STRUCTURING YOUR TIME

The slot method is great for planning out the future. If you schedule out into the future all of your slots as blank appointments, then when it comes to scheduling work, you will feel more compelled to put something meaningful into the blank slots. In an electronic calendar, you can set up recurring appointments in the future. (Once you are in the habit of planning by using the slot system, you won’t need to keep the recurring appointments.)

Planning this way is also great for ensuring work–life balance. I created the slot system when I was working in a job where I had quite a lot of leeway in planning my activities. The one thing I found was that without any scheduled activities after work, I would end up working late, just going home, having dinner and watching TV. By using the slot method, I felt more obliged to fill my evenings with things that were more fun.