The objection that some people raise to scheduling is that it cuts into their `freedom.' While it is true that following a schedule might take away from one's spontaneity, the claim that it makes one a slave is utterly false. The basis of this error is a misunderstanding-- all too prevalent these days-- of the nature of freedom.
There are really several kinds of freedom. The misunderstanding results from the confusion of two kinds of freedom.
First, the freedom to choose, is primarily what people have in mind then they talk of freedom or free will. This form of freedom is observable in the fact that, after we perform a free act, we know that we could have done other than we did. It means that a human person cannot be forced to perform any free act against his will. This is a negative form of freedom, because it is a freedom from external necessity (such as physical coersion).
Second and more important is the freedom to determine oneself, to form oneself and one's acts. The is a positive freedom because it is a freedom for one's goal or end. Implicitly present in this freedom is the existence of free will, so it is a higher form of freedom.
Nevertheless, a superficial understanding of this form of freedom might lead one to believe that it is the opposite of the first kind of freedom, and thus not freedom at all. This misunderstanding results from the fact that one must often set aside what one desires at any particular instant in order to be available for a greater good. For example, on a sunny spring day before exams, one might be tempted to set aside one's books and to enjoy a day in the park. One is certainly free, in the first sense, to do so. However, failure to study for a class often results in failure to pass that class or to learn as well as one should. So, if one studies, he becomes free to pass the exam, and his new knowledge enables him to better fulfill his goal in life.
All we have done here is to widen our perspective. Instead of restricting ourselves to a definition of freedom as `the ability to do whatever I want at any given instant,' we have taken as freedom's definition `the ability to do what I want with my life as a whole.' Do you see now? You cannot hope to achieve your goals in life unless you discipline yourself to order your acts in conformity with your goals. Otherwise, your acts will not get you anywhere; like a child who forever vacillates between two delightful treats held in opposite directions.
That's why scheduling is so important: it enables you to order your use of time so that you can achieve your goal in life.
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