I usually waste a lot of my time on things that don't matter and as I'm getting older it's becoming a bigger priority for me to spend my time wisely. This year I resolved to get this part of my life under control. I think the best way to do it is to have a daily routine. When I tried to force a routine on myself, I realized there are three problems I need to solve:<p><pre><code>  - Sometimes I just don't want to do things in the scheduled order
  - Sometimes other things take priority so I can't stick to schedule
  - I cannot force myself to have a regular sleep schedule
</code></pre>
I solved the first two problems in the following way. I divide the day into four hour chunks. The rule is, I can rearrange the tasks within a chunk any way I want, but they must be done within the designated chunk. If something prevents me from doing a task, when I get back on schedule I can drop any of the items within the chunk I'm currently in, but not in any other chunks. This way I have enough flexibility to do the things I want (or can), but enough structure that I don't lose track of things.<p>But I can't solve the third problem. My natural sleep schedule is very irregular. If I go to sleep at a given time, I can't fall asleep, and can't wake up in the morning. If I sleep when I want, my schedule becomes very irregular (I end up going to sleep on different times every day, usually my sleep time shifting later and later into the night until I flip over). Every time I was forced to keep a sleeping schedule (for a full-time job), I have been very unproductive and miserable.<p>This has been the biggest stumbling block to implementing a daily routine. Does anyone have a similar problem? How do you solve it? All the standard remedies (exercise, etc.) don't help me go to sleep at a regular time, and I don't want to force myself to sleep via OTC medication. Perhaps I can work around it? Or force a schedule somehow? How do you do it?
Ask YC: [How] do you maintain a daily routine?