📋 Programmer’s Daily Timetable. What is it and can it even exist? 🤔

Most of us depend on our routines, like getting up, brushing teeth, having a cup of coffee (or tea), going for a run or simply running around the apartment in a hurry to get to work in time. It’s all highly personal and not everyone has a clear understanding what they need to do and in what order to do it to make the best out of the time they have.

I’ve never been high on micromanaging my schedule…actually, I’ve never been high on schedules, period. I’ve always thought that having strict time frames only adds to the pressure and gets in the way of really focusing on the task at hand. But recently I’ve started wondering. Maybe those talking about the importance of creating daily timetables and sticking to them have some point. That’s why in this article I want to look into the topic of how effective the daily timetables can actually be and whether creative personalities, like programmers, can follow and make use of such things.

⏳ Why having a daily timetable can be a good thing or a waste of time. Pros and cons.

Each person’s routine very much depends on different circumstances, like the company where one works, already existing schedule at that company, position one holds, responsibilities that position requires, whether one works remotely on in the office, even the personal responsibilities (because if one has a family with children, it really impacts your day in very unexpected ways). There can be a huge number of such circumstances, all of which I can’t possibly take under consideration in one article. So here are just some general points of pros and cons of creating your personal daily schedule.

😊 Pros

• You’ll increase your efficiency and get things done.

By setting particular goals and knowing your priorities, you’ll know what you should focus on and in what order. This way you’ll always keep in mind what you’ve achieved, what still has to be looked into and you’re less likely to forget about some urgent task.

• You’ll be more dependable.

Let’s face it, we all like punctual and responsible people better. It’s all due to the fact that we all want to be confident that we can rely on the person completing a promise or a task in a certain way in a certain time. It’s true both in life and in work. If you’re more dependable and stands by your word, you’re automatically more trustworthy.

• You won’t be tempted to do too many things at once.

Multitasking only sounds cool, but in many cases you just don’t really finish anything and the time goes wasted. But when you know what demands your attention first and what can be done a lil bit later, you keep your mind clearer and focus your energy on completing one thing at a time.

• You’ll add structure and discipline to your day.

This way you won’t stress about the amount of work and other chores, but actually use your time more mindfully.

• You’ll save time on procrastination.

Having knowing what to do leaves less opportunities to just sit around and get frustrated. You see the task at hand and find ways to complete it.

• You’ll create positive habits.

Your daily plan includes time for breaks and taking care of yourself. You are more likely to wake up in time, have a meal, move around and exercise if you have it in your schedule. These are the positive habits that will help you to stay healthy both physically and mentally.

• You’ll avoid having a decision fatigue and preserve mental energy for important decisions.

Timetables make little decisions for you, like what to do in the morning, when to have a break, how to get to work, which problem to deal with first. Simple things. Which gives your mind more ability to deal with much more difficult stuff, with actual problem solving.

• You won’t completely rely on random motivation and winging it attitude.

Very often we’re waiting for the muse to come to us and then everything goes faster and smoother. Creative personalities are like that. We have to feel like it. But sometimes it simply doesn’t work that way. We may not be inspired for quite long periods of time and it doesn’t mean that we’re allowed to slack off and don’t do squat. Having discipline will help you to channel your creativity and learn how to overcome those inspiration blocks. It’s better to have some idea of what you’re going to do if worse comes to worse, than thinking that you can wing it as you go. You might not be able to.

🙁 Cons

• You’ll become too inflexible.

By being too strict about your schedule might result in some form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). This makes you less able to allow changes, even small ones, and cause fear over breaking out of the comfort zone, not making something in time or switching priorities for the day. It’s when timetable creates more stress than it spares, and starts holding you back.

• You expect everything to go as planned.

Life isn’t about 10 minute bathroom breaks and fixed family phone calls. Not one plan has ever gone as expected, and it’s not a bad thing, it’s something to be expected. Timetables are there to help us manage our time and focus better, not to become freaking crazy about them.

• You’ll become bored and feel stuck.

Repeating the same things in the same order day after day over and over again can very quickly become very dull. You’re not an assembly line worker (nothing wrong with that even if you are). There’s always a place for shaking things up and finding simple ways of doing things differently, having fun.

• Creativity will fly out the window.

Structure is good, but at times it becomes so automated that there’s nothing to get your inspiration from and you close up.

• You’ll stop growing.

Not having new goals, interests and not being passionate about archiving new things prevents your personal growth. It’s a problem, since our creativity, ideas and living standards depend on our constant self-improvement.

• You might overestimate yourself.

