The power of a schedule: how to stay organized and productive

March 18, 2025/Julie Stobbe/

Many people find themselves scrambling to get things done, struggling to meet deadlines, and living in a constant state of overwhelm. No matter how many times they create to-do lists and set goals, accomplishing everything seems to be impossible.

While this is a pretty common occurrence, it doesn’t have to be. A truly effective way to boost your productivity and keep your life on track is to create and stick to a comprehensive schedule. It’s not enough to create lists and set goals if you aren’t carefully planning each step and adding them to your daily schedules.

You can plan everything for days and months with a schedule. Your schedule allows you to utilize your time better and ensures that you’re getting things done that are important to you. Most people wing it and go with the flow but having a plan will make the most of your time, just like a budget helps you make the most of your finances. It’s the secret highly productive people share.

When planning your schedule, keep the following things in mind.

Be Specific

Creating a schedule may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by sitting down and brainstorming all the crucial tasks you need to accomplish in a given day, week, or month. Once you have a list, you can begin to plug those items into specific days and times. Be specific. The more detailed your schedule is, the easier it will be to follow.

Schedule Everything

You should schedule everything you want to do when you create your schedule. When you put everything, including your work, family, friends, self-care needs, and social life, into your schedule, you help yourself manage your time more effectively. This way, you can be sure to be available for the people and things that matter most to you.

Be Realistic

It’s also critical to be realistic when you create your schedule. If you try to pack too many things into one day, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed and get even less done than you normally would. Factor in extra time for traffic, take into consideration that there may be delays in other people doing their share of the work that may affect your work. Realize emergencies and sicknesses happen so you need to add a buffer in for them. And never forget to include some free time each day to relax and enjoy your life.

Be Flexible

An essential point to remember when creating a schedule is flexibility. The way life is, is that things happen. Things happen you didn’t plan for, and you’ll need to adjust your schedule accordingly. So don’t fear changes to your schedule when they are genuinely needed. But remember being flexible doesn’t mean you skip tasks you’ve labelled as urgent and necessary it only means you can move it around your calendar when needed and only when you need to.

Set Boundaries

A vital aspect of creating an effective schedule is to set boundaries for yourself. It would help if you imposed some limitations on how much time you can spend on each item in your schedule. Set boundaries with clients, friends, family, and others regarding your time. This is critical because it will allow you to balance your work and personal life properly. If you do not set these boundaries, it is amazingly easy to get wrapped up in one thing and neglect other areas of your life.

Once you have a plan, give it your best effort to stick to it. Of course, there will always be some flexibility needed when life happens. But if you can stick to your schedule as much as possible, you’ll be surprised at how much more productive and organized you can be.

Booking a virtual organizing session is a good way to get help developing your schedule. Let’s work together.

Julie Stobbe is the 2024-2025 winner of the Harold Taylor Award for outstanding contributions to the organizing industry and Professional Organizers in Canada. As a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach, she brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides, mentors and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.