Do you have a daily work schedule? How about a weekly work schedule? I’m a schedule designer. I love to make work schedules in a variety of formats, including in Word document format, and spreadsheets.
During the last 20 years I’ve been working online, and I’ve been through a lot of time management, self management and schedule management changes. I’ve attended small business management classes, read books on organization and time issues, and created many, many work schedule spreadsheets and Word documents.
I’ll be honest with you. I like to change my methodology like the earth changes weather patterns. I’ve been in a state of constant flux because I like to try new things. On this page, I’m collecting time management ideas, work schedules, helpful information, and links to reference sites.
Without further introduction, here are a few simple Word.doc templates that will help with weekly and daily work schedules.
Free weekly work schedule template
Free daily work schedule template
I resisted the idea of scheduling myself for months even though I wasn’t getting things done as efficiently as I’d like. It surprised me, one day, when I wrote a schedule in my journal while doing morning pages. It was like my subconscious was saying, “You need a schedule!”
Blogging schedule example
My first schedule was a blogging schedule. I did this because I had problems keeping blogs updated. I got the inspiration that I should update each blog weekly. So I made a little schedule to tell me which blog to update and on what day. I have a lot of blogs so a weekly blogging work schedule helps keep me organized. I needed more than that, though. I needed a year-long blogging schedule so I could plan things out ahead of time, and focus on long blogging projects at times. I wanted to block out my time.
This blogging schedule meets my needs. I can print out as many of these as I need. I can use the top half for a schedule and the bottom half to record what I really did with my time. Or I can schedule two months at a time. Print out six and I’ve got that long year-long blogging schedule I needed.
Check out this woman’s blogging schedule
Appointment scheduling books
Surely you’ve seen scheduling books like the AT-A-GLANCE weekly appointment scheduling book
Creatives need scheduling blocks for their work
If you’re a creative, like me, this video should be very helpful in explaining why we need to block in big undisturbed chunks of time for our work. It is a short, sweet video. You can show this to your friends, co-workers and family who think you should be able to be disturbed whenever for whatever.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. This blog post replaced the one I wrote in 2009 that was all about me, me, me… and now I’m trying to provide something better for you, you, you. Seven years later, I’ve learned a few important lessons about blogging! And work schedules.
A schedule would definitely benefit me greatly considering that most of my life runs
moment to moment most times. Planning and being prepared is something that I do
need to concentrate on to get papers completed on time and to know ahead of time
what to expect in the near and distant future, especially with doctors appointments
and deadlines for school.
I do agree that having a work schedule is a must and I try to keep it going. I really gotta work on that. I am working on getting more organized with my workspace, things have got out of hand and now with Spring here, it’s time to get things back the way they need to be.
I definitely need a blog update organizer, but so far I haven’t found any that are just right for me. I’m analyzing all of them to see what features I will need in the one I finally make for myself. Meanwhile, I have printed out a couple I did find online to tide me over. Unfortunately, I have so many medical appointments that I have to take whenever I can get them, they often break up my creative time. My organizer has to be based on priorities to work on when the time is available rather than daily time schedules.
Hi Linda,
I definitely believe in work schedules and a to-do list to go with. It helps me keep up with all I have to do. Without a schedule, I would be all over the place trying to do everything at once. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Have a great week ahead. 🙂
Cori
Thanks for posting, Corina… I’m using that new blogging schedule and it is helping me put my priorities in line for the rest of this year. Now I know what I need to do to make my income increase, and that makes me hopeful.
Schedules for me work because they get me on track, helps me reach my goal. You might not always go through a schedule but what is important is that your thoughts and do’s are on t he schedule.
Along with schedules, must come flexibility. But I try to reach a few of my goals every day.
I think that having a schedule for your everday routine is very important! I need to sit down and make one when I can ever catch a break. I know it would make my family’s life a lot easier.
I found you quite by accident (I don’t believe in accidents) and found that I needed to read this article today. Even though I’m convinced that I am jinxed whenever I even think of making a schedule (or even a list) I had decided to give it a go one more time.
After reading your post, maybe I will. The last time I made the decision, I came down with acute bronchitis, bacterial pneumonia, and all those pesky little ailments sheltered under the umbrella of COPD. That was last month.
I’m over all that, mostly, and thinking of scheduling again. Dare I? Schedules have never worked for me.
I put one foot in front of the other, beginning with most important/difficult first, do the next right thing, and hope for the best.
