I Enjoy the Things I Love Whenever I Get a Break Between Shifts
Hi! I’ve been working at a public railway company for six years. Because of the nature of my job, I work shifts. Whenever I have some free time, I take ballet classes, decorate my journal, and sing in a choir. Recently, I’ve also gotten into playing TRPGs online. There are so many things I enjoy, so I always try to make the most of my time.
It Was Hard to Manage My Irregular Shifts with a Regular Calendar App
Although my work schedule is irregular, I still try to maintain a regular routine. That’s why it was difficult to create a routine using a regular calendar app. I made an Excel calendar to keep track of my hobbies, but since it doesn’t send notifications, I always have to open it and check it myself. I also considered writing everything in my journal, but because I don’t carry it around all the time, I tend to use it more to look back on what I did than to plan what’s ahead.
Recurring Events and Reminders Help Me Stay on Top of Both Work and Hobbies
I first discovered TimeBlocks in 2019, so I’ve been using it for more than six years now. Back then, there weren’t many apps that could clearly display my shift schedule while also letting me keep track of my personal plans. What I especially liked about TimeBlocks was that it offered so many ways to personalize my calendar with themes and stickers.
With other apps, recurring events were often limited to certain days of the week or weekly intervals. Setting an event to repeat every few days usually required a paid subscription. TimeBlocks, however, let me set events to repeat every few days even on the free plan, which was really convenient.
I first created recurring events for each type of work shift, then added my ballet classes according to my schedule. I can set reminders for exactly when I need them, so I don’t miss ballet class even after finishing a night shift in the morning. Recurring to-dos are another big advantage. I used to forget tasks that had to be done on a particular day of a particular week, but recurring tasks and reminders now help me get them done on time.
TimeBlocks also makes it easier to plan meetups with friends. I organize my work shifts into categories, so when I take a screenshot to share with friends, I can hide only the personal plans on my days off. This helps them understand my schedule more quickly, and we can make plans without going back and forth for too long. Even when I’m not sharing my schedule through KakaoTalk, I can add a widget to my home screen and check my plans at a glance.
I’d Love to Customize the Widget to Fit My Style
Possibly because of a recent Galaxy UI update, some of the home screen widget features have changed. Previously, I could make the widget transparent and resize it even after applying a theme, but now neither option seems to be available. I like having the calendar fill the entire screen, so I hope the widget can be resized again.
Also, completed to-do lists occasionally reappear after their scheduled period has ended, and I’d love to see that fixed as well.
