Do you have a cluttered, chaotic calendar? Do you feel like you’re always busy but never getting enough done? You have a time management problem, my friend.
The key to having a successful workweek is effective planning. Break out your favorite pen, because we’re about to dive deep into some of the best calendar hacks to optimize your time. Ready? Let’s go!
1. Don’t Schedule Meetings on Mondays
Monday is the best day for planning and brainstorming… but it’s also the worst day for meetings. If you can avoid it, move those meetings to later in the week. If you simply must have a meeting on Monday, at least keep the pre-lunch portion of the day clear.
Monday mornings will be the best time to plan your week, work on a challenging project, and strategize ways to grow your business. You need this planning time at the beginning of every week so that you can move forward with a clear, coherent strategy.
2. Try the Block Method
How do you usually decide what to do next? Most of us proceed through our to-do lists in the order we wrote them, but that’s not the best way to manage your time. Instead, block out time during the week to tackle different types of tasks. Some things will need an hour or two devoted to them every day—communicating with clients, for example, or checking MLS data—while one-time events and special projects can be blocked out during the week.
When you plan this way, you reduce the number of decisions you need to make throughout the day. There’s no need to ask, “What am I going to do now?” You’ve already blocked it!
3. Plan for the Unexpected
A surefire way to fail is to over-schedule your calendar. You should leave 25-30% of your workweek open for unforeseen events, projects that run long, and other surprises. If you try to schedule every minute of every day, you’ll end up falling behind and constantly rushing to catch up.
4. Use Your Brainpower Strategically
Productivity experts have found that we’re most effective at making decisions and thinking critically at the start of the day. When you block out your time for the week, don’t schedule busywork at the beginning of your day. Save that kind of thing for the post-lunch lull or the hour before heading home.
Earmark the first 2-3 hours of each day for high-priority work. That way you’ll be at your best for the most important tasks on your to-do list.
5. Build in Breaks
If you only follow one of the calendar hacks in this post, let it be this one. Planning for breaks is absolutely essential avoid burnout. Take a real lunch break someplace other than your desk. Set a timer to get up from your desk at least once an hour to stretch or take a walk. And try to leave work at roughly the same time every day.
Remember, your personal life is no less important than your work!
