For the longest time, I didn’t bother with a calendar. When the decisions I made with my time started having an impact on my work/life balance, I knew that I needed to make a change. I had unrealistic expectations about what I could achieve in the time I had in each day so I consistently overbooked myself. The fallout was that I didn’t take care of myself and I didn’t spend enough time with my family.
That’s when I started to keep track of the time I was spending on various tasks through my calendar. The payoff was great and, in the long run, I didn’t feel like I necessarily had to give up too much in order to find balance.
Your calendar is a great way to achieve work/life balance, not because it helps you schedule appointments, but because it helps you set boundaries!
Here asr seven tips to help you develop great calendar habits:
- Embrace the 2-hour block — Set time aside each day for deep work on big projects.
- Invest in self-care — Plan when you will work out, meditate, sleep and eat.
- Big ideas come first — Tackle your biggest projects first thing in the morning.
- Batch your work — Set specific times on your calendar to carry out tasks like email.
- Schedule afternoon meetings — Don’t waste your time your morning brain on meetings.
- Block extra time — Block extra time for travel, meetings, running over, etc.
- Schedule time for family — If you want work/life balance, you need to schedule it!
What calendar strategies can you share that would be helpful? Please share below!
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