One of the biggest mistakes we see people make when it comes to their calendar is they give too many people editing privileges. A good rule of thumb is: the fewer people touching your calendar —the better.
Part of our job at Beyond Paralegals is to calendar and manage deadlines. For a select number of clients, we go beyond that to include being their gatekeeper. So we know a thing or two about managing and protecting calendars.
Having a well-organized calendar not only adds calm to your day but helps you find pockets of lost time you didn’t know you had. Here are 5 tips we use.
Combine Calendars
If you keep more than one calendar, consider combining them. This easy tip will help eliminate the need for managing several calendars and will allow you to see all your commitments in one place.
Get Out of Reaction Mode
Many people let their emails and phone calls dictate what they do next, this causes reaction mode. Get out of reaction mode by deciding what you want to spend your time on before the next week begins, and stick with it. We recommend doing this on Friday before leaving for the weekend.
Color Code Your Calendar
Color coding is a great visual tip, it allows an overview of your commitments at a glance.
If you see too many blue entries on your calendar it means you’re spending the majority of your time in meetings. If you’re not seeing enough green entries it means you need to schedule more time to get actual work done —likewise for family time.
Give Your Days a Theme
Many people schedule a variety of activities in one day and wonder why they get very little actual work done. This happens because different activities require different skills that involve different parts of the brain to achieve. To avoid this from happening, try giving your days a theme.
If you can’t dedicate an entire day to a theme, consider allocating a chunk of each day to a specific project. Doing this will free up mental bandwidth and allow you to be more productive.
Batch Meetings And Calls
If you have back to back meetings or calls, try batching them. Similarly, dedicate a day or two for outside meetings, like every Tuesday and Thursday, that way you are not leaving the office every day. The same goes for phone calls, block out chunks of time to return all your phone calls, back to back. Doing this will give you bigger blocks of free time for another day.
If you would like more in-depth tips to managing and protecting your calendar, contact us, we are happy to help.
For more helpful tips visit our Resource Center.
Related articles: Tips To Managing Your Inbox; 5 Effective Tips For Managing Your Calendar. 4 Pro Tips For Increasing Your Productivity; 8 Tips for Effective Delegating, and 4 Tips To Foster Company Culture.
