Managing Your Calendar
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Do you love or hate your calendar?
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Does organizing it make your skin crawl?
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How about the beeps of approaching meeting times?
The thing is, your calendar should be your best friend.
One of the first things I set up with each of my clients is their calendar.
I go over the details, planning, and logistics with them and I am about to lay it out for you as well!
If you would like to listen to my workshop concerning this topic, check out the video below!
Calendar Details
When putting in information into your calendar, details and descriptions are your friend. The more information you put in the beginning, the less head scratching that might occur later.
One set of details you can include are agenda and topics in appointment notes for that meeting.
Adding Colors
Another detail you want to add are colors!
Colors give your eyes something to look at and grab onto. When you always keep the same colors, for example, blue for virtual coffees and green for client meetings, when you see the color in the future, you already know instantly what it will be about!
Setting Reminders
Finally, an important detail you absolutely need to have are reminders for due dates, self-care, etc. As much as those beeps might be annoying, they help you keep track of the remaining time you have left!
Calendar Planning
Now, once my client and I have gone through the details, they immediately want to jump right in. This next stage is not one to be rushed.
Realism
The first and most important step in planning is to be realistic when scheduling your time. Do you have time to do all of those tasks and meetings in the day? A single day has 24 hours. A single work day has about 8. Can it all fit?
Not Just for Appointments
The big misconception is that blocking off time in your calendar is for appointments ONLY. This is FALSE!
We need to schedule time for us and for recurring tasks. If you are too busy with meetings, what happens to your own mental self-care and other tasks that need to be accomplished? Don’t feel bad about blocking your time for just stuff you want or need to do.
Be Consistent
Lastly, be consistent when scheduling. Schedule time regularly to review your calendar, priorities, and upcoming actions.
Don’t just input it into your calendar once and forget about it. Productivity improvement is all about reviewing and improving upon.
Calendar Logistics
This is the final stage of making our calendar a productive resource for us. Once you have all of the above settled, now is the time to pick the tool for you and what you need exactly.
Personal Preference and Accessibility
It might seem obvious, but don’t pick just any old calendar. Pick a calendar that makes sense for you and your needs. If Google Calendar is not for you, don’t use it! Just because it is the most famous, doesn’t mean it will be your friend.
Automation
Are automating tasks important to you? Perhaps find a calendar tool that offers automation such as
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Calendly
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Accuity
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Zapier
I dive into specific tools I use in my newsletter!
In regards to automation, create multiple “sign-up” links. This way you can control how much time you want to give to certain people.
For example, if you want a virtual coffee or networking meeting, you might have a link to sign up for one that is only 30 minutes. If you have a client on-boarding meeting, you might have a link to sign up for 75 minutes.
The lengths are up to you, but having separate options to send gives you and the recipient options.
One Last Thing!
This is a constant work of art. What might work for you this month, might not work in 6 months. Technology is moving so fast, there might be new tools that are so much better for you and your needs.
Keep reviewing so you can keep improving!
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