Optimize Your Calendar

Optimize Your Calendar

Would you like to optimize your calendar?  If so, I have a couple of questions for you.

  • Do you write everything on your calendar?
  • Do you use only one?
  • Are your business and personal activities on there?

Here are some ways to maximize your calendar

Include standing appointments such as work, school, meals, and exercise.

You might think that you don’t need to add these activities to your calendar, but it will create a good visual. You’ll see how much time these regular activities take up in your day. There’s a saying that if you write it down you are more likely to commit to doing it. So if you are trying to start a new habit, like exercising one of the best ways to succeed is to commit time on your calendar to do it.

Note any weekly or monthly commitments like meetings or church on your calendar.

When you get busy, it’s pretty easy to forget about these activities, but if they are important to you scheduling them will make sure that they are not forgotten. These activities are regular, but maybe not enough that they are an automatic TO-DO. They may also take up quite a bit of your time, so it’s a good idea to note them on your calendar, at least while you are doing this optimizing exercise.

Incorporate less regular events such as vacations, sports tournaments, and games.

These activities are more unusual, so they may be easier to remember. MAYBE? They also may be easier to forget since they are not part of your regular routine. Noting them on your calendar will help them not get lost in the shuffle.

Now that you’ve noted everything do you feel more optimized? Let me know in a comment.

With everything in one place, you will have an accurate visual of your committed and free time.

One more suggestion.

Check your calendar before agreeing to do something new in order to prevent conflicts later.

Would you like to optimize your calendar? If so, I have a couple of questions for you. Click To Tweet

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

10 Comments

  1. Linda Samuels on June 5, 2023 at 3:05 pm

    All of your advice is spot on. My absolute favorite is the last one…check your calendar before saying ‘yes’ to something.

  2. Angie Hyche on June 5, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    Good post, Janet!

    I wouldn’t have thought of the first one, but I think it’s important to make sure you account for the regular activities as well.

    Love the idea of scheduling habits you’d like to hold yourself accountable for, like exercising.

    • Janet Schiesl on June 14, 2023 at 7:20 am

      Thanks Angie. I’m always trying to incorporate good routines into my schedule. Some are more successful than others.

  3. Seana Turner on June 5, 2023 at 5:34 pm

    I think all of these are terrific. The one thing people tend to forget is to faithfully use their calendar. I am checking mine all day long, and for sure every morning and evening. Trust it and use it!

    • Janet Schiesl on June 7, 2023 at 3:12 pm

      I agree. If you only use it every once in a while, you’re still going to run into issues with scheduling. You have to get into the habit and do it faithfully like you.

  4. Diane N Quintana on June 6, 2023 at 9:40 am

    Great tips! I tend to only add the unusual things to my calendar – like appointments but I see your point about adding everything as if definitely makes it easier to see where you have flex time.

  5. Janet Schiesl on June 7, 2023 at 3:14 pm

    It definitely depends on how you want to use your calendar. For some, only unusual ones need adding like yours, for others, the visual of having everything is much needed.

  6. Julie Bestry on June 9, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    Definitely spot-on advice. Too often, people leave the “regular” stuff off their calendars because they know where they’ll be Monday at 9a or all Sunday afternoon. Put putting everything on the calendar ensures that the OTHER things that get added won’t overload the schedule once they show up. You have to see it all in black-and-white to get a real sense of whether you have enough open time to ground yourself and enough buffer time to make it from one venue or task to the next! My calendar has every time-fixed obligation, and I time-block to make sure there’s sacred space for getting specific work done, Great tips!

    • Janet Schiesl on June 10, 2023 at 6:08 am

      Thanks Julie. I agree that the visual is very helpful to not overload your schedule. Give yourself some breathing room.

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