My calendar is my life. Whether it’s my work calendar or my personal calendar, every little thing I need to do is on there (nerd alert!) in fear I’ll forget something super important one day. Managing my calendar not only helps me feel organized, but forces me stick to a timeline to make sure I get things done throughout the day, and don’t procrastinate. The worst feeling is when the calendar entry on my iCal turns gray and I have yet to complete that task!

We get it though, some people might not like seeing 20 items a day on their calendar, as it could appear a bit overwhelming. So, if you need help organizing your day, we have a few simple pointers that might help turn your calendar into your new sanctuary.  Here are our 6 Tips On Managing Your Calendar.

1. Schedule Everything

   From firm in-person meetings with co-workers, to recurring daily activities, to lunch – make sure everything get it’s own block of time. Scheduling out your day will help you set a pace for the day, and realize that you can accomplish everything you have to. Live by your calendar and adopt the mindset that if it’s not on on the calendar, it’s not going to get done.

2. That includes checking emails

   Don’t check your emails all the time – set blocks of time (could be 5-10mins multiple times throughout the day) to check your inbox. If you’re constantly checking your emails and “multitasking”, you’re going to get sidetracked from the task at hand.

3. Be Realistic

   Schedule things for how long you think they might actually take, and round up. If you think something might take 45 minutes, give yourself an hour so you’re not at risk of falling behind (plus, it’s better for your ego to finish something early rather than late)! Also try to keep some blocks of time open throughout the day, to give some cushion for things that might pop-up at the last minute, or a much needed coffee break!

4. The Calendar is Flexible

   Your calendar does not have to, and most likely will not, look the same at 3pm than it did at 9am. Things come up, a meeting gets rescheduled, a project gets cancelled (we know, not very likely) – and that’s ok! Accept the changes and move around your calendar as you see fit. However, if you do have to push something back, make sure you reschedule it so that it doesn’t fall off the radar.

5. Prioritize

   This is pretty obvious. Put your most important tasks at the beginning of the day so you make sure they get done. Schedule things that don’t necessarily have to get done that day towards the end of the day, so if something hot comes up, you can move those tasks to the following day. On the contrary, if time frees up, you can always tackle those items earlier than anticipated.

6. Make use of Calendar Statuses

   When scheduling your calendar, make use of the calendar statuses. If you have a firm appointment or deadline, use the “busy” status. If you’re working on something that’s flexible as far as timing, use “tentative”. This will not only help you prioritize your tasks and quickly recognize what can be moved around if needed, but also give co-workers a realistic view of your calendar if they are looking to schedule time with you.

We hope these tips will help make managing your calendar a bit more stress free. more productive, and leave you feeling accomplished at the end of the day 🙂