What's your schedule planning process?

Rather than thinking about schedules from a task-based perspective, I like to do a weekly review and focus on the big picture: what is my vision for who I want to be, and which actions in the past week moved me closer to that? Similarly, a weekly review can help you identify upcoming events that either align with your priorities, or that don't--and for those that don't, you can cancel, defer, or delegate those events/tasks so that you can focus on what matters most to you.

Planning your schedule helps you schedule your priorities to be sure you are on track. It also allows you to complete those small tasks that seem random but contribute to overall business success.

Planning your schedule might seem restrictive but it's quite the opposite. Planning lets you focus on your priorities and leaves room for the things that "pop up." That's because your plan doesn't need to be rigid. It should flex and adjust based on what work (or life) throws at you.

Valuing my time as much as I value my clients time helps me to establish boundaries on my availability so I can prioritize the things in my life that are ‘life giving’ and ‘energy producing’. This leaves room to be more productive/ or Efficient with my time. As much as managing time is important- managing my health and my boundaries ultimately leads to greater productivity.

Before you can plan your schedule you need to have goals and plans you are working towards. With work, that may be based around work goals, but you can and should also plan and schedule time to work towards personal goals as well. When planning goals make sure they are S.M.A.R.T.E.R goals then make sure that which gets scheduled is in service of those goals. As part of this, make sure to also schedule time for rest and self-care. It is really easy to micromanage your life through your schedule and get burned out.

It's important to know when your most productive moments are in the day. Mornings are times when a lot of us are most alert, while evenings for some of us are a time when there are fewer distractions. IT's not a case of whether mornings or afternoons are better, but we all have our preferences. In order to find out when these moments are, it is worth getting a pen and paper and tracking your use of time for one week. Nothing too complex, but simply, an hourly breakdown of your day. When reflecting on this afterwards, you'll have some interesting insights.

1) Identify available time 2)schedule essential action 3)schedule high priority activities 4)schedule contingency time 5)schedule discretionary time 6)Analyze your activities

1. If possible, get to work early. I find that I can complete mundane, everyday tasks before others arrive demanding my time and attention... phone calls, meetings, etc... 2. Schedule high priority meetings and tasks first. Factor in the availability and time of others needed to succeed and complete these agenda items. 3. NEVER procrastinate! “Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.” 4. Avoid overbooking your time. Asure you have adequate time to satisfy items placed on your schedule. 5. Work/life balance. Make sure you schedule time to decompress from your busy professional life. Otherwise burnout will sabotage any schedule you have in place.

S.M.A.R.T. or S.M.A.R.T.E.R goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluate and Readjust/reward. Adding the Evaluate and Readjust/reward is a great tool because sometimes you do not know all you need to know when starting towards a goal or dream. If you are new to goal-setting that E and R become super important. I have been scheduling and goal setting for over 30 years. I have a 5-year plan and 10- year vision that all my goals serve. But I evaluate and adjust every 90 days or so because life is moving fast and you need time to make sure that what you are working towards is still what best serves you and your vision and plan.

The Eisenhower is a great tool when you have to figure out which goals and tasks need to be done first, but reassess your goals regularly. Priorates will change and emergencies will come up. You will need to shift the importance of one goal to finish another. Regularly assessing your need and time will help you keep this all in check.

You don’t need to stick to your plan! Dwight Eisenhower once said, “Plans are useless, but planning in essential.” The point of a plan is to have something against which interruptions can be compared. If you don’t get interrupted, follow the plan. If you do get interrupted, compare that interruption with your plan and decide if you want to get drawn off course. Don’t fall into the trap of blindly following a plan that doesn’t yield the greatest results.

Schedule planning is as effective as one could prioritise the “to do list”. In leadership positions, all our decisions are based on peoples perspectives so long term scheduling may not work. Variations are possible n should be given an open arm. Planning is in your hand, however execution may be 360 opposite.

The Pomodoro technique has been vital to my productivity. As Americans, especially, we have been taught to work constantly and that rest isn't necessary or important, but that leads to burn out on every level. Taking time to stretch, pet your animals, take a walk, or even just grabbing yourself a cup of coffee really helps reset your mind and refresh you. I am always the most productive when I manage my rest to productivity ratio appropriately.

One great thing about having schedules and plans is that they allow you to get back on track when unexpected things pop up. I agree; you don't always need to stick to the plan, but having a plan in the first place allows you to stay focused on the endgame.

