As I’m typing this, I’m behind in my tasks for 3 days. I’ve not slept in 24 hours, and sounds are slightly dulled. I also may or may not be dying from an overdose of caffeine.

When I first started managing my own time (after leaving a 9-5 job), I was doing regular daylight hours without problem. But I noticed that as time passed by, I was working later and later. I decided to switch to a night-time schedule. I would wake up at around 3 in the evening, have what might be referred to as lunch, get some miscellaneous tasks done, and then start work at around 10 in the night, until about 6 the next morning, at which point I’d have myself a good breakfast, relax for a little bit, and then head to bed.

It was the perfect life. I was at the peak of my efficiency, even more so considering how few disturbances happen at 3 in the morning. I could avoid working during the hottest times of the day (it can get pretty bad here, and the abundance of concrete around my house isn’t helping), and work when it’s nice and cool and quiet. My perfect environment. Anyone I needed to talk to was an email away, and I could interact with my family during the evenings anyway.

Problem is, I could never maintain it for longer than a week. The weekend would come and there’d be some plan made for the morning, and I’d force myself to stay awake for longer than I usually do. I’d then end up looking like something the cat dragged in. The cycle would be utterly destroyed, and I’d lose a day or two worth of productivity.

It also doesn’t help that my workload is very fluid; there are times when I’m free enough to relax and curl up with a good book, and there are times when I don’t have time to breathe. Don’t get me wrong, I love the job. I love the adrenaline rush of the deadlines and the last-minute scrambles. It’s why I got into this line in the first place. But the fluidity of it makes it challenging to plan a routine, especially where sleep is concerned.

If you were reading this hoping to find some pointers on how to manage your own time, I’m going to have to disappoint you. It’d be hypocritical of me to give tips on scheduling when I’m still finding solid ground. I CAN, however, tell you a few things I’ve learned along the way:

• Give yourself breathing space. If your brain tells you ‘but you can do more on that day, I think you can schedule a few more tasks in’, do NOT listen to it.
• Accept that life is like a giant out-of-control machine that’s throwing wrenches all over the place, and that chances are one of those wrenches is going to destroy your perfect, shiny, schedule.
• What works for everyone else may not work for you. And what works for you may not be what everyone else approves of.
• If you schedule, schedule EVERYTHING. Work, fun, social activities, family, even periods of stillness. Otherwise you can be certain that some things are going to fall to the side.
• The act of delaying one scheduled task to make way for another is not something that should be done lightly. If you get into the habit of it, it’s as good as not having a schedule at all.
• If your work is not finished within the time you’ve allocated, it is not a failure. It is simply a lesson learnt. Make a note of it, schedule in some extra time down the road (maybe the next day) to finish it, and if you’re doing it again in the future, remember to schedule more time for it in the first place.

And for those of you who are new to the crazy world of scheduling, I have some sagely advice for you: you are going to make mistakes. You are going to overschedule. You are going to crash and burn. Repeatedly. And painfully. It’s part of the learning process, and you’ll emerge on the other side a better person for it. Trust me.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve some catching up to do.