Protect your productive time. Book that time out of your diary. Ideally you want two hours to make a real difference to your to do list so block book it every day. This will be your time every day to focus on the tasks that matter to you. Book the last 30 minutes of every day out so you can catch up on late emails and plan tomorrow.At the start of your day review what is in your calendar. Do you know what all of the meetings are about? Don’t be afraid to decline meetings.

Organize Your Calender Like A Pro

<img width="1024" height="1024" alt="Organize my calendar" src="https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i1.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tips-To-Organize.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w">How often do you sit staring at your computer thinking, how can I organize my calendar? Many of us have that dread each morning as we open up our calendar to see what the day has in store for us and instantly want to shut it down. In this week’s article I will share with you how I organize my calendar with no fancy tools or complicated methods. It’s really easy.<div>"It's your calendar, that means it's meant to work for you, not against you".</div><h2>Protect Your Productive Time</h2>The most important thing I learnt when I started to understand how I organize my calendar was to protect my productive time. I am most productive earlier in the morning, some of you may find you are more productive later in the day, it doesn’t matter which. Book that time out of your diary. Ideally you want two hours to make a real difference to your to do list so block book it every day. This will be your time every day to focus on the tasks that matter to you. Only ever give this, or part of this, slot up if you are really sure the meeting that will go in will add more value. This might feel un-natural at first. You might also find you already have meetings in those times. It is OK to start it a week or two into the future but make sure once you start you stick to it.Also, book the last 30 minutes of your day out. This is your time to set yourself up for the best possible start the next day. Use this time to clear out any emails that have come in during the afternoon that you can respond to immediately, or file them. If you haven’t read my previous article on managing your inbox you need to read that after this. It’s a perfect compliment to this article and can be found <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/" dir="ltr">here</a>. Also use this time to plan your top tasks for tomorrow so when you log on tomorrow you can get straight into your most important tasks.<h2>Review Your Days Meetings</h2>At the start of your day review what is in your calendar. Do you know what all of the meetings are about? Are you expected to lead any or just be an active participant? If you are expecting to be neither then why are you going to the meeting? Make sure you know what is expected of you and if you are unsure contact the organiser.I find it useful to jot a few notes down on paper to make sure you know the key points you want to emphasise and also any key questions you want answers to. Don’t fail to prepare and then be left an hour after the meeting remembering you had something important to say but forgot to.<h2>Just Say No</h2>The second most important thing I learnt when it comes to how I organize my calendar is don’t be afraid to decline meetings. The chances are you will have lots of experience of being double and even triple booked some times. It just shows that there are always more meetings then we can hope to attend. Also, it shows that when you have to decline meetings because you are double booked that you weren’t vital to some of those meetings anyway as more often than not they are not re-arranged just so you can attend.Remember that just because you are invited to a meeting doesn’t mean you have to go. You make the decision about whether it is worth your time and whether you can add any value. If you are unsure just ask the organiser. You will be amazed at how many times you are invited ‘just in case’ and if you challenge the organiser, in a polite way, they will often agree you are not vital.Imagine if just 20% of your weekly meetings were taken away because you actually weren’t vital how much extra time you would have!Break your calendar into blocks that give you time to complete your tasks, attend meetings, complete actions between meetings and still take a lunch break.<h2>Be Proactive</h2>We have all been in a meeting where we agree we need some regular follow up meetings. We have all then gone quiet as we hope someone will pick up that action. Don’t go quiet! Be proactive and take that action because it works in your favour. How often have you asked someone to book a meeting with you and then they either book it at a time when you were hoping to do something else but hadn’t booked out your calendar, or they book it earlier/later than you’d hoped. If you take the action not only are people appreciative but you control when it happens!As I said, I am more productive in the mornings so when I am looking to organize my calendar I prefer to book meetings in the afternoon. Now I have control of booking these follow up meetings so I can pick a time that works best for me.<h2>Adding Notes And An Agenda</h2>Make sure you add notes and an agenda to your meetings so everyone knows what to expect. Too often I see meetings go in with no description other than the title. If that meeting is for later the same day based on a conversation you have just had that may be OK. If it’s for three weeks in the future you may both have forgotten the key points so do these two things;<UL><LI>Add an agenda, It doesn’t have to be very detailed or formal but even just some bullets on the reason for the meeting, what you hope to achieve and any actions will give structure to the conversation.</LI><LI>Add any relevant emails to the booking. Meetings come about either because of a conversation you have had or an email. Add that email trail to the booking and everyone will know the purpose of the meeting.&nbsp;</LI></UL><h2>Give Yourself A 5 Minute Break</h2>On most calendar systems you can automatically set meetings so they run for 25 minutes, 55 minutes etc.. This is really useful when you have a busy period of back to back meetings as it allows you a few minutes in-between to catch your thoughts, take a comfort break etc.<h2>Leave Gaps</h2>If possible, leave gaps in-between at least some of your meetings. We often accumulate actions from meetings but if you are constantly back to back in meetings you will struggle to note these down, let alone work on them. Most actions from meetings involve circulating an email you have or contacting someone for something. These actions can be quickly ticked off if you have a gap between meetings.<h2>Book Out A Lunch Break</h2>Too often we are willing to work all day without a break. While some may see this as heroic it is actually due to poor calendar management. Taking a lunch break is not optional. To be at our best we need to take breaks, eat, stretch our legs and get some fresh air. Of course, some days that break may be shorter than others but you should always book the time out in your calendar.These 8 tips are how I organize my calendar and if you use them you will see how they help you get to grips with your calendar in no time, but you must be disciplined!<h3>Share this:</h3>

Help my organize my calendar. 8 tips to get your calendar working for you instead of against you. Get more done quickly.

productivity

Productivity

How often do you sit staring at your computer thinking, how can I organize my calendar? Many of us have that dread each morning as we open up our calendar to see what the day has in store for us and instantly want to shut it down. In this week’s article I will share with you how I organize my calendar with no fancy tools or complicated methods. It’s really easy.

