If you are anything like me, finding the perfect balance between work, sleep, and other activities can sometimes seem impossible. Not quite with the 8-8-8 RULE!
We’re juggling every day from one activity to another, from jobs to social lives and sometimes it’s not easy. There are many ways you can organize your time, however, I encountered the 8-8-8 rule – A super simple yet amazing way to organize your day and make sure you’re giving enough time to everything that matters.
Come with me to find out all about this rule, and how you can implement that in your day to day.
What is the 8-8-8 rule?
The 8-8-8 rule is a simple concept of dividing your day in three equal times.
This allows you to be balanced throughout your day, and have time for everything; this is also great as you measure your hours of sleep, leisure, work, and activities all equally.
It should look something like this:
- 8 hours of work
- 8 Hours of rest
- 8 Hours of leisure
Why the 8-8-8 Rule is a Game-Changer?
More Focus (consequently less burnout)
Of course, we naturally work 8 hours a day (or less depending on your job), however, this will be a section where you stay focused.
When you know your work hours are set, it becomes easy to be productive and get stuff done without feeling you’re working all the time.
This is also very important because it builds in you how to manage your time effectively, which will cause less stress and more productivity.
It Creates Balance
Believe it or not, this rule ensures you’re not just working and sleeping, but you should be doing everything!
This means you will have always time to relax or enjoy with your family or friends. It’s about having things in the correct proposition and not doing more of one thing and neglecting the rest.
No Time To Feel Guilty
If you practice this rule correctly, you will have time for yourself, and you shouldn’t be feeling guilty for this.
It’s now your time to relax and you can do whatever you wish in that slot, so it’s great to train your mind in a way that after a long day of work, you will also have a reward at the end which would be anything that will contribute to your well-being and overall happiness.
This allows us as human beings to be more engaged in finishing our tasks.
How To Start Implementing the 8-8-8 Rule?
Now that we know a little bit more about the 8-8-8 rule let’s break down how this would look in real life through simple steps:
Check Your Current Schedule
Before I knew the importance of organizing my day, I was just living one day at a time, not planning, just guessing.
If this is more or less how you live your life, you will have to look at how you’re spending your time right now; you will need to be self-aware of what you are spending your time on, so you can plan.
The first thing you should do is track your week to see more intentionally where your hours are going.
We might think we already know, but trust me, analyze your week first, because sometimes what we have in mind, and what is in reality are two completely different things (writing from experience).
After you have done this, it will give you a clear vision of areas you will have to change to implement this rule.
Non-negotiable’s
Now that you have seen what your schedule is like, and the changes you will have to implement to follow the 8-8-8-8 rule, it’s time to include your non-negotiables.
Non-negotiables are things and duties you may have, that cannot be negotiated or changed, no matter what.
You will want to put here things like work, school, and other commitments you may have that cannot be switched or canceled for any reason.
You need to know what your non-negotiables are for you to be able to complete the blocks in a way that won’t disturb you on your daily tasks.
Example:
If you have work from 9 am to 5 pm that means that nothing can be included in those times, as you already completed 8 hours for 1 of your blocks.
Set Your New Schedule and Communicate with them
As you are now making changes to your schedule, some things may be very different from your previous schedule, so you should communicate these new changes to those around you, or close ones.
You don’t need to ‘’verbally’’ let them know, but you need to demonstrate that the hours that you were ‘before’ available, you no longer are (if it’s going to go over your block).
A simple:
‘’Unfortunately, I am not available’’ should communicate enough that you are not available.
Always do it accordantly to your lifestyle and your workflow or how you will plan your blocks.
This is not to say that if one day you will be doing overtime at work or overtime studying it won’t give room to recompensate in another time block, however, be very alert and always add slots to recompensate for the time you have ‘’lost’’.
Use apps and tools
When it comes to planning your actual schedule, I would normally suggest to do it visually through apps and tools – have it written down.
This will very much depend on your weekly schedule, but I would still do it if you have a busy schedule or not.
You never know when an event will come where you need to prepare for it, and having your schedule already organized for the week, will save you a lot of stress when situations like this arrive.
There will be a few apps I use myself or I highly recommend as they will help you if you’re planning to organize your work, sleep, or fun activities:
- Google Calendar: This is great if you have many tasks in your work. However, you can use it for personal activities too. It is easy to use and you can plan and set reminders. If you have a partner it is also great as you both can use it to plan and share your schedules which makes it much easier to see available times for both.
- Sleep Cycle: This app is one of the best sleeping apps (for me, at least). If you are a heavy sleeper like me you will love it. I am the type of person who only wakes up with the iPhone Clock Alarm, you know? The loud one? Yes! However, every time I use this app, and I use it as my clock alarm, I wake up! Honestly, it’s a good app to use if you are interested in your sleep in general. They also have other cool features you should check out.
- Notes (For iPhone Users Only): I use this app so many times that I honestly think it’s a great app if you’re not into downloading anything onto your phone, and you just want to use something simple and quick. You can place your schedule down, add pictures if you want, and check it when you needed it. If you are into a more minimalistic era, then this app is great for you.
Negotiables
Taking out the hours you have to rest, you have 16 hours left. I like to call these 16 hours the ‘negotiable hours’ where you can be flexible in organizing what to do for the day.
You might want to explore how you organize your 16 hours, however here are a few examples:
Work Schedule:
School Schedule:
Flexible Schedule:
Reflect And Adjust:
Even though some examples were given this is to be used as a guide, so you are able to understand and see how to organize your day accordingly.
But I would also like to stress that if you are not feeling the balance, feel free to tweak some things around to better fit your schedule. This should be completely personalized to your needs and duties throughout the day.
Remember:
It’s all about finding the balance that works for you. Don’t stress too much about sticking to the rules perfectly every day. Just aim for overall balance and adjust what is needed.
Questions You Might Have
What if I can’t fit exactly 8 hours of work, rest, and leisure into my schedule?
It’s all about being flexible. The 8-8-8 rule is a guideline as I stated above. Adjusting the hours to fit your needs while keeping the balance, it’s what’s important.
For example:
You might do 7 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 9 hours of leisure if that works better for you.
How can I make sure I get 8 hours of sleep each night?
Creating a bedtime routine is very needed to regulate your body to become accustomed to your new sleeping hours. Stay away from things like caffeine and other things that might cause your body to stay alert and awake.
Can I use the 8-8-8 rule if I work irregular hours or shifts?
Of course! It might be hard when you’re planning if your work is irregular, however not impossible. You might have to shift things around to fit things.
