Managing your calendar is not just about keeping track of your appointments and deadlines. It is also about making the most of your time, energy, and focus. In this article, you will learn some tips and strategies to optimize your calendar for maximum productivity and satisfaction.
The first step to manage your calendar effectively is to choose the right tool that suits your needs and preferences. There are many options available, from paper planners to digital apps, but the best one is the one that you can access easily, sync with your devices, and customize to your liking. Some features to look for are reminders, notifications, color-coding, categories, and integrations with other tools.
Never schedule "tasks." Schedule results, and then work backwards to meet those results on or before deadline. Ruthless eliminate tasks that aren't contributing to results.
??? Prioritize tasks by assigning importance levels. ? Use time blocking to allocate specific slots for tasks. ?? Limit multitasking for better focus and efficiency. ?? Set reminders to stay on track and avoid missing deadlines. ?? Regularly review your calendar for adjustments. ?? Allow buffer time for unexpected events. ?? Utilize calendar apps for better organization. ?? Delegate tasks to free up time when possible. ??♂? Learn to say no to non-essential commitments. ?? Allocate self-care slots for breaks and well-being. #ThoughtLeadership #ProductivityHacks #TimeManagement #CalendarOptimization #TaskPrioritization #SchedulingSkills #WorkLifeBalance #SelfCareRoutine #DelegateTasks
Use a digital calendar with reminders, prioritize tasks, schedule focused work blocks, and regularly review and adjust your schedule.
One helpful thing is to create weekly to-do lists using paper (if you're old school), your phone, your calendar - any one(s) that work best for you. I recommend weekly lists as daily lists become too granular and can be demotivating, particularly when some tasks need to be cleared in a particular week and not on a specific day. Of course, you should prioritize the urgent ones, but cutting yourself some slack keeps you motivated, and the more motivated you are, the higher your productivity will likely be. I also keep my major meetings in a table in a Word doc, colour-coded according to my consulting projects, day job, board meetings, etc. Calendars are great for reminders, but it also helps to be able to see the big picture.
Very well articulated. I would say rather than the tool first comes is mindset and process. The tool will help you to achieve that. When do we say we are productive? When we attain things what we planned for. How do we plan activities ? It is based on goal we carry. So first and more most set a SMART goal and live with it. Once this is clear we always aim to do what is important for us than working on multiple things.
The next step is to set your priorities and align them with your goals and values. This will help you decide what to put on your calendar and what to eliminate or delegate. A simple way to do this is to use the Eisenhower matrix, which divides your tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance. You should focus on the tasks that are both urgent and important, plan ahead for the ones that are important but not urgent, delegate or automate the ones that are urgent but not important, and avoid or delete the ones that are neither urgent nor important.
Making list of all task you need to complete or accomplish then prfioritize based on important and urgency also you can set reminders and set blocks on digital calendars.
Simple, simple, simple. I use a digital notepad, Apple Notes with radio buttons, to structure my tasks. Grouping tasks, I place the most important at the top or bold them within sections. It's about knocking things off one by one. No need for fancy tools. I prefer digital for easy access and modification on both mobile and desktop.
And when you have items you know you are not going to ever do delete them. Get them out of sight and out of mind. Also when say you are going to do a particular item, do it. If you say you are not going to fulfill a task or item do not do it as a matter of your word. Your words have power. Use the wisely. Written, spoken or thought.
Do the things that matter most, first in the day. Set up the things you want to achieve first (top 3) the night before so you don’t have to think too much about it in the morning. That way you can jump straight in and get things started.
Eisenhower matrix is a great way. Dividing your calendar into activities that give you more energy (depending on your role) vs what takes up more energy is another way. I firmly believe energy management is equally important. For e.g. the energy creating activities make you lose sense of time but also are the tasks that are important and not urgent (most of the times).
