I am speaking about controlling your schedule in an affirmative manner and not just being reactive all day long. There are many ways to do this, some of which I have written about before, which means the first step is to figure out what works best for you to manage your calendar and time each day. Then make sure to put it into play to stay in control of your time. It will help you avoid getting to the end of your day and wondering where the time went and why you didn’t get everything done you planned to.
I run my own calendar, but I know many people who have assistants do it for them. Either way is the right way depending on what works for you. For me, I like deciding when to schedule meetings or calls so I also can leave time to check and respond to emails or to work on specific projects. This works well for me but I know the tradeoff is the time I spend scheduling for myself. I find that time is investing in something that works for me.
You need to find your system and know it always can be tweaked or changed if you think something different may work better. The result of not doing this is watching days get away from you. This will result in you accomplishing less while not being in control of your time.
We all know it doesn’t feel good not being able to connect in person, video, or phone with that person you really needed to speak with. Whether speaking with someone or a project you want to get done, scheduling can help you accomplish it. If it’s connecting with someone, be intentional and contact them to set a time when you will have the time you need to cover what you need to. Even if they won’t give you the time you think you need, take the opportunity and see where you get to.
Look at your calendar for the rest of the week and see what you can do to take control and get done what you want and need to before the week ends. If that works you can try to plan out the next week, or longer. It will feel good and you may well start timely getting things accomplished when you want to instead of whenever they otherwise may be completed. Stop leaving things to chance by taking control of your time and therefore your days.
