The 5 Psychological Benefits Of Following A Schedule
Virtually everything we are has to do with the habits we follow (and have followed) on a day-to-day basis; These shape our identity, our way of perceiving things, and even the way we manage our emotions.
Besides, Habits can be modified by ourselves to get closer to our goals, and schedules are a very good way to achieve this In this article we will focus on them and their psychological benefits.
The main psychological benefits of following a schedule
These are the different aspects in which committing to our schedules gives us advantages from a psychological point of view.
1. It serves as a reference for us to track our progress
Schedules make it easier for us to keep track of our progress, stagnation or setbacks in the projects we have decided to undertake. For example, they allow us to be aware of whether we have a lot or little accumulated work, the hours we have to do it, etc.
On the other hand, the schedules are a good support to balance our distribution of tasks taking into account what others do and reserve moments and places to be in the company of our family, our friends, etc.
3. It helps us rest well
Time disorganization is capable of quickly wearing down our health if it affects our sleeping habits; In the medium and long term, it translates into a lack of quality rest hours. Therefore, following schedules acts as a protective element that prevents these problems.
4. It makes it possible for us to have free time
According to Parkinson’s law, work expands to occupy all the time we can dedicate to it Therefore, in order not to lose work time by letting it simply take up an entire day when in reality we could have done the same thing in a much shorter period, we are interested in compressing the hours we dedicate to each of our responsibilities, to optimize the use that we make of those minutes. And schedules are the way to achieve this, allowing us to enjoy free time.
5. It is an element of motivation
Dividing our day into the mini-objectives set by our schedule provides us with several small sources of motivation, short-term incentives that allows us to feel good about what we have achieved in a matter of minutes or hours.
What can you do to commit to your schedule?
Follow these tips to avoid letting your schedule become just intentions.
1. Create a detailed schedule
It is important to specify your schedule as much as possible; Otherwise, if everything remains in abstract ideas, you will neither commit to it nor remember it everything you should, and you will find it difficult to apply it to your daily life.
Award hours are a representation of what you will earn by committing to your schedule ; It consists of including in your weekly schedule table one or two moments that will be the sum of all the weekly minutes that you will earn for your free time if you organize your activities in that way. That way, every time you look at that table, you will expose yourself to that incentive, and at the same time you will have a clear reference to know if you are complying with the time management plan that you had proposed for yourself.
3. Put your schedule on paper
This way, you will have one or more reminders (in the form of a schematic image) of how you should manage your time during the week. Put a couple of those schedules in visible places in your house: on the refrigerator fixed with magnets, in your study, in your bedroom, etc.
4. Use action triggers
Action triggers are space-time references that you will use to give yourself that necessary motivational push when moving from one task to the next.
To use them, you have to memorize associations between moments and situations that lead us to start an activity: for example: “when I finish washing the dishes in the kitchen, I will go directly to my desk chair and sit in it to work.” They are ways to avoid distractions and stay focused on our goals, something necessary to meet schedules.
5. Prevents sleep problems
Failure to maintain sleep habits, either by not being able to fall asleep when necessary or by waking up several times during the hours you should spend sleeping, It can ruin your schedule in a matter of a couple of days especially if you are starting to try to adhere your habits to it.
To avoid this, anticipate the possible problems you may have. For example, if you have been having trouble falling asleep lately, do moderate exercise in the morning or at noon (not in the last hours of the day), have a light dinner, spend the last hours of the day doing relaxing activities without exposing yourself to much light. , do a brief relaxation exercise and go to bed when it’s time without giving in to distractions that could keep you awake.
6. Go to psychotherapy
If you notice that nothing works for you, it is best to go to a psychologist; Psychotherapy professionals can help you a lot when it comes to shaping your habits to allow you to adopt a healthier lifestyle, even if you do not have any psychological disorder.
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