Picture this: you’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet with an overwhelming spread of food. You start piling your plate with a little bit of everything that catches your eye. The main courses, interesting sides, and tempting desserts – they all find their way onto your plate. But there’s a catch – the main courses are placed at the END of the buffet table. Why do we do that, anyway? So, by the time you reach them, your plate is already full. Now, you face a dilemma: skip the main course or awkwardly pile it on top of everything else.
In many ways, managing our schedule can be like this massive food line. Our days get filled up with various demands, commitments, and tasks, leaving little room for what truly matters. We let other people, emails and the tyranny of the urgent decide what gets put on our plate. Let’s change that. Following are two invaluable tips to help us take control of our calendar and maximize our overall effectiveness.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey
The Three Assets to Daily Manage
Before we dive in, let’s acknowledge that we all have the same three assets to manage throughout our days. When we take control of each of them, we are empowered to live the life we desire.
- Time: We each have 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We can’t change how much is allotted to us, but we can change how we spend it.
- Energy: We each have a certain amount of emotional energy, physical energy and intellectual energy. It varies for each of us. Often, our energy is determined by our choices, like whether we eat well, sleep well and exercise. However, some activities will just drain us more than others. For example, taking an exam is more taxing than organizing our workspace and making an important presentation takes more energy than writing an email (usually.)
- Priorities: Finally, identifying and managing our priorities is crucial to being a productive person. How we manage our priorities can determine whether we truly accomplish what’s most important each day.
With this in mind, let’s look at how we can leverage our calendars to effectively manage our time, energy and priorities.
Game Changer 1: The Weekly Planning Meeting
What if you could change the world in one hour a week – or at least change YOUR world? Believe it or not, I believe that one hour can potentially reshape your entire schedule and ultimately your life. It’s what I call a “Weekly Planning Meeting.” Nobody is allowed to attend this meeting besides you. It’s a private meeting, and you will often be tempted to reschedule or cancel it. However, when you keep the meeting and use it for what it’s for, I guarantee your week will be more productive.
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler
In the Weekly Planning Meeting, you will evaluate your schedule, upcoming tasks, priorities and available energy for the next 2 weeks. Once you have a clear understanding of your upcoming workload, you will manage it. This might include rescheduling meetings, updating due dates, blocking times in your calendar and delegating or even deleting tasks. For example, if you know you have a major report to present to your colleagues on Tuesday morning, it would probably be wise to keep the rest of that day free of other highly emotional or taxing meetings.
This meeting is important because it determines whether you fill your calendar with top priorities or allow it to get crowded with less important tasks. It’s your compass for the week, guiding you toward your goals and mission. Leaders who seem to effortlessly juggle numerous commitments often excel at managing their schedules, prioritizing effectively, and ensuring the right things get done. For many of them, they have mastered some version of a Weekly Planning Meeting for themselves.
Game Changer 2: Dedicated Time Blocks
Now, let’s get to the heart of effective calendar management. Your calendar isn’t just for meetings and appointments; it’s a tool to allocate dedicated time blocks for your priorities and projects. These blocks indicate your commitment to focus on specific tasks. Note: I’m not recommending your calendar become your task list. Instead, let it become a reference for what you should be focusing on.
“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
For example, if you’re a public speaker, you might allocate a block from 9am to 2pm for message preparation. The key here is to block out time for what matters most to you, whether it’s work-related, personal, or self-care activities.
If done correctly, your calendar will appear packed with blocks of time dedicated to your priorities. It might seem daunting, but it empowers you to make informed choices when others request your time. You can confidently decide whether a meeting aligns with your priorities or if your existing commitments take precedence.
Conclusion: Incorporating these two calendar management game-changers into your routine will take commitment and consistency before it is a habit, but the rewards are well worth it. Your life will be more productive, efficient, and aligned with your true priorities. Take control of your calendar, and you’ll find that achieving your goals becomes attainable, manageable and a fulfilling journey.
