Embracing the RV life means every day can be a new adventure. However, amidst the excitement, establishing routines is crucial.

This episode delves into the importance of creating consistent habits while on the road, from daily stretches to monthly vehicle checks.

The Limitations of Traditional Reminders:

• While there are numerous task management tools and reminders available, many lack the discipline to ensure commitment. Understanding these limitations can help listeners find what truly works for them.

Harnessing Google Calendar & Time Blocking:

• Google Calendar, when combined with the technique of time blocking, can be a game-changer. By allocating specific times for tasks, listeners can optimize their productivity and ensure they make the most of their travels.
• Time blocking also aids in coordinating with fellow travelers, ensuring that everyone's commitments are met and expectations are aligned.

Balancing Work and Leisure on the Road:

• Recognizing the different mindsets of part-time and full-time travelers can help in balancing work and leisure. Time blocking bridges the gap, allowing listeners to enjoy their travels without compromising on their responsibilities.

The Power of Recurring Reminders:

• Setting up recurring reminders for essential tasks, such as RV maintenance, ensures that nothing is overlooked. Integrating these reminders into time blocks can streamline task management, ensuring a smooth journey.

Practical Benefits:

• As an example, while doing laundry, one can use the time to deep clean their vehicle. This practical application of time blocking showcases how listeners can multitask efficiently, making the most of their time on the road.

About the Host:

Stuart has been a nomad since 2020, traveling in his 40-foot Super C and 24-foot Sprinter van. He is accompanied by his two cats, Camden and Izzy. You can follow his adventures on Instagram at Stuart Doing Stuff.

Connect With RVDreaming and Stuart:

Call our Hotline and Leave Us a Message: 714-623-0924

Follow Stuart on Instagram: StuartDoingStuff

Follow RVDreaming on Facebook: RVDreamingTV

Check Out Our Website: RVDreaming.tv

Affiliate Links From The Podcast:

Harvest Hosts | Boondockers Welcome | RVLife Trip Wizard

Battle Born Batteries

Want to be a guest on our program? 

Reach Out! Stuart@RVDreaming.tv

Stuart Doing Stuff: People start

the RV life or van life because

2

every day is a new adventure.

3

New places, new sights, new people, but

between all of the new and all of the

4

exciting, there's still the routine.

5

Stay tuned as we talk about

building on the road routines,

6

daily, weekly, and monthly habits.

7

From sunrise stretches to monthly

mileage checks, this episode will guide

8

you in creating habits that stick.

9

So pack your bags and your

best intentions, and let's

10

hit the road to routine!

11

How's it going and welcome to RV Dreaming.

12

In this podcast, we help you

prepare for life on the road.

13

Whether you're in a van, an RV, or in

the back of your car, we teach you how

14

to get on the road and how to survive

your first year as a full time nomad.

15

RV Dreaming starts here.

16

Go anywhere.

17

My name is Stuart from

StuartDoingStuff on Instagram.

18

I've been a nomad since 2020, and I

split my time between my 40 foot Super

19

C and my 24 foot Sprinter van, and I

travel with my two cats, Camden and Izzy.

20

Follow me on Instagram at StuartDoingStuff

for more stories and videos.

21

So, as we talk about routines and

getting into the habit of stuff,

22

I think I've tried them all.

23

I've tried task management software,

I've tried reminders, I've tried push

24

notifications, I've tried all the

little gadgets free and paid that

25

come with your cell phone and on

your phones like notes and reminders

26

on your iPhone and stuff like that.

27

And...

28

I, I, I, I found that I just am

not that disciplined in using those

29

because I see a reminder, and I set

it, and then I say, okay, I need to

30

make sure I do this by Monday at 9 a.

31

m.

32

I set a reminder at Monday at 9 a.

33

m., and then Monday 9 a.

34

m.

35

comes around, and then that snooze

button, that postpone, or that change

36

is so convenient to where you just go,

I just don't feel like doing that today.

37

And I'm just gonna, like, ignore it.

38

It doesn't have that push, you know?

39

You have to have a really big

self discipline to be able

40

to really make that work.

41

And unfortunately, I don't always do that.

42

Just because you're always on the

road and maybe you thought it was

43

going to be okay if you drive late

one night and you wake up and you're

44

like, Oh my gosh, I'm just so tired.

45

Or you end up meeting some friends

on the road and staying out a

46

little later than you planned but

you wanted to get up and all that.