A plan is completed in time if we strictly adhere to schedule. Of course ạ good schedule must be actionable in small chunks of time. At some points of time in a day a person is very productive or effective (think of an early morning guy). So he should never postpone critical task which he can do best at the productive time. So it is important to prepare an actionable short-term schedule and stick to it if we do not want to behind our plan.

While you schedule, sometimes there are tasks that you think are important but are actually not. Look out for such tasks. I would call them time-wasters. Such tasks don't contribute significantly and yet are considered important. For example, a daily meeting may be creating more confusion than clarity. Trimming such tasks or eliminating them, as the necessity may be, can remove bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

As you start new jobs or enter into different phases of your life, how you manager your time will change. Tools like a physical planner or calendar may be great for one phases of your life but not the next. Reflect and ask yourself, When do you need your schedule? Why do you look at your schedule? What are you looking at your schedule? Optimize the time you spend organizing your life, so you don't waste time working on it

Improving your schedule could integrate alot of creativity. AGain its back to you on how you like to be reminded. If you are a visionary, you would always love to associate different colour marks, stickers or even bookmarks to remind you of important slot in your day. For those who are auditory - they may record a verbal reminder you on your phone with a beep or a music for you to remember. Again- watch and ask yourself how you would love to be reminded? some people use creativity to remember, and some love require more attention and alert sign. Seek your own guidance by picking the best style!

Avoid multitasking, leverage technology for organisation, and batch similar tasks to optimize efficiency. Don't forget to delegate when possible and regularly review your schedule for improvements. Plan ahead, maintain flexibility, and learn to say no if necessary. Including self-care is vital to a balanced schedule. Accordingly, keep learning about time management to refine the approach continually.

Constant communication what have gone wrong and what to improve will be very essential for any planned schedule. Learn to listen with your team especially to those thay have gone wrong so that we can improve moving forward.

Your schedule should fit you like a glove. And the only way to know your size is to test, test, and test some more until you find the right fit. That means capitalizing on your peak performance times (i.e., when you're most focused) and knowing the types of tasks you can work on when you're not at your best (this is where a bit of planning comes in handy). One way to get started with customizing your schedule is to track your time and figure out where all your minutes go. Doing this lets you pinpoint time-sucks and fix the wonky bits with productivity strategies and methods that work with your brain and workstyle. Bonus points: Choose time-saving tech + apps to help you with the heavy-lifting of getting (the right) things done.

As such, you may find that your preferred method of scheduling is not what you expected. Perhaps you prefer paper calendars, perhaps digital, maybe you prefer to schedule by journalling because the structure of a daily schedule is too constricting. Perhaps you prefer a list where you can check things off and get a dopamine hit, perhaps you like filling a chart up with stickers or inspirational quotes. Whatever you need to make it work for you, do. Don't worry what anyone else thinks. One of my dear friends has a sparkly scheduling journal with stickers and special gel pens. She is the most straight-laced person ever but this is her creative outlet in a very conservative life and job. If it motivates you to get the work done, do it!

To schedule requires thinking ahead of the frame of time given. It's like you cutting out unnecessary time killers. So easiest way I manage If I need to schedule , prioritize only what is required. So you don't push time on you like a burden. Knowing what time of the day works for you. Leave the pursuit on time management and become a time incorporator.

Don’t follow any one template for your schedules. Work, life, and school— they can all have your own twist on them that suits the needs of those categories. While at work you might only need to track objective based schedules— while your life might require a more detailed schedule for doctors, sports games, and family gatherings. Dont be afraid to add some fun pictures or doodles. Don’t take it too seriously— remember it is meant to help!

In my experience schedules are just a note to remind yourself or share information so that your team are aware of your work day. If in any situation they require your assistance they can schedule it into their day plan accordingly. It’s also a way that I usually hold my team accountable, to do what they say they will do. It builds up trust and confidence that they can be productive and self sufficient.

From my experience, technology can be a valuable ally in this process. Utilize scheduling apps or tools to set reminders and stay on track. Regularly review and adjust your schedule to optimize your efficiency and adapt to changing priorities. And finally, don't forget self-care. Include time for breaks, exercise, and relaxation. A well-balanced schedule not only enhances productivity but also nurtures your overall well-being.