Having problems structuring my day

karaokeman

Hi, sorry for the boring story.
I am currently going into 6th year in school, I have never had a job in my life and now I am having problems structuring my days during the summer.

I want to learn how to play guitar and I want to look more into jobs and college courses and all.
Problem is on summer days I get out of bed and usually I go on the internet a lot or go for long walks with my Dog.

I am never able to decide what time I should practice guitar, or look up colleges, or renew my gym membership.

My friends come over about 2-3 times a week, mainly because many of them don't live in my hometown. I'm hoping that by september it will be easier for me to call down to see them when I have my full driving license.

Is there anything I could do to make my days more organized because I am really worried about getting lazy during the summer.

newtoboards

Set goals for yourself to achieve everyday. Write a to do list and add all tasks you need to do on that list. Update it when necessary and cross out all tasks you've completed. Time box your day like setting an hour for walking the dog, hour for guitar and so on.

tenchi-fan

speaking from experience.. the internet is such a massive waste of time! I literally had to pry myself away from it just to get to the gym this afternoon before closing time. I cannot stress this enough.. the tv and internet are time wasters. Walking your dog is better because at least your brain has time to ponder, in fact this sort of relaxing activity is even more necessary in a busy lifestyle.

I think it's helpful to write down what you want to achieve and when you expect to achieve it by. Then it's just a case of making a leap to get the ball rolling.

I used lists for anything I want to do. Even something like "clean the kitchen. iron clothes" will not get done unless I write it down first. Just write down all the things you want to do the following day, and they will get done!

It works even better for goals. Instead of saying "I want to take guitar lessons", write down "I took guitar lessons and now I can play the guitar." Then expand on this. "My first step was to check the golden pages for guitar tutors. Then I made a phonecall. My first lesson was on Friday. I learned the chord of x, y, and z by the third week."

You're forcing yourself to think out the process and commit to it by writing it down. Another factor is by using the past tense and only positive language you are making your brain adapt! Your brain is confused why you talking about this event it doesn't quite remember, despite the positive impact it had on you, and it will force you to spend your waking moments trying to put this right.

Firetrap

I agree with tenchi-fan. The internet really is a terrible thing for sucking away your free hours. I've cut back on the time I spend online because it really is stopping me doing other things

Making out a timetable like what some students do would be a good start. If you think about it, your school day is structured. It would also serve as a good exercise for you should you go on to do some university courses where you've only got a few classes in the day and have to do a lot of extra work off your own bat.