Why I Schedule Everything—Including Doing Nothing

Right now, I have a single app on my phone where I track absolutely everything: all my tasks—personal, work-related, files I need to check out, and yearly goals.

Once a week, I sit down to "tidy up" this list. I phrase the tasks so they’re easy to pick up and complete quickly, and then I distribute them across the upcoming week or month.

That way, I have a specific list to tackle every day. When I wake up, I know I have a set of morning routine tasks to kickstart my day properly: a shower, a short meditation, a good breakfast, and a walk if time permits. After that, I sit down to work and shift my focus strictly to my work tasks.

Besides work stuff, I log every little thing that needs attention: picking up a package, booking a doctor's appointment, replying to an email, reading an article, saving a link, or watching a lecture. More abstract things go in there too—like "organize vacation" or "pick out a gift." There are also long-term goals, like "update portfolio with recent projects" or "research suitable master's programs in my field."

A list like this isn’t just a to-do list; it’s like a second external brain where I can offload everything spinning around in my head. Because of this, I don’t have to mentally hold onto dozens of "I should probably..." thoughts—everything is already where it needs to be, waiting its turn.

Of course, I often have to adapt on the fly. But that’s much easier to do when there’s a clear structure in place: you can easily push something back or reschedule it for another day.

After work come the evening "tasks." Going for a walk or seeing a movie counts as a task in my system too, since it takes up time. Plus, it makes it easier to switch my brain off: "Okay, right now is rest time." There’s no need to feel anxious because it’s already scheduled.

Without a system like this, I start feeling really anxious about time slipping away when there are so many possibilities on how to spend it. You end up sitting there in a state of paralysis, overthinking it endlessly, and the whole day just passes you by like that.

So, for me, it’s much easier to plan out my daily tasks in advance and then freely accept spontaneous offers with a light heart during my free time.

Source: O. Mikhevnina