The most important thing I learnt when I started to understand how I organize my calendar was to protect my productive time. I am most productive earlier in the morning, some of you may find you are more productive later in the day, it doesn’t matter which. Book that time out of your diary. Ideally you want two hours to make a real difference to your to do list so block book it every day. This will be your time every day to focus on the tasks that matter to you. Only ever give this, or part of this, slot up if you are really sure the meeting that will go in will add more value. This might feel un-natural at first. You might also find you already have meetings in those times. It is OK to start it a week or two into the future but make sure once you start you stick to it.

Also, book the last 30 minutes of your day out. This is your time to set yourself up for the best possible start the next day. Use this time to clear out any emails that have come in during the afternoon that you can respond to immediately, or file them. If you haven’t read my previous article on managing your inbox you need to read that after this. It’s a perfect compliment to this article and can be found <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">here </a>. Also use this time to plan your top tasks for tomorrow so when you log on tomorrow you can get straight into your most important tasks.

At the start of your day review what is in your calendar. Do you know what all of the meetings are about? Are you expected to lead any or just be an active participant? If you are expecting to be neither then why are you going to the meeting? Make sure you know what is expected of you and if you are unsure contact the organiser.

I find it useful to jot a few notes down on paper to make sure you know the key points you want to emphasise and also any key questions you want answers to. Don’t fail to prepare and then be left an hour after the meeting remembering you had something important to say but forgot to.

The second most important thing I learnt when it comes to how I organize my calendar is don’t be afraid to decline meetings. The chances are you will have lots of experience of being double and even triple booked some times. It just shows that there are always more meetings then we can hope to attend. Also, it shows that when you have to decline meetings because you are double booked that you weren’t vital to some of those meetings anyway as more often than not they are not re-arranged just so you can attend.

Remember that just because you are invited to a meeting doesn’t mean you have to go. You make the decision about whether it is worth your time and whether you can add any value. If you are unsure just ask the organiser. You will be amazed at how many times you are invited ‘just in case’ and if you challenge the organiser, in a polite way, they will often agree you are not vital.

Imagine if just 20% of your weekly meetings were taken away because you actually weren’t vital how much extra time you would have!

Break your calendar into blocks that give you time to complete your tasks, attend meetings, complete actions between meetings and still take a lunch break.

We have all been in a meeting where we agree we need some regular follow up meetings. We have all then gone quiet as we hope someone will pick up that action. Don’t go quiet! Be proactive and take that action because it works in your favour. How often have you asked someone to book a meeting with you and then they either book it at a time when you were hoping to do something else but hadn’t booked out your calendar, or they book it earlier/later than you’d hoped. If you take the action not only are people appreciative but you control when it happens!

As I said, I am more productive in the mornings so when I am looking to organize my calendar I prefer to book meetings in the afternoon. Now I have control of booking these follow up meetings so I can pick a time that works best for me.

Make sure you add notes and an agenda to your meetings so everyone knows what to expect. Too often I see meetings go in with no description other than the title. If that meeting is for later the same day based on a conversation you have just had that may be OK. If it’s for three weeks in the future you may both have forgotten the key points so do these two things;

<ul><li>Add an agenda, It doesn’t have to be very detailed or formal but even just some bullets on the reason for the meeting, what you hope to achieve and any actions will give structure to the conversation. </li><li>Add any relevant emails to the booking. Meetings come about either because of a conversation you have had or an email. Add that email trail to the booking and everyone will know the purpose of the meeting.  </li> </ul>

On most calendar systems you can automatically set meetings so they run for 25 minutes, 55 minutes etc.. This is really useful when you have a busy period of back to back meetings as it allows you a few minutes in-between to catch your thoughts, take a comfort break etc.

If possible, leave gaps in-between at least some of your meetings. We often accumulate actions from meetings but if you are constantly back to back in meetings you will struggle to note these down, let alone work on them. Most actions from meetings involve circulating an email you have or contacting someone for something. These actions can be quickly ticked off if you have a gap between meetings.

Too often we are willing to work all day without a break. While some may see this as heroic it is actually due to poor calendar management. Taking a lunch break is not optional. To be at our best we need to take breaks, eat, stretch our legs and get some fresh air. Of course, some days that break may be shorter than others but you should always book the time out in your calendar.

These 8 tips are how I organize my calendar and if you use them you will see how they help you get to grips with your calendar in no time, but you must be disciplined!

How Do I Organize My Calendar? - Spur Planners

Organize Your Calender Like A Pro

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