The 5 psychological benefits of following a schedule

These are the ways in which the habit of following a schedule brings us benefits.

Virtually everything we are has to do with the habits we follow (and have followed) on a daily basis; they shape our identity, our way of perceiving things, and even the way we manage our emotions.

Moreover, habits can be modified by ourselves to bring us closer to our goals, and schedules are a very good way to achieve this.. In this article we will focus on them and their psychological benefits.

The main psychological benefits of following a schedule

These are the different aspects in which the fact of committing to our schedules brings us advantages from the point of view of psychology.

1. Serves as a reference to track our progress

Schedules make it easier for us to keep track of our progress, stagnation or setbacks in the projects we have decided to undertake.stagnation or setbacks in the projects we have decided to undertake. For example, they allow us to be aware of whether we have too much or too little work accumulated, of the hours we have to do it, etc.

2. It helps us to reconcile

On the other hand, schedules are a good support to balance our distribution of tasks, taking into account what others are doing, and to reserve times and places for ourselves and others.and to reserve moments and places to be in the company of our family, our friends, etc.

3. It helps us to rest well

Disorganized schedules can quickly wear down our health if they affect our sleep habits. if it affects our sleep habits; in the medium and long term, it translates into a lack of quality rest hours. Therefore, following schedules acts as a protective element that prevents these problems.

4. It makes it possible for us to have free time

According to Parkinson's law work expands to occupy as much time as we can devote to it.. So, in order not to waste work time by letting it simply take up an entire day when in fact we could have done the same thing in a much shorter period, it is in our interest to compress the hours we dedicate to each of our responsibilities, to optimize the use we make of those minutes. And schedules are the way to achieve this, allowing us to enjoy free time.

5. It is an element of motivation

What can you do to commit to your schedule?

Follow these tips so you don't let your schedule remain just intentions.

1. Create a detailed schedule

It is important to make your schedule as concrete as possible; Otherwise, if everything remains abstract ideas, you won't commit to it or remember it as much as you should, and it will be difficult to apply it to your day-to-day life. and it will be difficult for you to apply it to your day-to-day life.

2. Introduce "reward hours" in your schedules

Reward hours are the representation of what you will earn for committing to your schedule.It consists of including in your weekly timetable one or two moments that will be the sum of all the weekly minutes you will gain for your free time if you organize your activities in this way. That way, every time you look at this table, you will be exposed to this incentive, and at the same time you will have a clear reference to know if you are complying with the time management plan you have set for yourself.

3. Put your schedule on paper

This way, you will have one or more reminders (in the form of a schematic image) of how you should manage your time during the week. Put a couple of these schedules in visible places in your home: on the fridge fixed with magnets, in your study, in your bedroom, etc.

4. Use action triggers

Action triggers are spatio-temporal references that you will use to give you that push that you will use to give you that necessary motivational push to move from one task to the next.

To use them, you need to memorize associations between moments and situations that lead you to start an activity: for example: "when I finish washing the dishes in the kitchen, I will go straight to my desk chair and sit in it to work". These are ways to avoid distractions and keep us focused on our goals, which is necessary to meet schedules.

5. Prevents sleep problems

Failing in sleep maintenance habits, either by not being able to fall asleep on time or by waking up several times during the hours you should be sleeping, can ruin your sleep schedule in a matter of a couple of days, can throw off your schedule in a matter of a couple of days, especially if you're just starting to try to adhere to your sleep habits.This is especially true if you are just starting to try to stick to it.

To avoid this, anticipate potential problems you may have. For example, if you are having trouble falling asleep lately, do moderate exercise in the morning or midday (not in the last hours of the day), have a light dinner, dedicate the last hours of the day to relaxing activities without exposing yourself to too much light, do a short relaxation exercise and go to bed when it's time without giving in to distractions that may keep you awake.

6. Go to psychotherapy

If you notice that nothing works for you, the best thing to do is to turn to a psychologist; psychotherapy professionals can help you a lot in shaping your habits to allow you to adopt a healthier lifestyle, even if you do not have any psychological disorder.

Do you want to have professional psychological assistance?

If you are interested in having psychological support from professionals, please contact us.

At Avance Psychologists we have been assisting people with all kinds of emotional, behavioral or social relationship needs for more than 20 years, and we currently attend both face-to-face and online (by video call). You can find us in our center located in Madrid.

Bibliographical references:

• Gollwitzer, Peter & Brandstätter, Veronika. (1997). Implementation Intentions and Effective Goal Pursuit. First publ. in: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 73 (1997), 1, pp. 186-199. 73. 10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.186
• O'Neill, Jr., H.F.; Drillings, M. (1994). Motivation: Theory and Research. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
• Richard, W. (2008). Time Management: Proven Techniques for Making Every Minute Count. Adams Media. pp. 232 - 238.
• Stella, C. (2013). The Study Skills Handbook. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan.