From my childhood days, I have managed time effectively; this could be the discipline my parents put me into of going to bed early and rising before the sun.
Guess what? The wind down early and rise early was good until I started university, and then the game of how much slack can help you cut began, ting!
When I started my internships and freelancing work, I had things pen down in that one book I carried everywhere and certain other things in my brain. After a while, this became a little hard to do, and I just left writing down things. I was introduced to Google Calendar, and how I could use it by my mentor/ friend.
I'm sharing my secret sauce to set up a calendar system that never failed me and will never fail you too.
Accomplishing that goal means following three simple rules:
Set up your calendar in a way that suits you.
Add events and relevant information.
Get information out of your calendar at the right time.
Share your calendar.
Let's start with Rule 1: Set Up Your Calendar.
For this, you need the following ingredients
A smartphone (iOS/Android)
A Google account ( I bet you do have both)
Lastly, Google Calendar
I know by now you think, why Google calendar? Why not Outlook, iCal, etc.? In the world of fitness, there's an adage saying:
"The best workout is the one you'll stick to."
There's no best calendar; everything has certain flaws. Your calendar is a tool that has a job: Act as an external source of viewing for your life's activities. It may also have other sides, such as reminding you about getting groceries from the vegetable vendor or following up on an email.
Why do I use google calendar?
Cross-platform sharability
Clean widgets for tablets and phones
FREE
Rule 2: Add events and relevant information.
The majority of us have several things going on in our lives. We have work, classes (if you're a student), appointments, and events with friends.
I use my calendar to separate the events into blocks of lovely colors. This creates a visual distinction on the calendar, giving you insights into your day and week ahead.
SCHEDULE EVERYTHING, BE SHELDON COOPER.
This is how I put things into my calendar; my professional and personal tasks are put into the calendar. Next, I plan out how much time each event/activity would take and create a time block for it. For example, I read for half an hour before going to bed.
The exciting thing is that when I spoke about colors a paragraph before, you're free to use any color you like. Maybe you can try the Chakra Color Coding; this helps, being honest with you :)
To create these blocks, each event can be given a different color in Google Calendar (and most other calendar apps).
Not only does this default color for new events, but it also allows you to set different notification preferences for each event. This is quite useful, as I want notifications for specific events (like workouts) but not for others (like scheduled work time).
To optimize and save time, here are a few other things you can and should do :
Use Recurring Events: If you have an event that happens every day, every week, or on the third Monday of every other month, the application can do it for you. Eg, Paying a phone bill/ electricity bill.
Adding Relevant information to each event created: I have made myself write descriptions for events, which helps me remember helpful information.
Creating Reference Calendars: There are so many planned events during a day or week at times it is difficult to check them; I use reference or secondary calendars that are hidden by default. A typical situation that made me add a reference calendar was my reminders and tasks; with a tap, I can make it visible to check what is required for the day.
RULE 3: PRACTICE
I have shared the majority of secrets to my way of scheduling; here are the last two :
Check your calendar daily: Make this a part of your morning routine; check it first thing in the morning. Wait, it's not a rule to fit it in the morning; you can also do it before bed. I would recommend setting a time that suits you to check the calendar.
Smart Notification: I have always been on time for any event or meeting. Setting up smart notifications will always keep you informed; for example, if you have to meet a friend at a cafe, set the Notification to 1 hour before so you can be on time.
Share your Calendar: You can always share your calendar with others so that it's easier for them to schedule time appropriately. It helps them understand and value their and your time better
I bet you found this article helpful; let me know any tips you follow!
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