Sometimes creating a timetable we set particular goals and time-frames for them that aren’t reasonable, we don’t really consider how much time each task can take. This is when a schedule becomes simply wishful thinking.

• You set wrong priorities.

In an attempt to finish as much as we can or simply not knowing what to do next, we tend to set too many non urgent tasks first and then later in the day we get stuck with more important things that need more deliberation.

• You think that a strict timetable will solve all your problems.

You can’t micromanage everything and tight schedule isn’t the answer to your prayers. Trying to fit in as much as you can in a day won’t make you life easier, you’ll be washed out and the desired productivity will simply slip through your fingers.

So, now you’ve seen the list I’ve come up with. You can make your own and actually see for yourself, whether it’s something worth trying out. Just be open-minded and really think about it, don’t write it off right away.

📅 What the daily timetable might look like

After conducting my research on the topic, I’ve come up with a rough timetable you can either relate to or take as a draft. Remember, what works for one, most probably won’t work for the other. I encourage you to take time, figure out what fits your personality, work conditions and responsibilities and shift it to your preferences.

6am-8am

Make sure to wake up at a certain hour without reaching for the snooze button. (Most productive people wake up somewhere between 4 and 6 am. It’s something to consider. If it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you.)

Go for a run, meditate, do some exercises or light yoga. Not all of the above, of course, just pick an activity to get you going.

Take a shower, have your coffee and breakfast, get dressed.

Get your things in order.

8am-8.30am

Commute to work, if you don’t work from home. But if you do work remotely, you can get out and set up at a cafe (just to add some variety to your day).

8.30am-9.30 am

Get settled. See what tasks have left from the previous day, talk to your colleagues or boss and set your goals for this day.

9.30am-1pm

Attend to the tasks at hand. Try to finish something before lunch, so that you have at least one win, if something gets in a way later on. Here you can add a small coffee break between 10.45 and 11am to switch your mind a little.

1pm-2pm

Lunch. Preferably change your location, have a walk, eat healthy food and clear your head.

2pm-3.30pm

Continue working on set goals, if nothing more urgent comes up.

3.30pm-3.45pm

Take a break, move around, stretch, switch your brain to something else, if needed.

3.45pm-5pm

Try to finish as much as you can and consider what’s better to be left for the next day.

5pm-5.30pm

Reflect on your work. See how much you’ve achieved, how much time it took you and what you need to attend to first thing tomorrow.

5.30pm-6pm

Commute home.

6pm-10pm

Relax. Have dinner, go out with your friends or spend time with family, or even do home chores. Read a book or watch a movie. Spend an hour on your hobby.

10pm-11pm

Get ready for bed.

11pm-12am

It’s better to have a certain time when you go to sleep. I’ve set this one because it’s more realistic for me, even though it’s preferably to go to sleep at least at 10pm. But, as I’ve said before, you do what works for you.

Of course it’s hard and sometimes seems to be impossible to stop working and actually enjoy your evenings. There always is some kinda deadline, or an epiphany, or you simply want to finish as much as you can, so you won’t have to deal with it tomorrow. I know it, ’cause this is what my evenings look like — me…computer…crazy night hour that already looks like morning. And very often I still haven’t finished everything I wanted, since my brain shut down, and the next day I’m tired, sleepy and less productive than ever, since my brain still refuses to respond whatsoever. Once in awhile you surely can pull this off, if needed, but it shouldn’t become a pattern. By pulling all-nighters or “half-nighters” you actually lose more than you win.

Also, as a side note, always take at least one day to relax and don’t think about work. Just make a promise to yourself, your family and friends that on that day you turn off your phone, computer and any work related stuff and give your attention completely to those you love, and to yourself. You have to remember that recharging your batteries and distancing yourself from working environment is very important, and it can only benefit you and your productivity. This way you’ll also prevent burning out and not being unable to work for a much longer period of time. (We’ve already talked about this in our previous article — “10 Ways to Fight the Burnout”. Check it out if this might be something you’re dealing with.)

⏱ Conclusion

Having a daily timetable can be as much a good thing, as bad. It all comes down to finding a healthy balance. You have to be both dedicated and open to changes. It’s not something to obsess over and check your time every five minutes worrying you’re gonna go off track. We’re all unique and life isn’t perfect, it’s full of surprises and you can’t plan out every moment of it. Create the schedule that manages your time in the best possible way, bringing your productivity to a new level, but don’t let the time control you, control it and be mindful about what you do and what needs to be done.

I hope this article was useful for you. I’ll appreciate your thoughts on the matter, so feel free to write in the comments.