When is the last time this happened to you? You have just agreed to a meeting only to discover that you forgot to record another meeting and now you have double booked yourself. Or maybe you have not double booked but simply overscheduled your day not leaving enough time for breaks or moving between appointments.
It happens to the best of us on occasion as we all have packed schedules and both personal and business commitments.
Here are some tips to prevent the overwhelm overscheduling causes.
Use one calendar system or overlay your calendars.
It can be nice to keep your personal separate from your business calendar. However, being able to view all your calendars at once is essential. One way to do this is by combining calendars on one device. I use my phone for this. I have both work and personal there so I can see both. This way I can make sure I have not double booked myself in the morning but then during my work day, I just focus on my one calendar on my desktop.
Block your calendar
Mark your calendar for
Different areas of your life
Time to focus on activities uninterrupted
Time to focus on correspondence
Be as specific as you can about when tasks should start and end.
Finally, consider if you are taking on too much
Once you have everything in one place and you have considered the boundaries of what is time booked and what is time off for personal reasons you can truly gauge if you have taken on too much. Be brutally honest with yourself on what you can actually achieve in a day and how you are going to manage it all. This is also where you need to consider delegating, taking something off your list, or simply saying no to anything new.
I hope this all gives you a better flow to your day!
Until next time,