Sometimes that works. Sometimes, no. Oh the days nothing works like (I think) it should, well, then, I just go to the shop out back and quilt! The deadlines are always met.
Works every time.
I agree that making schedule is one helpful tool to manage or time. Time management really works, My organizer and my desk calendar is the things I always look for each morning so that i will be reminded of the things I need to accomplish for the day and interject some more works if needed.
Way to go, Ferienhäuser! I would love to have a desk calendar like the one I used to use at work… back in the old ‘work outside of my home’ days. So far, the schedule experiment is working out splendidly… I’m very pleased with the way it is going and the changes in my life because of it.
Kab, so good to see you here! I agree, schedules aren’t for everyone. In the past I managed by building habits instead. For example, making a habit out of doing the dishes every night before going to bed. Or making a habit out of taking a walk every evening an hour before sunset.
But now, I think I need more structure. The main problem is that I’ve got three money-making things I’m doing: blogging, writing novels, and creating Squidoo lenses. In March of this year I spent the entire month focusing on a revision for one of my novels. Then starting in April, I got into Squidoo more, neglecting my writing and blogs. What I’m trying for is BALANCE. I want to devote some time to each of my three areas daily… or almost daily, leaving time occasionally for taking a day off.
So this schedule thing is an experiment for me. Can I do it, or can’t I? I’ll keep updating this page to record my successes or failures.
Yesterday I got off track in them morning as I mentioned, and was behind all day. I wrote a great blog post but didn’t get it finished enough to post. I did mangage to get some work done on one of my Squidoo lenses that needed to be finished before the end of the month: Homeschooling Tips: Curriculum and Eclectic Lesson Planning. I’m being considered for the Giant 100 Club at Squidoo at the end of the month and this was a half-finished lens that needed attention. I have one more like that to fix…
So though I was off on the schedule, I feel I got a lot done. And today’s scheduled work is going better.
When I was in school, they gave everyone a little red “assignment notebook” aka day planner that were were to keep track of everything in. They insisted upon it, and checked it for a grade each Friday. The thing is, not everything works for everyone. I had a system. It worked for me, and it did not involve carrying an extra book all day and having to open it up 30 times a day.
People work their own ways.
Christine, you sound as busy as I am! However do we manage? Thanks for taking the time to stop by my humble blog!
Day one of the schedule went well. Day two – I’m running behind a little and am disappointed that my morning blog post isn’t finished yet. However it is a big long blog posting — so I’m excited about that. I’ll finish it this evening, after choosing some YouTube videos to include in it.
The reason I’m running behind … well it started when I woke up half an hour late, at 7:25. I dressed and left the house – and walked around the block. Our block is rural and we live on a hill so it still was a longish walk that included climbing back up the hill at the end. I think that’s good exercise. Then I watered the plants and came back into the house almost exactly at 9, right on schedule. Next – eating and morning pages. It was all cool except that my S.O. (significant other) then wanted to play cards with me and I made time for him which put me an hour behind on the morning blogging time.
Plus this afternoon he wants me to take time off to go do some herb harvesting with him… so I need to realize that even though the schedule is on the wall – I’ll also have to be flexible and realize that not everything will always get done. I think that’s where I fail with schedules, because my black and white thinking takes over. I think that if I fail once I’ll always fail. If I take a day away from the schedule or even a few hours, I’m a total failure who can’t stick to schedules! Instead I should be thinking that it’s all okay and I’ll get back on the horse and ride it the next day.
Hi Linda!
I think that making a schedule can definitely help you to get organized and get more accomplished. I find that the trouble is in sticking to them (that’s my problem when it comes to dieting too!) because I never allow enough time for unplanned events that happen on any given day. I also find that I don’t have enough hours in the day to do everything I want to because I go to school for 22.5 hours a week (most weeks); I work as an office temp for Kelly Services sporadically; I run my own business from home (at least 50 hours per month) which means that I’m on about 10 different social networking websites; I write book & CD reviews; and I try to maintain a happy social life. Just dealing with email alone is enough to take up every single morning I have, and trying to follow everyone’s blog I’d like to follow, etc. is impossible. So, rather than get overwhelmed by it all (I admit, I still do sometimes), I simply do what I can, when I can and hope that my family and friends know that I’ll find the time for them whenever I possibly can.
As long as your schedule works for you, it’s a very positive thing!