Productivity & Time Management Tips: Alarms ⏰
Something I’ve been trying to improve this year is my at-home productivity. Not that there’s anything wrong with vegging out, but it’s too easy for me to get sucked into Netflix or Instagram and forget to do important things (thanks ADHD). So I’ve been experimenting with setting up some alarms on my phone to help remind me to do things around the house. At first I was hesitant to schedule my life so minutely—would this just turn me into a boring robot? But something I’ve learned about myself in the last year is that I really thrive with a routine, so I gave the alarm reminders a chance.
A screenshot of the alarm app on my phone. I have 3 alarms set. 5:45 Dinner. 6:45 Clean for 30 mins. 7:15 Check Panner for To-Dos.
I’m particularly bad about waiting too late to start dinner, only to realize I’m starving and grab fast food or order out. By setting an alarm to start dinner before I’m usually hungry, I’ve saved a lot of money and food waste, and I’ve been eating more nutritious meals.
The cleaning alarm has helped me maintain a cleaner home throughout the week rather than spending hours on the weekend catching up (though this still happens from time to time). I am a very messy person, and yet, I find nothing more stressful than a messy home. This stress gets worse when I’m working from home, so anything to help keeps things manageable is perfect.
During the day, I write down things I need to do when I get home, but I usually forget to check my planner. Reminding myself to go check it has helped to keep my weekends free from doing a million chores that I’ve forgotten to do during the week.
This has not been a flawless process, but I have seen improvement in my anxiety and overall mood when I stick to it. My main goal this year has been to work towards progress and not perfection. This system has been a great example of that ideal. If you find yourself having a similar issue with at-home time management, give this a try! I’d love to hear if you’ve found this tip helpful.