Schedule Lists

Ellen Schedule.jpeg

A schedule of day-to-day and hour-to-hour tasks.

Schedule lists, like task lists, articulate tasks to be completed, and in this example, the author uses an "x" to mark items after they have been taken care of. However, unlike a simple list of things to do, the schedule list goes a step further and denotes the particular order in which the various professional and personal chores should be finished. 

In addition to identifying homework assignments and personal chores, the schedule list also denotes times that are occupied by specific activities or occupations (and thus, when no other tasks can be completed). These include class meetings, driving, and even sleep. 

This list organizes life in manageable chunks of time, indicating how long certain projects should take, when work on them is to begin and end, and in what order they should be done. In a broader sense, schedule lists provide clear distinctions between "work time" and "personal time." In this example, time with a loved one is clearly marked, and the reader can infer that times not included on the schedule are also fair game for whatever activities the list-maker desires to engage in. In this sense, schedule lists allow individuals without set "work" hours to determine when work will begin and end (even if this requires strict adherence to the list without external reinforcement).