Look at that! I’m back before I said I would be. I didn’t think it was even possible for me to finish something early! Who knows, perhaps it’s the start of a larger trend? (Christ, I hope so…)

As promised, I’ll be using this blog to keep myself accountable as I look to rebuild something resembling a healthy and productive schedule. Of course, I’m planning to write about something more interesting than my daily routine eventually — I just need to do something interesting first! Worry not; I have a thing or two planned.

In the meantime, I’ve put together a new habit tracker to help me structure my days. It’s not too dissimilar from the one I’ve been using throughout my write-up period, but I’ve replaced “Thesis Writing” with “Focused Time”, “Reading”, and “Flexible Time”. I’m aiming for eight Pomodoro rounds of “Focused Time” (ideally in the library), during which I’ll work on the most important tasks I’ve set out for the day (in priority order). After a morning of library work, I’ll come home for lunch and do some reading (at least an hour — anything that’s either made of paper or on my eReader). Finally, in the afternoon, I’ll do another four Pomodoro rounds, but this time on any of the tasks I included in my plan for the day (even if they aren’t the highest priority ones). The new “Planning” period at the end of each day is where I’ll look though my TODOs and pick six tasks for the next day. Put together, that looks something like this:

On November 30th, I’ll upload a picture of my completed habit tracker here.

In the meantime, I’ll update this entry with my progress towards a set of smaller, weekly goals. Throughout this first week, I’ll try to nail down the bookends: my morning and evening routines.

Week Two — Simple Daily Bookends

Aims

• Establish a healthy sleep schedule
• Take tolerable care of my physical appearance
• Make regular time for planning and reflection

Actionable Goals

• Complete the following during at least six of the next seven days
• Morning Routine (45 min)
  • Out Of Bed (07:30–07:45)
  • Habit Report (2–5 min)
  • Brush Teeth & Wash Face
  • Start Work (08:30–09:00)
• Evening Routine (1 hour)
  • Shower & Shave (Odd Days)
  • Brush Teeth & Wash Face
  • Journal (Even Days; 15–30 min)
  • Planning & Prioritising
  • In Bed (22:00–22:30)

Evaluation Questions

• Am I in bed for long enough to get enough sleep? Do I feel rested? Is it more than enough? Could I get up earlier or go to bed later?
• Have I allocated enough time to my routines? Is 45 minutes enough time to get ready before leaving for the library? Is an hour sufficient for my evening routine on both odd and even days?
• By the end of the week, does my routine feel natural and automatic? Like a habit? Does it need a lot longer than one week to become one?

Triggers & Accountability

• Both my morning and evening routines are triggered by alarms I’ve set for each day — one at 07:30, and another at 21:00
• To minimise distractions, I’ve locked myself out of my phone from 21:00 until 08:00
• Progress will be reported daily to my accountability partner
• Final progress and a reflection will be posted to my blog in a week’s time

Progress Tracking

• I’ll use my habit tracker to track my progress
• Fulfilling my goals translates to at least “partially completing” each of my morning and evening habits over six of the next seven days
• I can track the amount of sleep I get via my Fitbit — I think 8h20m is a good target, though I should take note of how rested I feel throughout the week

Reflection

• <What worked well and what didn’t? Which questions did you answer? Where do you go from here?>

In a week’s time, I’ll come back to this entry and fill in that reflection. I’ll then determine if I need to focus on the same things for a second week, or if I’m ready to set a new goal.