Calendars are great. We all use them (or should be using them) to keep our days organized. But what happens when your calendar takes over your life? What if you look at it each morning and see that you are so over-booked that there’s no time to actually get important things done? The answer may be to schedule some meetings – with yourself.
I’m sure the last thing you want to do is schedule another meeting or take on another obligation, but by scheduling meetings with yourself, you’ll find that you finally have time to accomplish your priority tasks. If you don’t regularly block out some time on your calendar, other obligations will soon take over all of your time.
Think it sounds like an impossible task? Start by assessing the tasks on your calendar. Is it filled with things that aren’t so important? Get rid of those items. Are there other tasks that can be moved to another day or even another week? If so, move them. An important part of taking control of your time is learning to determine which tasks are urgent and which ones are not and which tasks are necessary and which ones are not.
Another way to find time to schedule meetings with yourself is by learning to delegate. Are there any items on your calendar that can be handled by someone else? Chances are, there are probably at least a couple of things you can delegate. Find those tasks and delegate away.
So how do some people seem to accomplish more each day than others? We all have the same amount of hours in a day, so perhaps it has something to do with knowing your limitations. Stop taking on more than you can reasonably handle. Most of us tend to over-commit ourselves when we really should just be saying no. Many times, being overbooked leads to not getting much of anything done. Go ahead and try it out. No one will think less of you if you say no or offer an alternate time.
When blocking your time, you should also consider the short term and long term importance of the tasks you’re scheduling. Got a hot project due for a client tomorrow? Obviously that’s of short and long term importance, since you need to get the project done very soon and by doing it well, your client and employer will both be happy. But what about tasks such as exercising? Sure there are short term benefits (stress relief, more energy), but there are also long term health benefits. By contrast, if you don’t schedule time to vacuum the floor, there probably won’t be many consequences. In fact, it will still be there tomorrow.
Scheduling time in your day to complete important tasks isn’t selfish – it’s a practical way to accomplish the things that matter most.
{ 2 comments }
This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
I love this! The title really caught my eye. It’s true…you have to schedule time with yourself. It really does work. Thanks for the insight.
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