Time Unhelpful
perhaps its agency that prevents me from wanting to schedule meetings with myself
As I work on habits and good behaviors (Priority List for 2025), I've noticed that time (aka a calendar invite) is never really a good trigger for me. I don't find it easy to do anything at any specified time to any level of consistency that doesn't just end up making me feel guilty about not doing it at the time that I specified.
There are just way too many factors including how well you slept the night before, how sunny it is outside, the type of work that I'm taking on, or where I am in the middle or beginning or end of a project. Time is – at best – a guideline for being able to accomplish roughly what I intend to during any given hour.
This being said, I'm a huge proponent of time-block planning from Cal Newport (see Issue 37: Sixteen Weeks of Time Blocking), but the way that I use it often ends up with a lot of amendments and bandages to the schedule that I start with. I like time-block planning because it sets an intention, but that intention doesn't really end up always getting followed because there's always going to be some kind of shower or nap or long lunch or a walk where I go outside for a while or just doing something entirely different because I feel like it.
A better system for me has been to rely on my energy levels to serve me as a guide.
For example, when I'm in a low energy state, I try to read or to do synthesis activities in Your Commonbase. At medium energy levels, I try to do project management style work or chores. Or working out – something that doesn't require peak mental attention but does require some non trivial level of investment. At the highest energy levels during the day, that's where I try to accomplish my deep work goals, including working on Your Commonbase and some creative coding generally.
