A disorganised or poorly managed calendar can have a really negative impact. I have been managing multiple complex diaries for nearly twenty years. Here are some of my best practices to help you claim back control of your schedule.
Ditch the paper diary! If you are someone that loves to hold their diary in their hand and physically write in appointments, this will feel like a ginormous leap but once you have converted to a digital calendar, with a little getting used to it, you will never look back. Choose a calendar that suits your preferences and you can easily schedule, update, and share appointments and events across devices.
Avoid using multiple calendars or diaries. This can result in confusion and the dreaded double booking. If you can centralise your calendars and have them all in one place, this will make your life so much easier and minimise the risk of error.
Don't overbook. Be realistic about your time commitments and about how much time you need for each meeting and leave some gaps in your schedule. This will allow a buffer for any last minute changes or delays and gives you the time to transition and prepare for the next activity.
Learn to Say No: Be selective about what you accept and learn to say no to requests that don't align with your priorities or schedule.
Communicate Availability: Sharing your availability with colleagues,can help to avoid scheduling conflicts and facilitate better coordination. Choose your preferences. You may want people to be able to view your availability but not to make appointments or change your schedule in any way. There are lots of options so find the ones that suits the way you like to work.
Block Focus Time: Dedicate specific time blocks in your diary for focused work, whether that is catching up on emails, working on projects or preparing for meetings. It helps to minimise distractions during these periods to maximise productivity. It also builds what I call "breathing room" into your calendar, even if it is only time for a bite to eat or a breath of fresh air.
Set reminders: These can be really useful for particularly important appointments or deadlines to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. The settings can be customised according to the task so you will never forget a Birthday, a deadline or an event!
And finally
Delegate: Delegate calendar management tasks to an assistant who is skilled at ensuring your schedule is managed efficiently. In an upcoming post, I will talk about how best to work really effectively with someone who is managing a calendar on your behalf .