Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Getting Back Into a Routine

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    I can't be the only one who is far, far more productive when I have a routine to follow.  At school it's easy - dictated by classes, extracurriculars, and meetings with friends.  It's roughly the same when I'm working: obligations provide a schedule and a routine.  But what about when you have no set obligations or schedule, and a lot to do?  I make the routine myself.
   Christmas vacation is a big temptation to slack off, since it is too short to intern or take a job (unless you're picking up a job you've already done).  So in order to get things done, I impose a routine for myself in several ways.
  1. Set an alarm to wake up.  Otherwise, you can't guarantee that you'll have enough time to do everything.
  2. Write your to-do list the night before.  
  3. Cross each task off.
  4. Don't overload it - you still want to enjoy your vacation, of course!
  5. Look the part.  Spending all day in pajamas will only make you lazy.
  6. Schedule something, anything: a work out, errands, lunch with a friend.  Just do something to make your schedule hard and fast.  
  7. If you get off track, get back on.  Work harder to catch up.
  8. Schedule breaks - you are more productive when you let yourself relax a little.
  9. Keep your evenings free for social time or relaxing.
  10. Keep your eye on the prize!  Whether it's getting back in shape, searching for a job (like me), or just getting a lot of chores done, think of how great it will feel to be done.  Write down reminders, if you need to.
How do you get yourself back into a routine?

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