5 Ways to Set Your Calendar Up for Success in 2023
The beginning of a new year… Ahhh… I love fresh starts. And while, yes, you can choose any day of the year for a fresh start, there's just something special about January 1st. For me, it's a chance to bust out a new planner and reset my calendar. Like many busy parents, I live by my calendar. The saying in our house is, "If it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen." It's true for us personally and professionally. Everything, and I mean, everything goes into our calendar - birthdays, play dates, house maintenance, personal days, date nights, special events, etc.
I've gotten into a very good habit over the years of setting myself up for success in the new year by way of my calendar and you can too! Leverage the 5 tips below to make your calendar work for you in 2023.
Designate one calendar as your full life view - personal and work. I learned this the hard way when I started contracting with various companies and realized I had four different calendars I was trying to coordinate. Now, I use my iPhone as my source of all truth. All of my various accounts are synched to my iPhone so I can see what's going on for my family and for me. This ensures I'm never double-booking myself and has saved me on multiple occasions.
Block off vacations and personal days for the full year. It's really hard to fit in personal days or vacations when your calendar is already booked solid. Don't give it the chance. Designate vacation and personal days NOW and block them as Out of Office. You can always move them later if you decide the timing isn't right, but chances are, you'll thank yourself when the days come around. Don't forget to include alllll the school holidays. The last thing you need is to find out there's a School Institute Day when you have back-to-back meetings already booked. Parenting Equity Tip - Make sure your partner has these days blocked on their calendar, too!
Set your working hours. Most calendaring systems now provide the option to set "working hours" or the hours when others are allowed to book your time. The default option is typically from 8 am to 5 pm, but do you really want others to be able to schedule you right at 8 am or all the way up until 5 pm? My guess is probably not. Allow yourself time to prioritize and focus in the morning before you start diving into calls or other work. Allow yourself time to decompress from your day before you officially sign off and turn to all the other responsibilities literally calling your name (Mom, Mom, Mom!).
Book yourself for lunch, breaks, and focus time. How many times have you thought, "Yes! I have a break at noon today. I'll actually be able to get lunch!" Only to have someone throw a meeting on your only free time of the day? Set a recurring invitation for lunch each day so the time is already reserved for you. And, here's the most important part, respect that time just as much as you would a meeting with someone else. Will it always work? Of course not, but you'll have way more of a fighting chance than if you left the time wide open. The same goes for time you need weekly to focus on email, administrative tasks, or other errands. Schedule the time for you.
Match your energy to the time and task. This is another lesson I learned from experience. I used to reserve a couple of hours on Friday afternoons for professional development, budgeting, expense reports, etc. You know, not very fun things. Guess what I found out? The LAST things I want to be doing on a Friday afternoon when I'm already tired from the week are administrative tasks and I never did them. Know what I do have energy for on a Friday afternoon? Catching up with people over coffee or drinks or brainstorming new things. I actually found that I excel at administrative tasks on Sunday evenings after the kids go down because it shakes my brain awake for Monday and helps me feel more prepared. Spend a couple of weeks taking note of your energy levels and when you naturally have the desire to do certain things. Use that to your advantage!
Now, it would be AMAZING if we all started with a blank slate calendar from which to build. That’s not realistic, but you can start now by blocking what you can and beginning the habits that will let you have more control over your time and your calendar as the year goes on.
I'd love to hear how these tips work for you and please share any others I may be missing!