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I do somewhat follow a schedule, but what has helped me more in creating a wiser relationship with time is to create what I call "temporal placeholders".
A temporal placeholder is a specific time in the future when you are allowed to worry about a specific project.
It is a specific time slot you've set for yourself when you will give attention, focus, and energy to the project, and make some progress. It is a "placeholder" for your worries.
This means you don't have to worry about it now or any other time.
You can set anything as short as 15 minutes, or it could be a whole day. But it must have a specific beginning and end.
I also use "knowledge placeholders" which is a folder (or an area of a room) that is meant for a specific project. It could also be a digital (computer) folder.
(NOTE: In the video I call it "physical placeholder".)
So when I have ideas randomly come to me, or worries about a project, I write it down and put it in the correct Knowledge Placeholder.
I feel confident to not "lose" those ideas because it's in a Knowledge Placeholder, and here's the key: I tie a Temporal Placeholder to its related Knowledge Placeholder so I know that there is a *time* I will work on that project, and a *where* for the project's ideas and materials.
The first step in making this work is to determine the main areas of your business, eg Enrollment, Content, Service Improvement, Finances, Admin.
Create a temporal placeholder for each one. For example if you work 5 days a week, then Mondays can be dedicated to Enrollment, Tuesdays for Content, and so forth.
Also create a knowledge placeholder for each one, so you know where to put your ideas about each of these things.
Try it out and let me know how it goes for you!
Over time, you may decide to modify your plan: what your most important 5 areas are, or what day of the week you spend on what. Keep tweaking so that it works better and better for you.
There are some things you may want to work on everyday, eg for me it's creating these short videos and blog posts. I have a temporal placeholder for it: during my dog walk. But most things in my business I work on once a week.
I also recommend setting up temporal placeholders for your rest, play, renewal activities. This will help you stay optimistic and balanced so that you can get things done with more courage and joy.
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