I live by my schedule.

I’m not quite down to the minute, but I actually set aside time to plot out the next week — so you get the idea.

I have alarms set for when I need to wake up and when I need to be in bed, lights out. I have designated study hours each day.

My workout schedule is as integrated into my class schedule as my part time job is.

And honestly, as boring as that makes me sound, my life is better for it. I know when I’m free — I know when I can sit back and relax.

I know when I can curl up with a book or fight dragons on my TV.

The only thing I don’t schedule is my free time. Yes, I realize that makes no sense when I put it that way.

See, even though I am uptight enough to have cats’ litter box on a set schedule (don’t judge), I keep my free time rather loose.

I know when it’s going to occur each day, but I don’t let myself plan what is going to take place in it.

It’s my moment to take a deep breath and stop thinking about if I’ll be able to finish that paper in the hour and a half I’ve set aside for it on Wednesday and live in the moment on Tuesday.

But even though I take breaks from my down to the minute schedule (bedtime tonight is 10:34 p.m. on the dot), I can’t say that I regret the time I put into planning my daily life.

I know people who live by the seat of their pants — and it suits them.

But when I tried it, I spent so much time worrying that I couldn’t enjoy life.

See, we type-A personalities get a bad rap — we’re so scheduled we can’t have fun, right?

Nope.

Like I said above, I’m happier when I have my day planned down to the minute. Of course, that’s going to drive some people batty.

And as much as I enjoy the ribbing I get from living by my calender, sometimes I do need to speak out. Sure, it’s a tiny issue on the grand scheme of things, but how many of you out there have actually tried living by a schedule?

For some of you, it won’t work — you’ll be miserable by the end, but wiser. For the rest of you, you’ll never look back.

Here’s how to start. Pick an evening and sit down with a calendar.

If you don’t have one, I recommend Google. Plan out your week. Start with the stuff you can’t change — things like classes and work hours.

Then, plug in the hours you’ll be sleeping (I try to schedule mine to sync up with REM schedules…but even I’ll admit that I take that aspect a bit far).

From there plan other necessities — meals, grocery shopping, workouts, and so on. At this point in the school year, you should have a pretty good estimate on how much time you’ll need to study for each class.

Place that into the schedule.

Meeting up with friends?

Place it in the schedule.

Any other necessities you have, just stick in where you have room.

See all those blank chunks? That’s your free time, and for pity’s sake don’t map that out.

Freedom is essential here. This is your breathing room. If scheduling were a workout, this is the rest period between sets.

Then, stick to it. If you aren’t used to the scheduled life, this week will be rough — tough it out.

You’ll know by the end if this method is or isn’t for you.

The last piece of advice I have for you is not to take the schedule so seriously that it eclipses your life.

Stay flexible — that’s the key to making any schedule work is to be able to change it on a moment’s notice.

Or, you can take the simpler route: Put this article down and go live life. If scheduling is something that helps you, go for it.

If it just makes you tear out your hair in frustration, go be free.

You do you.

Kjerstine Trooien is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].