How I Finally Got my SH*T Together
My calendar is sacred. My to-do lists are not. My life including my relationships, business productivity, and mental and physical well-being have improved dramatically since I implemented this philosophy. Allow me to explain:
I put "appointments" on my calendar, appointments are activities I MUST be at a SCHEDULED TIME AND PLACE. These are non-negotiable and sacred. If it's on the calendar, I will be there, on time. Most people put meetings they've agreed to and events they're attending on their calendars, I do too, but the real breakthrough happened is when I decided I could make personal, physical, and spiritual things non-negotiable appointments on my calendar as well. For example: working out was one of those things that the busier I got at work, the less likely I was to do. Solution? Simple! Put workouts on the calendar as appointments and treat them just as seriously as you would an important business meeting. If someone wants to meet you during that time slot, it's the same response as if you're booked to close on house. "Sorry, I've got an appointment at that time. Can you do ____ instead?" You can do this same thing with dates with your spouse, taking your kids to the park, even schedule things like quiet times with God reading/praying/meditating. But the main thing is, if it's on the calendar, there's a specific time and place, and you are committed to doing it no matter what. ALL things on your calendar are sacred appointments that you ALWAYS stop whatever else you're doing and go to them on time, and you absolutely NEVER use your calendar as a to-do list. Do not confuse them.
To do lists are exactly what they sound like. They're the never-ending, always growing and evolving lists of TASKS. A task is a small, identifiable action or piece of work that you'd like to accomplish. Between your work, family, hobbies, chores, relationships, etc... most of us have MANY to-do lists full of endless amounts of tasks. And even when you do a bunch of them, they seemingly grow back and re-generate instantly. I want you to know right now THAT'S OKAY! With tasks you'll never be fully "done" with everything in life you want to do. The best you can hope for is to get the MOST IMPORTANT ONES done each day, IN BETWEEN YOUR APPOINTMENTS. I use an app called "Paperless" to create task lists, which I call "next action lists" (Evernote or just pieces of paper work great for these as well). I make lists according to where I'm at and what "mode" I'm in. So that means I don't have one giant to-do list, I have 3 of them. Mine are "office next actions" (stuff I want to do when I'm in my office in "work mode"), "home next actions" (stuff I want to do when I'm at home and in "dad and husband modes"), and "errands" (stuff I want to do when I'm out running around town). I arrange the items in each list most important on top to least important on the bottom. This preparation and organization means I spend way less time thinking and much more time doing throughout my day and thus GET A LOT DONE. When I'm not in an appointment, I'm in a "mode". And all I have to do is pull out the action list for that mode, and do whatever the top thing is on the list, then the next, then the next, until it's time to stop and go to an appointment.
In Summary, here are the key factors to success with this kind of system:
- Always treat calendar items as sacred and non-negotiable. Don't reschedule anything unless it's an emergency. Show up on time to every appointment.
- Realize your only free time, or time to work on to-do lists are the gaps in your calendar before, after, and between appointments.
- Never put a to-do list or a bunch of random tasks on your calendar. Your calendar is for appointments only and is sacred! Do not defile it with tasks, seriously!
- Realize your to-do lists will never be done, and THAT'S FINE AND NORMAL! Don't stress about your task lists or beat yourself up every day because you didn't check enough checkboxes. The most important thing is that you do your best, and do the most important things on the list first. That's honestly the best any of us can do!
- You must take time review/update your calendar and task lists daily, first thing, (or nightly, last thing) and overhaul them at least once per week. You have to trust they're up to date or you won't use them and this system will never work. Just do it and realize minutes spent here will save you hours of stalled out time later because if you're up to date on them and trust them you'll never again have to wonder where you're supposed to be or what you're supposed to be doing. There's tremendous freedom there and you'll be able to be so much more productive and focused.
Comment below if you have any specific questions and I'll try to help.
I hope this quick run-down of my system is helpful to some of you. For more in-depth coverage of these topics, my two favorite books which have helped me get my brain sorted out on this stuff and implement a workable system are: "Getting Things Done" by David Allen and "The One Thing" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.