[Method] I've gone from endless to-dos to structured days. Just because of these 2 underrated strategies of time management

This is a familiar feeling with many…

Hustling hard, but never really getting anywhere. You'd finish one task only to have three more pop up. By evening, even if you cross off several items, the guilt of what remains is annoying.

I came across Day Theming & Time boxing to solve this. And they've changed the way I manage my days… leaving me guilt-free time to enjoy after work.

Time-blocking: You divide your day into chunks where each chunk is dedicated to a specific task. So instead of a huge to-do list, you know exactly what you're working on and when.

Pro tip: Before you time block, prioritize your tasks. I use Sunsama to prioritize tasks, label them with themes, and drag them to your calendar accordingly.

Day-theming: Instead of breaking your day into different tasks, you dedicate your entire day to one particular theme or area of work. For example, as a software developer, you could have:

- Monday: Brainstorming new features
- Tuesday: Hardcore coding
- Wednesday: Reviewing codes
- Thursday: More coding
- Friday: Fixing bugs

With these techniques, I've found myself:

1. Having a clearer mind, thanks to having tasks scheduled.
2. Sleeping better, knowing exactly what the next day looks like.
3. Getting better at saying 'no' without guilt.

I've spilled my productivity secrets. What are yours? How do you prevent endless to-dos from guilt-tripping you?