Structure to my day help needed

A daily/weekly structure is quite an individual thing but one way to start could be to take a sheet of A4 paper and divide it into three vertical columns. Head the columns:  ‘Must Do’, ‘Could Do’ & ‘Want to Do’. Your ‘must do’ would be things like getting up in the morning, showering, tooth brushing etc. Your walk with the dog could be in whichever column you think fits it best. A walk may be an essential thing to do for some people, to help with mental health for instance, but not essential for others because someone else might walk the dog. This method is good for people who like flexibility because once you complete your ‘must do’ column, if you don’t get doing the things in the other columns, they can be carried over to the next day. This notepad on Amazon might give you an idea of the sort of thing to lay out, you can click on the picture to enlarge, you don’t need to buy it unless you want to.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Notepad-Productivity-Planner-Undated-Sheets/dp/B0CR1MVWLM/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_1/522-2046698-5435132?pd_rd_w=zAdCN&content-id=amzn1.sym.bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_p=bb13d3fc-af40-4fff-a822-e0e4c415da96&pf_rd_r=G8XF9EKS81ECY882F9ZY&pd_rd_wg=56CvK&pd_rd_r=a9e12afb-2b67-4df8-b10a-eb342da1aa57&pd_rd_i=B0CR1MVWLM&th=1

Some people like to use a planner or a desk diary with a page per day so that they can allocate blocks of time. Most phones have calendars built in so they would work in a similar way, but if you want, they can also include reminders and audible alerts.

There are apps such as ‘Todo’ that some people find helpful. Just search in the App Store for ‘Daily routine’.

It was a good idea to consider flexibility. There is no point in setting yourself up for failure by having a rigid structure; it wouldn’t achieve anything and could leave you feeling needlessly guilty. If you are wanting to create a structure with activities you don’t usually do, easily attainable goals/activities to start with are better and may give a sense of achievement. 

This is a great answer.

I know I need structure to function and in my really bad times it’s been hard but even if I do a few morning stretches and have a walk that’s enough to stabilise me.

Thank you Lonehare12 

I sympathise with you. I’m glad your morning stretches and walk stabilise you, a healthy thing to do too.

I have had bad times when the usual or desired structure falls apart. Most times I keep a structure in my head - breakfast, news online, emails, sometimes this forum, walk with the dogs. After that it can be gardening, physical exercises, this forum, online research, reading, dog grooming, house cleaning, perhaps TV in the evening. If an appointment or things complicate my day, I get overwhelmed easily and then I would make out a list of the things that definitely need done that day or week. 

Thank you Lonehare12 

I sympathise with you. I’m glad your morning stretches and walk stabilise you, a healthy thing to do too.

I have had bad times when the usual or desired structure falls apart. Most times I keep a structure in my head - breakfast, news online, emails, sometimes this forum, walk with the dogs. After that it can be gardening, physical exercises, this forum, online research, reading, dog grooming, house cleaning, perhaps TV in the evening. If an appointment or things complicate my day, I get overwhelmed easily and then I would make out a list of the things that definitely need done that day or week. 

I tend to not get many emails to be honest so that would be a waste for the structure

That you have enough down to make your day feel more structured is good.

Some people like to structure in ‘free time’, perhaps for two or three hours, so many days per week. That can be used for hobbies, chores, emails, chilling etc. It doesn’t work for everyone though, some people don’t know what to do with spare time although it can be used also for ‘not doing’. 

ArchaeC said:

news online

I really need to start doing this more! I'll fit it in my routine - Thanks for reminder

ArchaeC said:

If an appointment or things complicate my day, I get overwhelmed easily and then I would make out a list of the things that definitely need done that day or week. 

My dad pointed that out and I said I wasn't putting much down but enough to make my days feel more structured, of course some things like my peer support groups can't be altered but if I can only get an appointment when I've put to clean the downstairs toilet, then I'll have to move that later in the day