Using Calendars to Stay Organized

Okay friends, I need to be real with you.  I forget EVERYTHING.  By the time I walk out of the meeting, I have forgotten what I was supposed to do.  So I have to write everything down, of course.  However, if you are anything like me, that means you have 5 billion notes on your desk and no organization to those notes or your to-do list.

I used to use a to-do list all the time but then I had to re-write it all the time.  I would lose said to-do list under piles of other notes.  And of course, the things I really didn’t want to do stayed on the list forever.  So, eventually I made the switch from to-do list to scheduling.  If it is on your list you have to assume that it is at least a little important, but likely there are actually things on there that are not that important or can be delegated.  So before you make the switch to a calendar system, look at that to-do list and take off everything that is not important.

How many calendars do you need?  Well, that depends on your personal preference but I will tell you what I do for a starting point and from there you can decide what is most important for you.  First, I have a shared calendar on my iPhone between my husband and I. This is where all the plans and appointments go.  If we are going on vacation, it goes in that calendar.  And since Kyle has a rotating work schedule, it also goes in the calendar.  And yes, trash and recycling day goes in the calendar as well.  Dog appointments, human appointments, nights out with friends, you get the picture - all those things go on the shared calendar.  What doesn’t go on this shared calendar?  Specific to-do’s.  So I don’t put on this calendar that I need to vacuum the floors and Kyle doesn’t put that he needs to mow the lawn.

That is where calendar 2 comes in.  Calendar two are our personal calendars (yes! Kyle has his own calendar too!).  In this calendar I keep track of all my household to-do’s and my business to-do's.  I don’t generally use this calendar for events, appointments etc. since I have all that in my shared calendar.  This calendar is for scheduling time to do important priority tasks such as writing this blog post for example!  If I need to shoot videos or work on my website that gets scheduled.  It is also where I keep track of my social media content and make sure I am staying on track with everything that needs to be done in the business and at home.  There may come a time that I separate the business and home life calendars, but since I have a full time 9 to 5 right now my business time and my home time need to be very carefully balanced and scheduled.  I also use this calendar to track my cycle which is very helpful to see everyday where I am at since this can have an effect on my energy and creativity levels. 

I think this is an important time to pause and say… not every part of your day or life needs a perfect schedule.  I tend to be (if you couldn’t already tell), a planner.  I like to know what is happening next and where I am going.  However, just like everything in life, there is a balance!  You need down time.  You need time that you just get to enjoy and relax and not look at your calendar.  For me, having a calendar and set priorities is what allows me to actually enjoy down time!!  If I had all the things that are in my calendar in my brain 24/7 I would be a hot mess and would not get to enjoy free time because I would be too anxious about the things floating in my brain.  And on another note, it is important to have time set aside for your relationship. I know what you are thinking, “Marisa, what does this have to do with calendars?”  Well, my friends it would be very easy to schedule your significant other right out of your life.  Speaking from experience here, don’t do that!  LOL!  The person that means the most to you in your life deserves to be on your calendar.

The next calendar that I manage is not an actual calendar, it is just a note in my phone - this is my meal plan. I make my plan each week as a note in my phone because I just find that the easiest thing to do at this stage in my life.  I can make a meal plan on the fly in 20 minutes or less and I am often not at home when I do it which is why a note in my phone works best.  

Lastly, I have my work calendar.  Here’s the thing - I can run circles around people when it comes to productivity because of how I schedule my day & week.  Each week my team and I send each other our priorities for the week. These are the top things that we want and need to get done in that week and at the end of the week we let each other know if we are taking a win or a loss for that week.  It is such a wonderful way to stay accountable to what you said you were going to do.  These priority tasks are then promptly scheduled on the calendar.  

If it was just as easy as that then there wouldn’t be a need for wins and losses at the end of the week.  Yes, things pop up.  People pop into your office.  Fires (not real ones hopefully) break out that need you to attend to them.  So sometimes the things you planned to do, don’t get done.  However, this way of organizing and scheduling everything allows me and my team to be incredibly productive.  It keeps us on task and gives us a reminder of what we need to do.

Here is the tricky part about the calendar - you have to actually stick to it 9 times out of 10.  It is okay to re-evaluate and decide to move things around, but if you stick to your original plan more often than not you will be so impressed with how much you can get done.

I have said this before and I will keep saying it, a lot of times people are just “busy” because they are not organized.  When you take a minute to create organization in your life and make sure your top priorities are scheduled, it alleviates the need for you to remember everything and it alleviates the tendency to hop from project to project as things are popping into your head.  Remember, humans are actually not built to multi-task, we are meant to prioritize.  It is impossible for our brain to do well at doing two things at once.  That’s why I don’t waste my breath talking to someone who is texting while I am talking.  They won’t hear me or at least all of me.

Another calendar that I have used at different times in my life is a training calendar (for exercise).  Did I mention I like to know what I am doing and where I am going?  Having a calendar of workouts or training runs or whatever it may be has really helped me to stay on track with my exercise regiment.  Typically I don’t make these myself, I follow someone else’s calendar so I just print it off and keep it handy to refer to when I need it!

I hope that you found my crazy world of calendars to be helpful to you and maybe it gave you some ideas you can implement in your life.  If you like this post or have any questions, please let me know!  Make sure to keep in touch for more tools for your tool belt - sign up for my newsletter below!