For all you busy bees out there…we get it. Effective time management can feel like a whirlwind of tasks that just take up so much of your energy and time. However, effective time management is essential for success, and managing your calendar goes beyond simply scheduling tasks and meetings. It involves aligning your energy levels with the tasks at hand to maximise productivity and overall well-being.
Data from the job search platform Zippia shows that only 20% of people believe they regularly manage their workload. When it comes to finishing their work, the majority don’t utilise a time management system and rely on memory or to-do lists, which frequently result in significantly higher levels of stress.
One of the most important skills someone may have to set themselves up for success in their career and lives is the ability to manage their calendar. But when it comes to managing their own calendars, many individuals are either overly reactive or complacent. Here are some doable strategies for managing your time, energy, and output.
So, how can you understand your energy peaks and troughs at work?
Set aside time to complete the task
Setting aside time before meeting requests start to pile up on your schedule is a wonderful strategy to make sure you have the time to complete high-quality work. One of the best ways to make sure you are ahead of the work is to set aside some time each Friday before you end the week. Make a schedule for the next four weeks.
The American Psychological Association estimates that 20% of adult individuals consistently put off tasks. This is frequently done to give students time to learn how to manage challenging assignments. However, it is best to factor that extra time into your calendar from the start if you anticipate needing it.
Don’t indicate project work time as tentative when you set aside time for it. It’s appropriate to regard this as a formal gathering. Write the project name or the name of the task you want to conduct within that period in the subject line. Even an agenda of tasks to be accomplished can be entered in the notes area.
Organise your work by colour-coding
List the top five meeting formats or work-related subjects that you spend the most time on. Select a colour to symbolise each of them. As you arrange or accept meetings, label them with the corresponding colour. This can assist you in beginning to observe where and how you spend your time, research any trends, and pinpoint areas in which you could be more productive. It also assists you in mentally preparing for the kind of task or conversation that will take place during this period.
Establish a category for your self-care time
It’s easy for a day to pass by and you hardly remember to get out of your chair or get yourself something to eat, especially nowadays with remote and hybrid work at play. Start scheduling self-care into your calendar as soon as you see it slipping down the list of priorities.
Offer to set up a meeting time
You should position yourself to have things set up on your timetable rather than the other way around when you take the initiative, even if setting up meetings is the last thing you want to do. Provide a few possibilities that fit your timetable as soon as possible, at the absolute least.
Remain calm if someone questions if a time slot that has been shut off is actually for a meeting or something else. Find out what they require and try your best to fulfil it. Avoid engaging in a discussion or justification over your calendar. In reality, they don’t really care about your calendar; they are simply concerned about being taken care of.
Provide a time that would be convenient for you both. If a meeting needs to be rescheduled, let them know, but don’t act as though it never happened in the first place.
Make a schedule for your energy and self-care
Setting aside time in advance and offering to arrange meetings has the major advantage of enabling you to arrange appointments that coincide with your energy cycles. An international organisational consulting firm called Korn Ferry reports that 87% of professionals think that taking breaks boosts productivity.
Even though taking breaks may require working fewer hours overall, employees still believe that breaks are valuable. Generally, even if it means spending less time on work, 87% of professionals believe that taking breaks increases their productivity.
When is the best time for you to interact socially and when do you need time to concentrate? Although you can’t always control when meetings take place, you can make sure you can give your all every day at work by tailoring your calendar to your workload and energy levels.
Walk the talk
It’s crucial to remember that the previous facts mentioned can only truly function if you present yourself as a reliable source. This indicates that you complete tasks on time, fulfil deadlines, and produce high-quality work.
People won’t be as concerned about your calendar management the more you’re known for it. But, you’ll quickly lose credibility if your schedule is always full but you’re not actually creating anything. With the above advice, maybe you can use your calendar as the most effective instrument for reaching your objectives and preserving your well-being.
(Tashia Bernardus)