47

So anyways, I...

48

I use Google Calendar, and this

is really what my routine is.

49

Google Calendar is my best friend.,

I use it, but I use it to get tasks,

50

and I use it for reminders and

stuff, but Google Calendar is really

51

what I do, because I use this thing

called time blocking in my day.

52

So I don't, I don't know

if you're familiar with it.

53

So every day, I try and do...

54

I

55

try to I try to keep the same routine.

56

So, no matter what time I go to

bed, I always try and be up at 7am.

57

My alarm starts at 7am, I'm

up at 7am, and I try and start

58

working just kind of right away.

59

I've always found that I'm freshest

right in the early morning.

60

So I'll wake up, I'll put a

pot of coffee on, and I just...

61

Dive right into everything.

62

I need to do.

63

I'm fresh.

64

I'm motivated.

65

I'm energized.

66

And I just, I just kind

of dive right into that.

67

And so I represent that in

my time blocking schedule.

68

So when I know I have to get

certain done things done.

69

Actually, let me back up a little bit.

70

My morning is when I work, because

that's when I'm the freshest.

71

My afternoon is when I go out and play.

72

Uh, because I'm always traveling,

and I want to go and explore a city,

73

I want to go see what's going on.

74

So, I know that from 7am until about noon,

or 1, or whenever I'm I have that time.

75

That's when I know I need to be

the most productive that I can be.

76

I know that's when I need to get all

my chores done, all my work tasks done.

77

I need to record my podcast.

78

I need to do my interviews.

79

I need to respond to emails.

80

I need to do all of that stuff.

81

I go hard from 7am until like noon

or until I start getting hungry

82

for lunch or something like that.

83

Cause by this time I'm on my

second or third cup of coffee.

84

I got the little jitters and I

was like, okay, that's about it.

85

So.

86

I really just sit down and I, I

go, this is what I need to do.

87

And I do the style of time

blocking, like I mentioned.

88

And if you're not familiar with time

blocking, time blocking is a time

89

management strategy that involves dividing

your day into smaller blocks at times.

90

So each block is dedicated to a specific

tap or a group of similar tasks.

91

For example, you might block

time in checking email or working

92

on a project or taking a break.

93

And that's important too, because I

do say I don't want to do anything

94

from this time to this time.

95

I do block out schedules on this.

96

But what I'll do is I'll say for

these two hours, from like 9 a.

97

m.

98

to 11 a.

99

m., I need to wash the van.

100

I need to check the tire pressure.

101

I need to get gas.

102

I need to, you know, and I kind

of group all these little errands.

103

I need to go pick up an order from the

store or pick up an Amazon package.

104

You know, I know during that two

hours, that's what I need to do.

105

I need to go get propane.

106

You know, I, I use that time block

to say these are my, this is my two

107

hours where I need to run my errands.

108

Other things might be during this hour

or during this, uh, two hour window.

109

I'm going to record and edit a podcast.

110

I'm going to work on research.

111

I'm going to respond to emails.

112

I'm going to work on a coming

project or something like that.

113

So I know that during that time,

that's where my focus needs to be.

114

That's where I'm, I'm dedicated towards.

115

And, and that's what I'm looking

at as opposed to just having it

116

on a list where it's just a whole

bunch of random thoughts and tasks.

117

I like to take those random thoughts

and tasks and give it groupings.

118

So I know that.

119

Everything kind of flows.

120

Easily.

121

And that everything

comes together nicely.

122

So I do all of that and I try and

make one thing flow into another and

123

group everything that I need to do.

124

And I do have my routines.

125

I work early, get everything

done because I want to play.

126

I want to go out and

explore wherever I'm at.

127

Every day after 12 or 1 o'clock, you

know, or if I'm going to travel, I'll

128

do it after that point, after 12 or 1

or 2 o'clock rolls around and I know

129

I got a 3 hour drive, that's when

I'm going to go and take my drives.

130

I tend to not respond to work emails

later in the day, unless it's urgent.

131

I might see it and I might kind of

span on it, but if my head's not in

132

that space where they're thinking it's

not an urgent task, I'll say, you know

133

what, I'll wait for tonight, or I'll

do it first thing tomorrow morning.

134

But if it's not an urgent task

and my head's not in it, you know,

135

it's really hard to shift gears.

