time, which is the most important thing. So kudos for recognizing the real issue!
Unfortunately, I don't know the answer. One thing you could try is holding yourself accountable. Bring on a partner, a mentor, or an advisor that you need to check in with. Or get some customers or an audience that you have to share an update with every so often. Accountability to other people — not wanting to let them down, or embarrass yourself in front of them — is innately powerful.
👆 Exactly this. Sounds like your schedule is full of things you should be doing, and once you miss the mark, in your mind the day is "ruined". This triggers anxious thoughts which turn into eating junk food and distracting yourself with forums and chats. These in turn cause more anxiety and a bad image of yourself in your mind. It's a downwards spiral. All the self-criticizing thoughts are a huge energy drain.
Working from home is actually tough. You might have all this time at your hands, but our minds didn't evolve to sit in front of the screen for hours on end. We crave movement, nature, and talking to other people. These things usually spark ideas and motivate us to then work towards our goals.
Think of replacing your goal of "work at a computer for 2 hours" with "go for a quiet walk in nature and see if I feel like working on my project afterwards" or "talk to a good friend who is also working on a project of their own" - these activities can naturally put you in the right state of mind.
I would re-write your schedule to look something like this:
Don't overload your schedule initially. It takes time to build your productivity muscle.
Luckily for me, I live in countryside. So, I definitively going to try this point.
But it was not entirely clear to me, are you saying that I should aim to work only 2 hours per day (at the beginning)?
Thank for your reply.
Yes definitively sounds better in paper 😅 For a strange reason a get more stressed when I tell other people my plans (or worse I relax because my inner thoughts believe that I have already reached the goal). Thank for your response
Oh, and by the way, writing this at 1:04 am, and I also had quite a few burnouts myself. Can give a friendly (but not professional) advice on the topic if needed.
What if people give you some positive reinforcements? Generally speaking, for most people, telling others can work as a productivity tool in itself - telling people you know forces you to do things you've promised; and telling things to unknown people have you "covered" as with them you have nothing to lose.
Maybe start sharing your plans with someone, even anonymously? This will allow you to train yourself. Like, there's a group here, called "Daily Standups", just try following that one.
It helps to build a habit of accountability to others, then it really works as a potent motivator.
Thank you for the advice, I've already tried the "telling others" method... with no results u.U" (I tried with family, friends, anonymously in a forum... but for me, it's an easy fence to jump)
Right now I'm doing the "atomic habits" method, and it works!. I only working 2 hours per day, I don't feel stressed, work with pleasure... I walk 30 minutes daily and do Pilates, I spend an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays learning Japanese. I feel like I'm advancing towards my goal, and I feel good, maybe my problem was wanting to cover too much, because that's what I considered the standard. As you can see, my schedule now is now lighter. Maybe it will take twice as long to reach my goal, I calculated that at this rate it would take about 4 years to finish the Japanese grammar book N5. But better 4 years than never. Slowly but surely. :)
PS. For example, I tried to get in shape by lifting weight in the gym. 3 days a week, 2 hours per session. For someone like me who has never played sports regularly it's crazy. I failed all attempts. Now walking 30 minutes a day is my only sport. When it is established as a habit, I will add another layer that does not cost me work. And so.
oh wow, from no sports to lifting weights for 2h/x3/w that's a bad way to start! ;-)
As with everything, getting into things takes time and habit. I could recommend easing into the gym as well, been there done that. It's harder with the quarantine, as paying for the gym works as a tool too. And after a while, when you're into it, it's getting a bit easier.
In my case, allocating money for the gym had a multiplier accountability effect - I don't like wasting money (even if it's not much) and then my wife got a super-strong prerogative to force me into going if I didn't want to or tried to avoid going. Worked like a charm for about 15 months, until I got into a decent shape and now it's easy to convince myself to go even if I don't want to.
Damn, a long segway it is. Anyway, we here support you and will help however we can. Keep doing it!
When was the last time you had a mini vacation (3-7 days)? I know it's hard to take a break and enjoy it when you feel you have to keep going. I'm in a similar position myself. However, you can only go so long before you start to feel burnout. Sometimes it's best to simply "put the pen down," walk away from the desk, and go do something completely different. The recommendation I've heard is a 3-7 day break every 90 days (3 months).
Next, how strict are you about your shutdown time? If you're routinely going overtime, then you're probably not sleeping enough, which in turn makes it harder to be productive. I find that when I go overtime routinely, I'm less productive in the evening and the next day. Plus, too many days in a row and I'm heading for burnout.
Also, you should have at least a few hours buffer between stopping work and sleep. If you keep working right up till bed-time, then you're mind will be racing and it'll be hard to sleep. So, here's a simple night-time wind-down schedule:
I fully agree with the "go for a walk" suggestions. The exercise and change of environment help clear your head. You might find some good ideas suddenly popping into your head as you walk.
I power off all my screens at 23:00. I just allow myself to read books (paper or ebook, no screens like iPad), and I forbid myself to listen to music, even if it's relaxing. It is the only way to fall asleep around 01:00.
(And especially, I don't think about business ideas, because my brain puts on "working mode")
These days I have started a very effective routine, inspired by the book I am reading now ("Deep Work, Cal Newport"). I set a time frame a day that I allow myself to use my smartphone (and with it chats and forums), from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Yes, it is only an hour, it is "too little" time to use for normal use. But "enough time" if you want to be an entrepreneur.
I try not to eat heavy food at lunch, because I need a nap if I do.
Two weeks ago, I stopped for 4 days. But it wasn't enjoyable, I stopped because I needed it. I was burnout. So now, thank to your advice, I'm gonna mark 7 days in my calendar, next month, exclusively for enjoy in advance, is totally diferent approach.
I recently published a guide on productivity that talks about having a structured morning and daily routine.
I strongly recommend waking up earlier. It will help your mind and body work better along with the sunrise and mornings. You should fix your sleep schedule. It seems like you're getting LOTS of sleep, maybe even too much.
Thanks for your opinion. There is no recommended set number of hours of sleep. There are people who need to sleep 6 hours and there are others who need to sleep 9. I'm the second case. If I sleep less, I feel more stressed and depressed thoughts. Only sleeping 9 hours is when I feel better.
And in my house I cannot get up earlier, because that would require going to sleep earlier and it is impossible. I have to adapt to my family's schedule. From 01:00 to 10:00
This sounds like a procrastination problem, not a scheduling problem. I think the question you should ask yourself is why are you procrastinating?
Based on what you have written, it could be that you're fearful about launching and whether your project will be successful. This is natural. Many people view launch day as "judgment day", the day when they will see whether their project is a success. This is the wrong way to think about it. Launch day is just one step in the journey. Very few products "blow up" on launch day, and the ones that do usually are followed by "the trough of sorrow."
Social media and forums (including this website) are huge distraction. In fact, I'm being distracted right now as I type this reply. I intended to do some work, but instead here I am on IH. But in general, I try to avoid social media and forums until the end of the day. Website blockers like Freedom can help. During the weekdays, I block social media and forums during my "work hours."
Good luck!
Yes, completely, I think is not much work hours per day, right?
You are right on! I visualize "launch day" as a before and after event. As if I wasn't happy with my life, and that was my life solver. I will have to make a tremendous effort, to be aware of my thoughts, and to reprogram them. Because I have this very much in the subconscious, of being day after day visualizing it in such a way for months.
I can't thank for having found this website so much, finally I have found people who can understand me... :'( thank you...