How To Organise & Manage Your Schedule
Organising & managing your schedule shouldn’t be overwhelming, it’s a tool you’ll get better at over time and believe it or not, organising your schedule will allow you more time to do the things you love. It’s all about creating less stress and more success, in every area of life. We’re big believers in taking proactive steps and using tools to achieve life balance, and one of the easiest and foremost ways to do this is by effectively managing your schedule.
Our Tips On Organising & Managing Your Schedule:
Document Your Schedule
Having your schedule in your mind will only create more distraction and multitasking of the mind - plan out your weekly schedule in a diary that allows you to continually reference and update.
Be Realistic
Once you’ve identified all the tasks, appointments, things to do during the week, take into consideration if it’s feasible to manage and how long each thing will take. Always include breaks in your schedule whether it be work or personal and give yourself some buffer time in between. A tool to managing your schedule that extra step is by time blocking your days.
Founders Tip: Overestimate rather than underestimate how much time you need.
Always Look Ahead
Another way you can organise & manage your schedule is by prepping & planning ahead of time. Look ahead at your calendar, upcoming deadlines & personal commitments & add any relevant notes or tasks into your diary or calendar that will help you get organised for these. For example - if you’ve got a big meeting coming up make sure you work backwards & allocate enough time to prep for this earlier in the week, or if you have a pilates class straight after work on Tuesday, leave yourself a note on your Monday to-do list to pack your workout gear on Monday night to take with you the next morning.
Create A Routine
This is important to incorporate for wellbeing and balance. A morning and night routine are great tools to include in your schedule. It prioritises time for yourself and all the things that bring you joy. A schedule shouldn’t just be about all the things you need to do but a tool to help you prioritise all the things important to you in both your personal and professional life.
Weekly focus
Understanding what your priority is for the week is a great goal to reflect back on during the week to keep you on track. At the start of every week in your AOL diary there is space for you to write your weekly focus.
Utilise a To-Do List
The most simple but often overlooked way to manage your schedule is a to-do list and understanding what your MITs are (Most Important Tasks) - there is a big difference between the things you need to get done and the things you want to get done.
Group Similar Tasks
A time effective tip is to group similar tasks together to streamline your schedule. Eg. organise your weekend so that all your life admin is done together in one block, like grocery shopping and laundry, so you can properly switch off and enjoy your weekend to its fullest.