The third step is to block your time for different types of activities and tasks. This will help you create a realistic and flexible schedule that matches your energy levels, work style, and preferences. You can use different time-blocking methods, such as theme days, batching, or pomodoro, to group similar tasks together and reduce distractions and switching costs. You can also block time for breaks, self-care, learning, and fun, to balance your work and life.
It's crucial that you treat yourself as an important client and schedule (block) time on your calendar for your tasks. I look at my deadlines that are up to a month away and work backward from that date and block time in the days a weeks before to ensure I have enough time to get it done. Most importantly, I am realistic about how much time it's going to take to get the task done. I also ask my assistant to please not schedule anything during those blocked times without clear it with me first.
I suggest identifying your peak productivity hours for individual work and blocking those times on your calendar. Personally, I find Monday and Wednesday mornings most productive. Lead by example by scheduling self-care and break blocks on your calendar. As a leader, communicate the expectation to your staff that these designated times are sacrosanct and should not be scheduled over for meetings unless absolutely necessary.
The best article I’ve read on this topic is from HBR, titled The Leader’s Calendar (2018). I had my Executive Assistant read it and we debriefed and implemented the aspects that we felt would be most beneficial for me.
In my experience, blocking the start and end of the day for planning and debriefing with myself helps me stay on point during the day. I always block time in the middle of my day to eat lunch as a daily practice and set goals on my Apple Watch to move/stand. These are done as a means to lead by example.
As today, everyone is accessing your calendar and choosing the free spots from there. Just stop that! Reserve tour own time. The other thing is the endless meetings. Always demand reason for the meeting, what does that meeting supposed to solve? What is your expected role in the meeting? Meeting agenda… if all this is not available, skip the meeting.
The fourth step is to review and adjust your calendar regularly to make sure it reflects your current situation and goals. You can do this daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on your needs and preferences. The purpose of reviewing your calendar is to evaluate your progress, celebrate your achievements, identify any gaps or challenges, and make any necessary changes or improvements. You can use tools like analytics, feedback, or journaling to help you with this process.
I think this is a very critical step. The allure of being ‘in the flow’ can sometimes lead to neglecting the crucial step of reviewing and adjusting your calendar. Consider quick reflections, ensuring you stay on track without significant interruptions. This dynamic process will ensure you stay agile and your schedule remains aligned with evolving priorities!
In my experience having the daily planning and debriefing allows for readjustment or the ability to pivot, day by day. Using analytics helps as a reminder when there hasn’t been enough focus time but these are often after the fact insights.
Flexibility is important in collaborative work. While I block time for important tasks at the start of the week, it helps to have some flexi-blocks on the calendar to be able to move things around and still get the work done by the end of the day/week.
30 minutes at the start of your week will give you great perspective on what's coming up. 30 minutes at the end of your week will give you perspective on how well your plan went and will give you insight into what you actually spent your time on enabling you to incrementally improve your planning in each subsequent week.
Life changes all the time, and so should our schedules to meet our changing needs. I've found it really helpful to check in on my schedule every month. This isn't just about making sure I have time for work or certain tasks. It's about looking at everything - how much energy I have, how much I enjoy what I'm doing, and how well I'm doing it. The idea is to make sure I'm not just busy, but that I'm also happy and effective in what I'm doing. By doing this regular check-in, I can make sure my schedule works for me, not just in terms of time, but in making sure I'm most productive.
The fifth step is to automate and delegate some of the tasks and activities that are not essential or enjoyable for you, but still need to be done. This will help you free up some time and energy for more important and meaningful work. You can use tools like Zapier, IFTTT, or virtual assistants to help you automate or delegate tasks like booking appointments, sending emails, managing social media, or doing research.
The word “ automate” Is a dirty word here… the key is to “delegate” Work out what can be done effectively with clear guidelines that does not need that “personal” touch and then find the right team to help you do it.
