What comes to mind for what \u2018schedule\u2019 means to you?\u00a0 There are times that I think of my calendar specifically \u2013 those appointments that are concrete and involve other people.\u00a0 Other times it\u2019s broader than just my calendar \u2013 where it\u2019s all the various pieces on my agenda.\u00a0 And let\u2019s be honest, we all have an agenda \u2013 whether or not we write it down or make consistent progress.\u00a0 When we struggle with our schedules it\u2019s setting us up for crazy-making \u2013 we feel guilty, lazy, and head towards being overwhelmed.\u00a0 And no matter what any expert might claim, what will help you is something for you to discover, so let\u2019s consider some approaches that you can experiment with to find out what will help you.<\/p>\n
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Most time management experts say that we need to put tasks into our calendar \u2013 you choose a block of time and add it directly, making it into a concrete appointment, with you.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never tried doing this, I would suggest you test it out and see if it helps you.\u00a0 This seems to be one of the most popular and common recommendations \u2013 sometimes even part of the foundation of time management approaches.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a prime example of something that works for some people and falls flat with others.\u00a0 Although I play with this from time to time, it\u2019s something that fails to benefit me.\u00a0 Maybe my inner child rebels against that much structure or I\u2019m aware of how negotiable those tasks really are \u2013 yet more often than not, any tasks in my calendar end up getting done in other time slot or avoided.\u00a0 The one exception can be errands \u2013 where I choose the errands based on time and location, so it\u2019s really the most convenient to do it then.<\/p>\n
This is another popular piece of the foundation for managing your time \u2013 identify your values and the life roles you fill.\u00a0 Another way to think about these is what are your big picture goals for your life \u2013 those important things that you want to spend time on.\u00a0 I\u2019ll even go a step further and tell you to make sure one of those things on your list needs to be: personal\/self-care or some other name that means you\u2019re making yourself a priority in order to have the energy for the other things.\u00a0 If we identify \u201crelationships\/family\/friendship\u201d as a role we value, we can then make room in our schedule for attending to that. \u00a0I talk about this in Tasks \u2013 Big Picture View<\/a>, and share my own list of 5 roles. The list of your roles will work more effectively if it\u2019s short (again time is limited) and then you make effort to include fulfilling aspects of it in your schedule.\u00a0 You can use these roles in other experiments \u2013 both to help you include them in your schedule and to see if you are living your values the way you\u2019d like to be.<\/p>\nInclude Time Estimates with Each Task-<\/h4>\n