I have the joy (and burden) of being completely in charge of my own schedule at the moment. I’ve realized that when I’m working by myself, I struggle to feel like I am accomplishing “enough,” even if I’m getting things done the entire day.
If I accomplish something but I don’t meet the ambitious goal I set out for myself, this creates a vicious cycle where I start beating myself up for not doing “enough,” which then of course causes me to be even less productive the following days. For example: if my writing goal for a certain day was 1,000 words but I only wrote 500 words that day, then my brain still counts that as a “failure” even though I still got work done. And then the next day, I don’t get any writing done!
To fix this problem, I brainstormed with ChatGPT. The AI suggested that I incorporate more flexibility into my goal setting. Based on that advice, I came up with a more flexible productivity plan for the four major areas of my life I’m focusing on right now (i.e. novel drafting, marketing job, fitness, and self care). Here’s what it looks like:
Novel
Setting #1: 200 words
Setting #2: 500 words
Setting #3: 700+ words
Marketing Job
Setting #1: one task completed
Setting #2: two tasks completed
Setting #3: three or more tasks completed
Fitness
Setting #1: run four miles
Setting #2: run one to two miles with weightlifting
Setting #3: run three miles with weightlifting
Self Care
Setting #1: eight hours of sleep with CPAP machine, three meals, brush teeth once, household chores, daily shower
Setting #2: same as above but add brush teeth twice, water flosser once, mouth wash, take pills, wash face, eat more snacks
Setting #3: same as above but add meditation practice, writing in journal, wearing mouth guard, short walks outside
By mapping out these different ‘settings,’ I can still feel like I’m making progress even on my ‘off’ days. The likelihood that I’ll be able to hit Setting #3 on all four categories is quite slim, but I should be able to hit Setting #3 in every category at least one day a week. I can also choose to prioritize hitting a higher setting in the goal categories that mean more to me. Since I want to prioritize getting my novel draft done, that means that hitting at least Setting #2 every day for that goal category would be ideal.
I am planning to keep a written journal tracking the settings that I reach for each day and then including a short reflection at the end. I also want to create a Google spreadsheet and color code this data and turn it into a chart so that I can track patterns in my productivity and adjust as needed.
Let me know in the comments what you think about this plan, and/or feel free to share what you personally do daily/weekly/monthly to stay productive. I would love to hear other suggestions and ideas!
Loran Vanden Bosch is a Chicago-based writer, tradesperson-in-training, community organizer, and long distance runner who graduated from Calvin in 2021 with an English degree. You can also follow them on Medium @loranvandenbosch.
What a good idea! (I keep wishing my watch would incorporate a “rest day” setting for step-counting so I don’t lose my streak if I take it easy one day a month or week. January Series speaker and Paralympian Hunter Woodhall commented that “No one can give 110% all the time [or at all, mathematically speaking.” It’s more realistic and ultimately more productive to expect ups and downs. I hope you’ll post a follow-up in a few months so we can hear about how this system is working for you.