136

From when you're out being fun and social

and exploring, to, wait, I need to, I

137

need to think this thing through because

my decision here is going to affect

138

so many other different people where I

need to make sure that I have my head

139

on straight and I can see it all the way

through when trying to figure stuff out.

140

So heavy stuff, you know,

things that require thought and

141

determination and stuff like that.

142

I tend to push off into the next

day or into the next morning.

143

Easy stuff is like yes, no, whatever.

144

Most of my team knows that in the

afternoons, just text me if you have

145

a simple yes or no question or you're

just not clear on something that's a

146

really simple thing, but for these heavy

discussions that you have, those always

147

get pushed off for me until the morning.

148

Another great thing that I use time

blocking for is it allows me to plan

149

my day when I'm traveling with other

people so some people say I'm too

150

organized and I'm a clock watcher

But here's my thing about that.

151

I, I want to know, like, if we're

going to go off roading, or we're

152

going to go and explore a town, or

we're going to go do something, I want

153

to know what time are we going to go.

154

Because, if they say we're

going to go at 2, and it's 1.

155

15, I don't want to start a

project that's an hour project,

156

and then push and be late.

157

And, and, and make everyone

else late, you know what I mean?

158

If I know that it's, uh, it's 1.

159

15 and they say we're leaving at 2, I can

go through my task list, I can go through

160

my emails, I can go through little things,

and I can find something that will take

161

up, you know, these little nickel and dime

5 minute, 3 minute tasks on my to do list.

162

To plug in that 45 minute hole or just

do nothing at all, you know, but my fear

163

is I don't want to start a project like

if I know it's 115 and we're leaving it

164

to, it makes no sense for me to break

out all of my recording gear, all the

165

video gear, all the stuff that I need to

record a 30 minute podcast and then edit

166

when we know we're leaving in 45 minutes.

167

I know that that's just not going to

work, so that's why I like the time

168

blocking thing so I can easily coordinate

with other members of my group.

169

and other travel partners.

170

So that way, if we say we're gonna go at

two, at least I know I'll be ready by two.

171

There might be other people that

aren't, but that's, I'm not going to

172

be the reason that we aren't off on

time or we miss a tram or shuttle or

173

reservations or whatever it is that it is.

174

So that's, that's why I

like the time blocking.

175

So that way I don't overcommit my time.

176

When I know I have other

commitments down the line

177

the other reason why I kind of like

this method is I don't want my work to

178

get in the way of my travel plans and

plans to explore I mean, I'm always on

179

my phone cuz I'm checking things just

because sometimes people can't take the

180

next step until I respond back But if

it's a simple yes or no question, I can

181

make sure that they remain productive

But sometimes when you're just out

182

and about, the last thing that you

want to think about is work, right?

183

Especially, so I travel with full

timers and I travel with part timers.

184

One of the things I realized is people

who are part timers, or weekenders, travel

185

completely different than full timers.

186

So those part timers, those

weekenders, they're on vacation mode.

187

You know, they're popping

up in a beer at 8.

188

30 in the morning or 9 o'clock, and

they're just out having a good old time.

189

Whereas I'm still just

like, hey, I still got...

190

Stuff I've got to do, you know, I'm

at home, just like when you're at home

191

and it's a Saturday morning, you might,

or a Sunday morning, you might have

192

the football game on or something like

that, but you still have to sweep and

193

mop and vacuum, so you might be doing

multitasking kinds of stuff, you know,

194

but these guys, they're on vacation

and when you are on vacation, you're

195

in your hotel room and you're out and,

you know, and doing this kind of thing,

196

you're in a different mindset too.

197

So it's hard to merge

those mindsets to be exact.

198

So that's why I like

the time blocking thing.

199

So that way I can kind of, yeah.

200

Schedule, and I can set my

expectations, and I know my, my

201

frame of mind is going to be at a

specific place at a specific time.

202

The other reason why I like the

time blocking mechanism and Google

203

Calendar, Is because it allows me to

put recurring reminders in my calendar.

204

So, recurring reminders can be

like, , Lubricating your slides.

205

If you have that, you know, every

three months or four months, you

206

need to lubricate all your slides.

207

You just pick a day, say January

1st or March 1st or whatever.

208

And then you say every three months

or every four months, it's just

209

going to pop up on that calendar.

210

And what I do is I see it on my reminders.

211

I see it on my recurring

and then I insert it.

212

Into one of my time block sessions.

