Ask HN: How Do You Manage and Schedule Everything in Your Life?

[ibohdz]

With all the tasks we need to juggle in modern life - work, family, friends, hobbies - finding the right balance can be quite challenging. I'm curious about how everyone effectively manages their time and how they keep track of their schedules.

Do you prefer traditional methods like physical planners or more modern approaches like digital calendars? Have anyone of you explored AI solutions for time management, as I recently came across an easy AI scheduling tool that piqued my interest.

Share your experiences with time management and any useful tips or tools that you rely on. It's always great to learn from others and improve our own strategies!

[ggwp99]

Our firm is remote so one night before, I set the 3 main goals that I should do today, and schedule all meetings that need to be done + block out family time/workout/breaks ahead so no one can schedule a meeting at that time. Wake up the next day, check what needs to be done and create a mini schedule on a paper or notes about how can I divide my day depending on it. Works like a charm.

[annie_muss]

I use a calendar for appointments that are set in stone. You need to be in a place at a particular time and not doing so would let someone down or mess something up in a big way. Meetings, appointments etc.

I then have a todo list for each context or area. A home to do list, a work one, a study one. These are separate notion pages at the moment but the tool isn't important. It's important that you can't see todos from different contexts, only the one you're focusing on right now.

I have an automatic time tracking tool on my work computer so I can see what apps and files were open when. This is helpful for seeing what I actually did.

[markus_zhang]

None. Just tag the most urgent and forget about the rest. In 40s I realized that most stuffs in life can be dropped.

[shortrounddev2]

I schedule as few things as possible and mostly just go with the flow, doing things when the fancy passes me

[tyroh]

All of my planning is digital, so that it's easy to see across devices and by other people.

Important + Urgent = Add as event in calendar for today Important + Not-urgent = Calendar event but for a later date, or todo list Not Important + Urgent = Calendar event for someone else in the team Not Important + Not Urgent = Todo list

[trilinearnz]

For things like doctor's appointments and being at home for tradespeople, I just put them in my work Outlook calendar as 'private' appointments. I may also make an alarm on my phone for 10-20 minutes beforehand, just in case I'm away from my desk. Nothing beyond that.

[ensocode]

Similar to the other comments. Google calendar for scheduling meetings. I get notifications some days before the appointments to the phone, so I am not surprised and have time for detailed planning. For todos I use Kanboard with different columns. First is "Today", Then different "Customer Projects", "General Company stuff", "Private/Family". At the end of each day I prepare the Today column for tomorrow with tasks from the other Columns. Simple, but efficient enough for me. However, there is no linking between calendar appointments and tasks. So there is room for improvement. Any ideas on that? Thanks.

[legrande]

I don't use it, but I've heard Tutanota's calendar[0] feature is good, since it's encrypted and more private than say, something like Notion.

But to answer your question, I'm typically warned well in advance of any social outings, and I plan my life according to those events.

[0] https://tutanota.com/calendar/

[ackatz]

I use https://noteplan.co/

It is a planner/note-taking app that connects to your calendar and you can drag and drop "tasks" onto certain days, create notes that link to certain meetings, and time-block your days well in advance.

[ezedv]

Managing and scheduling everything can be overwhelming, but I've found a combination of digital tools and old-fashioned pen and paper works best for me. I use calendar apps for appointments and deadlines, while to-do lists keep me organized. Finding a system that suits your style is key!

[fidla]

I have two apps that I use everyday. Google calendar and Google clock

[askafriend]

Google Calendar and Apple Notes - the unstoppable duo.

[a_lifters_life]

digital calendar for nearly everything