priorities – Page 30 – Looking Well

Although a few minutes of mapping out your day will benefit everyone, there is more that can be done. Some are dependent on calendars — paper or electronic — for a daily schedule, and calendars or planners can be a valuable tool in time management. Using your calendar to define your path forward can help you cover all the bases and be proactive with your priorities. Planning ahead pays off.

How does that work?

Well, if you block time on your schedule on a monthly and weekly basis, you are making sure you stumble over what you need to do. Some of us need that extra help! Often distractions consume our days, but if your calendar simply reminds you that you need to spend an hour paying bills today in spite of those distractions, you have a helping hand.

This can work in different ways.

For instance, if you have regular tasks that need to be completed, like paying bills or a medical treatment, you can schedule that time out a few days before the deadline each month. Scheduling it a couple of days early gives you margin if a need comes up to push it back a day. No worries; you planned for that possibility.
If you have something on which you want to spend regular time, i.e., walking with a neighbor or meal planning for the week, blocking that time out for the next month will protect that time slot and activity.
If you have a larger project or goal, you can break it down into smaller chunks and schedule time to work on it. So if you have a book to be read for a reading group at your local library, and you know 1) the book has 9 chapters and 2) they will take about 30 minutes each to read and 3) you have three weeks until you meet, you put time to read on the calendar 3 times a week. Remember, don’t put the last block of time on the last possible day; give yourself margin to succeed.

If you are using a paper planner, you often have space to list your priorities and to-do list on the same page as your calendar. This helps keep these front and center in your mind. It also helps you double-check that the priorities are reflected in your schedule.

Regular reviews are also crucial for calendar management. If you have planned out the next month, you will still need to look at your calendar each week to see what has changed or what may need to be changed to adjust to new requirements. Things come up. Stuff needs to move. The soccer schedule was laid out for the season, but games and practices get rescheduled. This doesn’t change the goal, it just changes the plan to get there. Remember you are in control of your calendar, so take care of conflicts and holes as soon as you can. This keeps your schedule running smoothly even with multiple adjustments.

Even with a weekly review, you will still need to look at your calendar at the beginning of each day to make sure all is still well and that you know what you are doing in the short term.

Color-coding can also be helpful. Visually, your brain will have clues to immediately categorize tasks and appointments. You can choose one color for each specific arena or goal. Paydays could be marked in green and school vacations in red. Each family member could have one color, to keep all the karate and dance lessons easily seen. However, if multiple pens and the effort to switch and maintain the system is too much, don’t let it hold you back from a successful schedule. One pen works well — as does one of whatever writing instrument is handy at the moment! It is better to have it planned than pretty.

Best wishes on your successful calendars! Do you have any other tips that help you? Please comment below for the benefit of us all.

You may not lay in bed each night and plan out the next day’s steps while you try to fall asleep, but we all benefit from at least a few minutes of thinking ahead. We all have a limited number of hours any given day. How best to use them?

At the most basic level, you need to know what needs to be done and when. Often a day contains scheduled commitments. Other tasks fit around those.

The most effective way to keep track of what you have to do is to keep a to-do list written down. Some times you can remember the three things for the day, but how often do needs change during the day? Writing it down frees up mental space and ensures you won’t forget as distractions keep coming. Whether you use an app, a planner, a calendar or a Post-It note, having a list will keep you on track.

Once you know what you need to do, you can consider your schedule for the day. Somethings are non-negotiable (i.e., school pick-up). Thinking through how long each item will take and how long your unscheduled blocks of time are will help you fit each task into your day.

Your energy level is also a factor. We tend to have daily cycles. Some are morning people; others are night owls. Sometimes you need to take time to get up to speed in the morning, so late morning is high production time. Know yourself, and then you can plan your more difficult tasks for when you have the most resources to handle them. Chores requiring less brainpower can be completed when you are winding down or warming up.

Prioritizing is valuable. Ideally everything that needs to get done gets done. We all know that doesn’t necessarily happen! You create margin in your day by knowing what is most important and focusing more time and attention on those things. Also, if you are not intentional about identifying and investing in your priorities, they will fall by the wayside.

Multitasking is often dangerous, but it can be used to your advantage. For instance, if a daily walk is a priority for you — great! Can you make that time even more productive and valuable? You can walk and think or talk without having your stride suffer. Perhaps you could use the time to memorize Scripture or keep up with edifying podcasts. Would this be a good time to spend with your children or mentees or friends, focused time on your relationship that also benefits your health?

If you have a sedentary task, you could combine it with laundry, which is not a completely all-consuming process. You can sit and work for an hour, then use the need to get up and switch a load to also satisfy your physical need for a stretch break. Then back at it for another hour. You finished a few hours of desk work AND a few loads of laundry. Now to fold it all…

Personally, I’m a big fan of being able to cross items off the list! It is motivating. Success breeds further success. Crossing off also helps visually more than check marks (unless you have isolated check boxes) because you can see in a split second what is done and what isn’t. A nice wide marker has even more impact. Then at the end of the day, you have the satisfaction of knowing what was accomplished and the help of knowing what may need to move to the next day.

Taking a few minutes prior to tackling each day to write it down, prioritize, map a path and mark your progress will make a difference!

Tag: priorities

Calendar Tips

Planning Your Day