Tell me about your schedule:
- Do you wake up everyday at exactly the same time?
- Often eat the same meal for breakfast?
- Don’t particularly like it when there are last minute changes in your day?
- Work best knowing there’s a deadline?
- Enjoy crossing items off your To Do List?
- Prefer projects with clear beginning and end dates?
If the first 3 questions resonated with you, you’re likely more of a routine person. Meaning that you prefer life to be consistent, regular. You do your best work when things are humming along and you are in your flow.
If, instead, the latter 3 seemed more fun and fitting to your personality, you’re likely to be more goal oriented.
Neither one is bad or good. It’s just helpful to understand yourself and your own rhythms.
And even if you find that you have a preference, one over the other, they are not mutually exclusive!
Lots of people who prefer routine also have goals, and goal oriented folks need routine to get stuff done!
Here are a few tips to keep you on track:
Routine Folks
Be aware that you thrive best with a steady daily schedule.
1. Create a Healthy Routine
You want your life to support you in mind, body AND spirit. That includes scheduling time for exercising, play, social, and contemplative time.
2. Mix It Up
See if you can throw a little spice into your routine now and again just to get you out of that box! Maybe it’s a spontaneous movie night or social engagement.
Goal Peeps
Goal people can tend to procrastinate and wait until the last minute to get stuff done. This can be SUPER stressful.
1. Think about Time Management
This is where lists and spreadsheets come in really handy as does scheduling. Because like it or not, goal oriented people need some kind of plan/schedule to get everything done!
2. Make Lists
I used to work with a wonderful coach and this was her method:
- Write everything that you have to do down on a piece of paper. Research shows it's actually MORE effective writing by hand!
- Next, put 1s next to each item that has to get done immediately, 2s next to the second most urgent tasks, etc.)
- Step it out from there, looking at all the 1s, prioritize them so you have 1a, 1b, 1c… you get the point.
3. Create a Timeline
Excel is a simple tool for project management. I use it all the time to break down projects into smaller bits then I assign each one a deadline. Of course there are LOTS of time management softwares out there too. If you want an app (many of which are FREE), here are some to check out:
- RemindMe
- RescueTime
- Remember the Milk
- Focus Booster
- Toggl (Here's a great review on this app)
- Evernote
- Mind42
- MyLifeOrganized
- Zendone
Kinda feeling like your both goal oriented and need a routine?
Good!
Because if you REALLY want to accomplish and achieve an amazing life, you’re gonna have to learn to master both.
But don’t worry, nothing is ever too hard, especially with all the support and tools at your disposal.
Celebrate whichever you are – goal oriented or routine based- and honor yourself for your own unique and creative way to live and be of service.