“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
This is a quote from the famous Bruce Lee on how it’s better to be productive than “busy in the mind.”
Having a schedule can certainly keep you organized, but it alone won’t keep you productive…
Instead, when you trust your intuition and pay attention to how you function best at different times of day, you can be more productive.
Now, before you dismiss intuition as something better left to psychics and spiritual leaders, consider a more mundane definition…
Intuition is simply the ability to know something immediately without conscious reasoning. It’s something we all experience.
And, in recent years, there’s been a surge of people using it in the workplace to enhance their productivity.
In one study, 36 influential CEOs were asked about using their intuition in their businesses. Eighty-five percent of them incorporated intuition into their decision-making processes.
These business executives were more productive, because they allowed themselves to trust their intuition.
And the good news is you can do the same. Let’s look at how you can give your productivity a boost by intuitively scheduling your daily tasks.
When you do, you’ll reduce frustration, get more done, and complete many of your tasks faster than usual.
Intuitive Scheduling Helps You Get Out of Your Own Way
When you feel focused and energized, being productive becomes easy.
Imagine two scenarios…
In the first, you write your to-do list the night before. You schedule each of your own tasks for a specific time of day. When you wake up the next day and go tackle your list, you don’t really want to do the first task during its scheduled time block. You’re just not feeling it. But you force yourself to get on with it.
This can be a very draining experience. You feel like you’re fighting for every inch of ground you gain during the day.
In the second, you write your to-do list the night before, but you group your tasks based on how much creative energy they require. Then the next day, you check in with yourself in the morning and begin tackling the tasks that match how you’re feeling.
This kind of day feels so much better. Focus comes easily, and motivation builds throughout the day.
My goal for this article is to help you get in touch with your natural circadian rhythms.
You may be thinking that circadian rhythms correlate with sleep patterns, but they pertain to your body’s 24-hour internal clock.
Your level of physical and mental energy, and even your behaviors, occur within that cycle.
How to Get in Touch With Your Intuitive Patterns
One of the best things you can do is become familiar with yourself and how you function at your best in a work environment.
I’m sure you know what you like to eat and when, what music you like to listen to during different activities, even what stores you like to frequent… etc.
And you probably make decisions about these things based on what you’re feeling… based on your intuition.
Well, you can bring that same intuition into your work routines.
When you do, you’ll have the capacity to focus on what makes you feel exuberant in the moment. You’ll have an easier time deciding what to do next, and you’ll enjoy your workday more while getting more done.
This can be achieved through these two invaluable steps:
#1 Observing and journaling
You can learn a lot about yourself when you take a day to observe your behaviors, emotions, and energy levels.
Perhaps, you normally follow a specifically timed schedule with blocks in your day that you spend getting as much work done as you can.
But one day this week, start your day by writing down only the tasks you must do for the day.
The idea in this day is not to push yourself.
Instead, you want to be introspective about your body’s natural flow.
Start looking at the first item on your list. Does it feel like something your brain wants to focus on?
Ask yourself, “Do I want to focus on the first, second, or third task right now?” Go down your list and find the task that’s most appealing for you to do first.
Are easier tasks or harder tasks more attractive as you’re starting your day? Do you gravitate toward creative tasks, urgent tasks, client work, or your own business building?
There is no right or wrong answer. Being in tune with what feels best to work on next is most important.
In a journal or a notebook, jot down the order in which you complete your tasks.
#2 Time and timing
As you jot down each task you work on into your journal, glance over at the clock and note what time it is.
At the end of the day, look for patterns. When do you gravitate toward different types of tasks?
You might go through this process for two or three days to get a solid feeling for what times of day you’ll like to handle different things.
Once you have some insight into your own patterns, you can use that to start creating consistency in your schedule.
Now that you’ve intuitively observed which times work best for you, you’re ready to take it a step further with timing.
Start scheduling your projects, assignments, and creative work at the times when they come most naturally to you. And then, start keeping track of how long you’re able to focus on your work before you’re ready to step away and do something else.
You can easily time yourself by using the timer on your phone or productivity tool. I like Toggl, because it will automatically record how much time you spend on each task, so you can look back at it later.
Plus, it’s straightforward and easy to use.
Using these two steps will help you discover the best way to order your day, so you have more freedom to do other things. You’ll finish each day with a sense of accomplishment, and that will give you even more motivation for the next day, feeding your productivity.
Creating Your Schedule Each Day
Start using what you’ve learned about how you intuitively work to plan each day.
Begin with a brain dump. Get every goal, deadline, task, and chore you want to achieve down on paper. At this point, you’re not making a list or prioritizing. You simply want a visual of everything in your head, so you don’t feel anxious about missing anything.
Next, set priorities. Based on what you put down during your brain dump, make a list of 5-7 tasks you want to finish first.
After that, start mapping your steps. Estimate how long each of your prioritized projects will take. Decide how much time you’ll want to work on them each day to reach your desired deadline.
Now, use what you learned about when you work best on different types of projects to schedule when you’ll work on each one.
Remember to trust your intuition!
Use a planner, a notebook, or a calendar to keep yourself on track.
These are my recommendations based on research and my own personal life.
When I started listening to my intuition more, I was able to get much more accomplished. And I felt energized at the end of the day, not drained. It also helped me to find the time and focus to do other things I loved in addition to work.
Give it a try and see how intuitive scheduling works for you.
