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Daily schedule to help me reach goals

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#1

so during caseys last stream he talked a bit about setting goals for this summer (or winter in my case) and i mentioned how hard i find to stick to goals and schedules that i make. i think part of it is because i live alone, so the only person im letting down and disappointing is myself. im the only one that sees the mess inside my house, or if i do excersise or not, or if i get enough sleep, or even if i get out of bed at all that day. so i figured, maybe, if i put stuff on here, so other people can see it, maybe ill be better at following through with it. sorry if its not allowed, i just though maybe it would help.

so, the 2 major goals that i want to acheive is to lose weight and to get my house clean and tidy and keep it that way. the weight problem is a big one, as i am very overweight, and the is a family history of diabetes. i havent always been overweight, but when after getting chronic fatigue syndrome i wasnt able to excersise as much, at the start i had several months where i was barely able to leave the house, just walking to get the mail left me weak and light-headed. i used to go hiking at least once a month, and on walks around town daily, before i got sick.

the house problem is the one im most embarrased about. i currently rent my house from my parents. they dont come around often. really im the only person that sees inside my place. i could blame the mess on my chronic fatigue syndrome, or my depression or anxiety, but i dunno, it just sounds like excuses. it sounds like laziness. i dont have kids, and i dont work long hours. i should be able to keep my house clean and tidy. evrywhere is a mess. well, almost. i did manage to actually get the dishes done and the fridge cleaned out a couple days ago. but my bedroom i can barely move around in with stepping on stuff. clothes, trash, craft stuff, papers and magazines, etc. the dining table is covered in junk. theres only 1 chair in the living room that doesnt have stuff on it. bathroom and laundry are a mess and the spare room is just full of boxes of all sorts of stuff. you can barely move in there too.

i hve made progress on these things before. at one stage i actually only had 1 room left to get tidy. but ive never been good enough to actually get it done. i hope that by making a schedule and putting it here where other people can see, maybe ill be able to do it right this time.

so anyway, here it is. its not like every second of the day planned out, just some stuff to get me started.

8am- get up, shower etc, breakfast and medication

10am- walk around the track at the park

12:30pm lunch

1:30pm get ready for work (mon, tues, wed)

2pm leave for work (mon, tues, wed) or tidy something in the house (thurs, fri, sat, sun)

6pm home from work

7pm cook dinner

9pm switch off tech (computer, phone etc)

10pm lights out, sleep.

so yeah, thats what ive got so far. i dunno if its any good or not, id appreciate advice if im doing it wrong. sorry if this isnt alloowed, or if its the wrong place to put it or whatever. i just dont know what else to do. i dont want to keep messin this up and failing. ive gotta be better than that.

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#2

i think this sounds super awesome!
Can i tell you something? You’ve inspired me too with this.

It sounds like a nice structure, and gives you space in between too. i love that there’s a nice large chuck allocated to sleeping and getting some rest I hope.
Pretty proud of you for this!

Let us know how it’s going, I for one would love to see how this works out in real life. (I may also need to make one for myself!!)

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#3

Hey, that sounds like a great start!

My advice to you would be to not start too big. You understand what these time blocks mean better than we do. I don’t know if “tidy something in the house” at 2pm means from 2 to 6, but that can be a pretty overwhelming block of time. I know I get excited when I decide on a self-improvement endeavor, I jump in and make a splash, and then I burn out and go back to the way things were. Alternatively, if I set a too-big goal, I won’t even attempt it. I’ll put it off until “tomorrow,” always tomorrow.

Have you ever heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals? It’s writing your goals to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Your daily schedule is most of the way there. 8am wake-up is SMART. 10am walk around the park may not be time-bound per se, but you have that block of time set aside, and your walk ends when it ends. Tidy something around the house is of course Relevant. It can be Specified and Measured day by day, whether that’s clear off a chair or pick up trash in the common areas. Attainable wouldn’t be cleaning the whole house, but focusing in on something you know you can do. The only other thing, again day by day as you feel it, would be to put a time limit on it. It’s a lot less overwhelming if you can tell yourself “I can clean for 10 minutes/1 hour/4 hours” and believe it. Set a timer, and when the timer goes off, call it good.

Your schedule provides good structure, looks like it has time in there for relaxing, and is intentional. It’s everything someone would need it to be, and it’s the kind of schedule that would help so many people, including me! Good job, and good luck! Keep us updated!

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#4

my first day went pretty well, mostly. i did manage to drag myself out if bed at 8, and by the time i was showered, dressed and eating breakfast i was feeling better about it. did my walk, lunch, and cleaned the wash basin in the bathroom. even cooked a decent meal for dinner, with enough leftovers for dinner tonight as well.

the problem comes when its time for bed though. i did switch off tech at 9:10 (i had lost track of time so i was a little bit late for that). I was in bed by 10 with the lights out. but then i was still awake 3 hours later. i thought that everything i did during the day would tire me out enough that id fall asleep easily, and i was really tired, but i just couldnt sleep. and without the distraction of youtube or twitch or something like that, anxiety crept back in, my mind started racing, and all those self-loathing thoughts took hold and i just couldnt do it anymore. i broke. switched my phone back on and watched youtube, trying to drown out my feelings of guilt, till i eventually fell asleep around 3am. so yeah, in the 24 hours i already had my first fail.

i am trying again today though, so far ive done all the things on my shedule for today. just worried about tonight.

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#5

You made the effort, and that’s a huge first step! It is hard to break routines, especially sleep routines. It’s not just a matter of willpower, your brain and body are accustomed to your routine of streaming media before bed. Eventually, your body will be so exhausted that it will give in and go to sleep in a reasonable timeframe, but for now your brain signals that bedtime means hours of screens before passing out. Keep trying, your brain will come around soon :slight_smile:

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