Time Mngt (Step 2): Types, Tools & Templates

The first thing to do is choose the type of schedule you need, then choose the tool to operate your schedule with and finally personlise that tool to create your own template aka: Your personal scheduling tool.

Types of schedules

1. calendar-type schedule.

This is the most commonly known. The one with actual dates on them. You have the yearly ones, the monthly ones, the weekly ones and the daily ones. Some of them come with features that allow you to organise meetings, plan videocalls, set reminders, etc.

2. project-types.

These are often used for large, multi-tasked projects spanning a larger timeframe and consisting of a collaboration of multiple team members.

These usually are made out of a collection of single lines where each line holds a particular goal, task, deliverable or outcome followed by a pre-determined timeframe divided in either years, quarters, months, weeks or days, or a combination of these. The planning itself would use a marking of the blocks of time that are allocated to each line. Indicating the start and finish of each task.

3. class-type schedule.

This is another very common and well known scheduling type. Mostly known from school and training environments.

These are activities that are (1) fixed, (2) recurring and (3) timed.

examples: Monday, 8h-11h: Math - Tuesday, 14h-16h: French - Wednesday, 10h-12h: Sport

What I tend to do is create a combination of these.

The calendar-type I use as my Project Schedule and the class-type I use as my Operational Schedule. (cfr. Infra Templates)

On both I use the marking method from the project-type as part of my categorisation and prioritisation, which are key elements in structuring my schedules. (cfr. Step 3)

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Scheduling tools

There are various tools available for planning and scheduling.  I'd say there are a lot of tools available. I'd even say there are too many. Because how do you choose which one is the right one for you? That in itself often becomes a stress inducing choice to make.

remember the conditions

First up: Keep it Simple. Before you spend time exploring those fancy apps and whatnots, start with

a tool that is basic, easy, clear and userfriendly.

I like to use Excel because the tabs give me a lot of options to work with , and at the same time, everything related to my study schedule is in one place.

These days I would incorporate it into a broader Onenote planning management system (which I would also set up and personalise) but the time management element would still be Excel.

If you are more familiar with other tools that can give you the same level of flexibility, clarity and ease, then please use the tool that is most comfortable for you. The principle behind the format remains the same as long as you adhere to the 3 conditions as outlined in step 1.

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Creating your personal templates

Once you have decided which schedule type and what tool you will use, it's time to create your personal templates for your schedules. Below are the templates I used during my studies and it very much is the blueprint of how I would structure any time-dependent project.

1. Project schedule

The first thing I'd do would be to create a year calendar-type schedule. 

The purpose of such a project schedule is to get a quick view of the moments during the entire period of the project that I need to be aware of when planning  anything within that period.

Why not the project-type?

The reason I prefer the calendar-type over the project-type is because when dealing with multiple overlapping activities for different main goals, the project-type schedule can very quickly become a mess of marked timeblocks. Undoing the very purpose of what I want.

I find that project-type shedules work best for individual main goals/projects. But we are combining Study, Work and Personal Life activities in our schedule. So you want a schedule where you can add items for all three main categories while still maintaining the overall helicopter view and keeping it all clean and clear.

The last thing you want is to have to decypher your schedule every time you use it.

Setting up your template

The project schedule would be 1 tab in my Excel workbook. 

Today I would use one of those pre-made Year calendars in Excel and work with color coding (cfr. Step 3). It's a very effective way to instantly get a complete overview of all your important dates during the year.

You start with inserting all the known fixed 'set-in-stone' deadlines, the non-negotiable ones, and you update along the way.  Not just from your studies, but also from your work and your personal life.

This schedule becomes your anchor for anything you plan, whether it is study related, work related or personal life related. It will enable you to plan around those very important deadlines and/or alert you to contact your student counselor, your professor or your advisors in case there is a conflicting situation.

2. Operational schedule

Next comes the every day, weekly schedule. The class-type one.

In that same Excel workbook, I would create a new tab with a 1 week schedule with the days on top, the hours in the left column, including the weekend.

But no dates. Spacing the cells wide enough both horizontally and vertically so they can be filled in with the schedule items later. (cfr. Step 3)

Do not confuse this with an agenda. The best way to explain would be to compare it to a highschool situation (for those of you who can still remember that far back :) )

You have a class schedule where every week you have the same course, on the same day, during the same time for a semester, trimester or year. The agenda is the individual task-based listing that each student has for each of their classes.

We are creating a class-type schedule, not an agenda/task-type one. So the thing you would receive at the beginning of the schoolyear, you're going to make one for yourself now. Which will not only include your study related items, but also your work related items as well as your personal life items.

Here is a fictional example of how that could looke like:

What is the point of this?

By creating such an operational schedule, you are making a commitment to dedicate a specific, very clearly defined piece of time to each item. You will define these items as categories (cfr. Step 3), just like your school did with the various courses (Math, French, Sport, …).

This will do a number of things. It will:

• Ensure that all your activities get a secure place in your available time

• Provide you with a sense of relief knowing that everything is accounted for and will be taken care of.

• Multiple health benefits: reduce or eliminate any missplaced guilt feelings, anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, compulsive overworking, feeling overwhelmed, etc.

• Enable flexibility where you can move and switch items without some of them being systematically ignored or forgotten. You'll be able to make better informed choices and stay alert to the consequences of those choices. (cfr. Step 4)

3. Additional schedules

During the course of your studies you may need additional, more tailored schedules for specific purposes. For instance:

• Exams (incl. prep time)

• Thesis

• Internship

• Specific assignments

• …

You can create alternate or additional schedules using the same methods, personalised for each specific goal. The principle is the same.

But some schedules will have more specific dates, others may have different distribution of time, so you need to ask yourself what do you need to bring that specific task to a good end? And how does it fit with the rest of my obligations (work/life)?

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Create your personal Template(s)

Last time I suggested to consider what the 3 conditions we talked about in Step 1 would look like to you. If you haven't been able to to do so yet, go back and see if you can define something to start you off with. Don't worry, you don't need it to continue, but it will make the choices you're about to take much easier.

This week I challenge you to make your own template(s) based on this weeks information. See which tool(s) feel the easiest for you to to work with and check if they meet the conditions from step 1. Think about what kind of activities you need a schedule for and what you would put in them.

Next week in Step 3 we will discuss the structuring of your schedule where we will use various forms of coding and visualisations to really bring your schedule to life.