213

So when I see that, oh, it's coming up

where I need to check my tire pressures

214

It's coming up where I need to check

my oils and all this other kinds of

215

stuff I'll combine that with some other

RV tasks like lubricating the slides

216

or your windows or whatever that needs

to be and then I'll take that chunk

217

and I'll plop it Into a two hour or

a three hour window in my calendar

218

and that's what I know Hey, I'm going

to get all this stuff done today.

219

That's, that's my thing where I know

I'm going to be working on the rig.

220

This is my two hour or my three hour

window to get all this stuff done.

221

It doesn't mean that, hey, October

1st comes around and your little

222

reminder comes up and says,

Hey, you got to do this today.

223

You mean you need to do it that day?

224

It's just telling you, build some time

in for all of these kinds of things.

225

And as you kind of realize, as you kind

of go through this process, you're going

226

to realize that certain tasks Just are

grouped together well when you do certain

227

things like here's an example when I

go and I do laundry And I head out to

228

the laundry mat I know that I've got

maybe two hours at the laundromat And

229

that's also when I do a deep cleaning

of the van because all my sheets all my

230

pillows all my stuff They're out of the

van so that allows me to get into nooks

231

and crannies to vacuum out crevices

to do a good sweeping and mopping of

232

the floors and so I know I do laundry

every, what, 10 to 14 days or so.

233

So I know that every 10 or 14 days,

my van is going to get a really

234

good detail, a really good cleaning.

235

So nothing really ever lingers.

236

And that's where I think we fill.

237

As humans, we get so far behind

on a task, you go, Oh my gosh, how

238

am I ever going to get caught up?

239

And so that task just kind of lingers out

there, and the problem keeps getting worse

240

and worse and worse and worse and worse,

and then all of a sudden you're, you know,

241

you're living in a new reality where,

Oh, this is just the way that it is.

242

Well, no, it's never

supposed to be that way.

243

It's not supposed to be that way.

244

You just gotta find the time to

be able to do it, and that's why I

245

utilize a time blocking mechanism.

246

I've tried a lot of other ones, this one

just is the one that works well for me.

247

Another thing when I'm out, most of

the people who I know, that I work

248

with regularly, and communicate with

regularly, they're either nomads,

249

Themselves so they understand the ifs

and this and travel days and on all that

250

so we understand each other You know, we

don't need to explain each other But for

251

the other people who I work with that

aren't that are maybe work from home

252

or going to an office still, you know

They don't understand the whole process.

253

So I make sure I explain it to

them and especially if I'm going to

254

be gone Extended lengths of time.

255

Like if I'm out of the burn at Burning Man

or somewhere deep into some boondocking

256

areas where there is no cell reception,

maybe you're in a forest and you don't get

257

really good,, starling reception as well.

258

I let them know in advance.

259

I say, Hey, just so that you know,

I'm going to be out of service in the

260

afternoons, but every morning I'm going

to drive into town from seven to 10.

261

And I'll make sure I'm always

available during that time.

262

But in the event that.

263

You need me after that?

264

There's a good chance I may not be able

to get your message until the next day.

265

So that gets them thinking too, about,

hey, do I need to line up my questions?

266

Or, is this really a 5 minute phone

call as opposed to 40 different emails?

267

You know, so, we kind of...

268

Really get into that tune and that's

taken me a while to get into as well But

269

for the most part people get it people

understand it and I think in the end

270

more people appreciate it just because

You're being respectful of their time.

271

Don't you just hate it when you send

out an email to somebody and You don't

272

know if they got it, you don't know if

they looked at it, you don't know when

273

you're going to respond, and you're

waiting for an answer because their

274

answer is going to depend on what you do.

275

You know, this time blocking method and

this open communication on the style,

276

it really has solved and helped prevent

a lot of miscommunications, a lot of

277

problems, and a lot of time wasted.

278

Because, you know, the short of it is...

279

The summary here is even though

every day is a new day And we can

280

wake up in a different location

every day and we can have different

281

experiences and meet new people There

are still things that are the same.

282

There still are routines There are still

are things that we have to do in the

283

regular world because we're communicating

with people We're working from the road

284

and just having that kind of standard

set routine where people can know You

285

know your schedule, know your patterns.

286

It makes it easier for them.

287

And that's why I like this.

288

And I, I like to be organized.

289

I like to keep things straight in my head.