1 - You have already the right planning and monitoring tools 2 - You know your priorities 3 - You have blocked your time in your calendar 4 - You are monitoring deviations To automate and delegate it's simple 1 - Extend the exercise to involve others (eg: your Team members) 2 - Do the whole cycle considering how others can help (eg: which tasks or full user stories can be considered) 3 - Delegate whenever possible 4 - Automate your process so that others can also use it.
Delegation is easy to say and hard to do. I've seen many leaders distribute tasks but then micro-manage to a degree where they are basically doing it themselves. Real delegation can only come with empowerment and enablement. In the beginning this might mean doing the activity together, and then letting the other person find their own way of doing it after understanding what quality in outcome actually means. Sometimes you can be so stuck in your way of doing things, that you expect everyone should do it that way. But it might work better another way - be open to seeing diversity in approach when delegating tasks, while clarifying the quality standard for the outcome.
Dividir as demandas em pequenas tarefas pode ajudar entender o que precisa ser feito por você e o que pode ser delegado. Isso também pode contribuir para diminuir o tempo para a finaliza??o da demanda.
It’s the simple things that can sometimes cause the most headache. Take a moment to think about the holidays and special event that are important to you throughout the year and put a recurring event on your calendar that blocks them perpetually. This means you won’t have to worry anymore about scheduling things on the wrong day and having to coordinate with others later on.
The sixth and final step is to experiment and learn from your experience and feedback. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for managing your calendar, so you need to find what works best for you and your situation. You can try different tools, methods, strategies, and habits, and see what results they produce. You can also learn from others who have successfully managed their calendars, and adopt or adapt their best practices. The key is to keep an open mind and a growth mindset, and to enjoy the process of managing your calendar for maximum productivity.
N?o tenha medo de testar abordagens inovadoras, ter flexibilidade e conseguir se adaptar é fundamental para encontrar o método que realmente otimize sua produtividade diária.
Don't be afraid to adjust your priorities after failing fast through experimentation. Take the time to learn what works best for peers and continue experimenting to learn what works best for you.
A good quality sleep. Less use of technology. Meditation. No gossip, no judging, eliminate the bias in you. Reward yourself and the performers of your teams. Tolerance for mistakes, resilience.
If there’s one piece of advice for leaders this year, remember that data isn’t the new oil. Attention is the new oil. Attention to context-setting, pace-setting and direction-setting. Attention to having a 'No' Strategy. Hack Future Lab’s research highlights that 83% of leaders are drowning in too many priorities and over-commitments. This erodes attention and doubles the risk of shallow work (low contribution) versus deep work (high contribution). A ‘no’ strategy is one of the best forms of optimization and a powerful way to protect attention. It’s a clarifier, a simplifier, and a multiplier of ROI. Not return on investment. Return on Intelligence.
Admittedly difficult to do at first, however very important - learn how to say ‘no’ if you are not needed or are just contributing something that can easily be done by other means (email, IM, etc.)
If possible, try scheduling activities for the day up to 80% of your daily capacity, so that it gives you some room to attend to the unexpected…which will happen most days. And if nothing happens, take that time to smell the flowers, take a mental break, and perform a kind act to others and be thankful!!
1) Set up your calendar only after you understand your peak and less productive timeframes. For example, I am more clear headed in the morning and therefore assign myself time blocks for strategic thinking and writing work. The same task in the afternoon will likely take me double time and be half in quality. 2) Don't set up your calendar to multitask. It may work sometimes but more often than not create sub optimal productivity.
It is vital to reflect on how you work and when you do what kind of work well (and ideally, why). If you know you are better at focus work early in the morning then build that into your plan. Perhaps you lose focus late in the day or late in the week and another type of work or meeting would be more effective. Having done this exercise - take ownership of your time. Plan the week and block out realistic windows to get done the work that is most important. Often, we are stricter in holding time for meetings with others but we need to be equally as vigilant in how we protect all time boxes. Productivity comes from plan that incorporates self-awareness, realism and true prioritisation AND strict protection of that plan and our time.