Use Your Calendar

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On first glance, I thought I already had this one down. I use my calendar all the time. We even have a family calendar that we share so we can track each other.

But no. Kevin Kruse, author of 15 Secrets Successful People Know about Time Management, takes it to a whole new level. He advocates for getting rid of your to-do lists. If it’s really worth doing, put it on the calendar! How many times has your to-do list gotten so long that it’s overwhelming to look at? Or things get buried so deep that they will never get done?

By putting the things you really need to get done on your calendar and making time to do them, you will be surprised how effectively you manage your time. I used to feel overwhelmed by my long list of to-dos. Now I feel a sense of accomplishment as I work my way through the day.

An added benefit was that I better track how long it takes to do things. If I block two hours on the schedule to proof a book, but I find I’m not quite done, I have the freedom to adjust my calendar to finish. The key is to adjust your calendar. Reschedule your time so that item that was next doesn’t get buried in the undone pile. And I give myself credit for the time I did spend on whatever I was working on. That way, next time I need to schedule a similar task (or bill for it), I have a better idea how much time I spent.

Remember to put your Most Important Thing first!

Recommendation: Keep this calendar separate from your family calendar. It might drive your significant other crazy with your 15-minute appointments. I only add the out-of-office items to our family calendar so my husband knows when I am unavailable.

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