290

Where I know I'm not

going to miss anything.

291

Or I can be in the right frame

of mind to solve a problem.

292

And, and that's really the big thing.

293

I can't go from doing this marketing.

294

Project over here and learning more about

this business thing at the same time

295

trying to diagnose my solar and do it

up on the top No, I need I want to be in

296

that mechanical headspace when I'm trying

to think solar when I'm trying to get my

297

hands dirty when I know that I'm gonna

be crawling up and down rigs and up and

298

down ladders and stuff like that I want

to be in that same headspace that time

299

blocking mechanism allows me to look at

that So when I go to bed at night and

300

I wake up in the morning and I look at

that calendar and I say, okay What I'm

301

doing tomorrow And I go, oh, it's podcast

recording day, or if I go, oh, it's van

302

work day, or oh, I'm going to be stuck

in front of a computer doing emails and

303

stuff like that today, or I even get into

this habit, it's a two hour or sometimes

304

it's a one hour block of learn something

new, dive deeper into SEO, like for me,

305

dive deeper into SEO, dive deeper into

podcast marketing, dive deeper into AI,

306

you know, this helps keep me On track and

focused and the reminders and the tasks

307

and all the things that are on your phone.

308

Uh, like I used Asana, I've used a

lot of other project management and

309

time, they just, they don't have

that, that sense of, um, urgency,

310

I guess is the best way to say it.

311

That, that I need and that

I've come to appreciate.

312

So, that is my secret on how I...

313

Have a routine, how I create my routines

daily, weekly, and monthly, how I

314

track my business side, how I track

my travel side, how I communicate with

315

people from the outside world who are

still in their sticks and bricks, and

316

that's how I kind of move forward.

317

Now, every day is a new day, not every

day is the same, but for the most

318

part, I like to be up at 7, I like

to be able to start my day with some

319

coffee, jump into the news, and just

start on the hard stuff right away.

320

I don't want big headaches,

big projects, following me into

321

the afternoon and the evening.

322

That's just my style, everyone has their

strengths on what works best for them,

323

and as you start developing your habits,

when you get onto the road, you're

324

gonna find that certain things work

great for you, and certain things don't.

325

Now, here's the other thing.

326

I am probably going to need to

change some of my habits pretty soon.

327

Because as the days get shorter, I like

to be parked in my campsite before dark.

328

Like, I don't want to rush, I don't

want to go into dark campsites,

329

especially if you're boondocking or

going into a place you've never been.

330

So, right now, during the summer, I

could leave a campsite or a boondocking

331

spot at like 2 or 3, drive for 3 or 4

hours, and still have plenty of daylight

332

to be able to do what I need to do.

333

But coming up here in just a few weeks,

we're going to be changing our clocks, and

334

now it's going to start getting dark at 5.

335

Which means I can't leave at 2 o'clock in

the afternoon and get a 4 hour drive day

336

in without it being dark upon my arrival.

337

So everything's going to have

to shift back for a little bit.

338

So if I have a 4 hour drive, I'm going to

need to leave no later than 11 or 12 to be

339

able to get to a spot where I want to be.

340

Get settled before the

sun starts going down.

341

So always having some adjustments,

always having some, you know, changes

342

and some tweaks here and there.

343

And I don't know about you,

but I am not happy about this

344

whole daylight savings thing.

345

I am not, I want longer days.

346

Like, I want, I want light up

until 8 or 9 o'clock at night.

347

It just makes everything

so much more fulfilling.

348

That's just me talking though.

349

Anyways.

350

I hope you got something

out of this podcast.

351

, and, and I appreciate you taking a little

bit of time to, for me to share my day.

352

And how I organize and how I think.

353

Um, and tackle certain projects.

354

But again, it's gonna be

different for everyone.

355

Utilize the tools that I talked about.

356

I really believe in that

time blocking thing.

357

It's working well for me I've been

doing it for about a year now and it's

358

really been the easiest thing for me

When trying to manage my life on the

359

road So now thank you for listening to

the RV dream podcast If you like what

360

you heard or you got something out of

this episode Please take a moment and

361

leave us a review on Apple podcast or

Spotify It really helps us get more

362

exposure and it helps more people just

like you thrive on the road Until next

363

time Enjoy your travels, make them safe,

make them fun, and make them memorable.

364

RV Dreaming, start here, go anywhere.

365

I'll see you in the next episode.