how to follow a schedule even if you lack discipline

Summary

The video discusses the struggle with procrastination and time management, particularly for those with ADHD. The creator shares their personal journey and introduces the 'two calendar method' to address time blindness and fluctuating energy levels. They also highlight the importance of prioritizing tasks using tools like 'task score' in the EMP Note app to overcome analysis paralysis and make consistent progress towards goals.

Takeaways

• 📅 **Procrastination Issue**: The speaker struggles with procrastination, often only becoming motivated the night before a deadline.
• 🗓 **Planning vs. Execution**: Despite having a planner and a schedule, the real issue is not creating a plan but following through with it.
• 🔔 **Ignoring Notifications**: Calendar notifications reminding of tasks often lead to ignoring or deferring actions.
• 🤯 **Self-Blame and Stress**: The speaker used to blame themselves for procrastination and the stress it caused, promising not to repeat the cycle.
• 🔄 **Cycle of Procrastination**: There's a repetitive cycle of procrastination, hyperfocusing before deadlines, and then self-reproach.
• 🏃 **Lack of Fun in Procrastination**: Even while procrastinating, the speaker isn't engaging in enjoyable activities.
• 🚫 **Burnout and Lost Potential**: The constant cycle of procrastination led to burnout and a feeling of wasted life and potential.
• 🤔 **Questioning Abilities**: The cycle of behavior led to questioning one's abilities and a loss of confidence.
• 🏥 **ADHD Diagnosis**: The speaker was diagnosed with ADHD, which made traditional productivity methods less effective.
• 🔄 **Time Blindness**: A concept introduced where individuals lack a natural sense of time, affecting their ability to stick to a schedule.
• 📈 **Energy Level Fluctuations**: Energy levels vary, making it difficult to adhere to a rigid schedule.
• 📊 **Two-Calendar Method**: A method to manage time and energy levels by planning tasks and logging what actually happens to understand time usage patterns.
• 🔄 **Adjusting to Energy Peaks**: Aligning most demanding tasks with peak energy periods and saving easier tasks for low-energy times.
• 📉 **Overcoming Overwhelm**: Prioritizing tasks to prevent feeling overwhelmed and to break the analysis paralysis cycle.
• 📝 **Task Score Tool**: A tool within the app 'empo' that helps prioritize tasks based on factors like urgency, importance, and frequency of attention.
• 📱 **empo App**: An app that combines to-do lists, notes, habits, and calendar, using task scoring to help manage tasks effectively.

Q & A

Why does the speaker struggle with following a schedule, even though they use planning tools?

The speaker struggles with following a schedule because the issue isn't planning but actually sticking to the plan. When reminders or calendar notifications appear, they tend to ignore them, leading to procrastination. This cycle causes frustration and burnout, despite having systems in place.

What is time blindness, and how does it affect the speaker’s ability to manage time?

Time blindness is when someone lacks an accurate sense of how time passes. This makes it difficult to judge how long tasks take, either underestimating or overestimating time spent. For the speaker, this contributes to their inability to stick to schedules, often resulting in chaotic days.

How does fluctuating energy levels contribute to the speaker's struggle with productivity?

Fluctuating energy levels mean that some days the speaker feels energized and productive, while other days they struggle to even start tasks. Traditional time management techniques don't account for these variations, making it hard to stick to a routine.

What solution does the speaker propose for managing both time blindness and fluctuating energy levels?

The speaker proposes the 'two-calendar method.' This involves planning tasks on one calendar while keeping a second 'reverse log' of what actually happened. This approach helps track time accurately and manage energy levels by observing when the speaker is most productive.

How does the reverse log in the two-calendar method help with time blindness?

The reverse log helps with time blindness by showing a visual comparison between the planned schedule and what actually happened. Over time, this allows the speaker to see patterns, improve their time estimates, and make more realistic plans in the future.

How does the two-calendar method help with managing fluctuating energy levels?

By tracking not only time but also energy levels throughout the day, the two-calendar method helps the speaker identify patterns in productivity. This allows them to schedule demanding tasks during their peak energy periods and reserve easier tasks for when their energy is low.

What is 'analysis paralysis,' and how does it affect the speaker?

Analysis paralysis occurs when the speaker feels overwhelmed by a long list of tasks, leading to indecision and inaction. With so many urgent and important tasks, the speaker's brain freezes, making it difficult to prioritize and causing procrastination.

What is Task Score, and how does it help with prioritization?

Task Score is a tool that helps the speaker prioritize tasks based on factors like how often they revisit a task, its urgency, importance, and whether it's blocking other tasks. This system ensures that critical tasks rise to the top of their to-do list, preventing important work from getting lost.

Why does the speaker recommend EMPNote, and how does it differ from traditional to-do lists?

The speaker recommends EMPNote because it integrates to-do lists, notes, habits, and calendars in one app with a focus on prioritizing tasks using Task Score. Unlike traditional to-do lists, EMPNote continuously updates the task list, ensuring that urgent and important tasks remain at the top.

How does the speaker's method combat perfectionism and burnout?

The two-calendar method combats perfectionism by encouraging observation and learning rather than following a rigid plan. By seeing the day as a series of adjustments, the speaker reduces the pressure to stick to a perfect schedule, which helps avoid burnout and stress.