I Own My Calendar and I Decide Where I spend My Time

There are not many people who haven’t found themselves being run by their schedule.?Despite all attempts, someone or some meeting commandeers days, weeks, even months a year.?Even those who “manage their time” seem to have little if any control over their calendar.?Admittedly, for a very long time, I was that person.?Then something changed.?I started managing my priorities instead of my calendar.?

It became clear that trying to guess or predict what was going to drop into my lap or what invites I would receive was a lot like pushing rope.?This year, I’ve discontinued that waste of energy.?Instead, I have started focusing on my priorities.?By doing that, I stay focused on the most important things and as a byproduct, my calendar doesn’t get hijacked.?By no means does that prevent every single meeting, but it goes a long way to handing control of my calendar back to the one who should control it- me.

Regaining ownership of your calendar is achieved through two steps. These may not be all-encompassing, but will help regain the driver's seat of your schedule. What I am about to outline comes with a caveat: nothing is set in stone. Just because I say I decline meetings, does not mean that I do so blindly. The below process should serve as more of a guide than a rule.

? First, you must create time for your daily non-negotiables, the things that you want to do every day without fail.?For me, this time is filled with journaling, properly hydrating, a strength workout, and setting some objectives for the day.?During my non-negotiables, I am not mindlessly scrolling social media, checking the news, or answering my phone.?In fact, I set my phone to Airplane Mode, and it gets set aside.?With these daily activities completed, I’ve stacked my first wins and eliminated the guilt trip that comes if I would miss a day, or the plaguing thoughts of still needing to do something even though it’s time for dinner.

The second step is to pre-program time 1-3 times per week into my calendar that is just for me.?I put it simply as “Busy” to avoid questions.?But anyone looking to book an appointment will see a conflict, and once I see the invite, I can determine if it is truly time sensitive or so important that one of my priorities should be moved.?This probably sounds or comes across as selfish.?It absolutely is.?But if you are so bent on making me attend a meeting, that probably makes you selfish too.?Two wrongs may not make a right, but quite frankly, that isn’t my problem.?All but about 1% of us couldn’t or wouldn’t be replaced in a week if we got hit by a bus.?Until that giant vehicle is speeding towards me, I intend on using my time the way I see fit.

Rest assured, all those other time vampires will find their way into your schedule and fill in around the times you have reserved.?Don’t feel bad about declining appointments during your sacred times.?If they can’t respect your boundaries, they most likely won’t add any value to your day.?

Do you own your calendar??When you find your time being overtaken by everyone else, how do you change that?