48% of Americans say that they don’t have enough time in the day.
We all know that frustrating feeling of never being able to complete the projects we really want to do because our time gets eaten up by all the ones we have to do.
But all is not lost. Simple timekeeping ideas such as using a master calendar can help you make better use of your time and make sure you get to work on those projects you really care about.
Read on for some tips for creating your perfect calendar.
1. Set Accurate Durations
Calendars, whether online or physical, are usually broken down into specific chunks of time.
The trouble is, these don’t always match the duration of our tasks. If you set aside an hour for a job that only takes 40 minutes, then you’re wasting 20 minutes that could be devoted to something else. On the flip side, if the job actually takes you an hour and a quarter, then you’ll be behind schedule from the outset.
Setting accurate durations for your tasks will ensure you can plan your day more effectively.
2. Use Recurring Activities
There are some tasks that we repeat over and over again.
Use recurring activities to put these into your calendar quickly and easily. If you’re using an online calendar, you can usually set tasks to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, annually, or even on specific days of the week.
Setting these up is quick and easy but means you’ll never forget a recurring task again.
3. Make It Flexible
If you’re scheduling a meeting, the likelihood is that it’s not going to run exactly to time.
People turn up early or get stuck in traffic and your appointment may overrun. You may also need to reschedule at the last minute. If you’ve scheduled other tasks directly before or after your appointment, these will be straight out the window.
Try to build in time before and after appointments. That way if they do run late, or need to be moved slightly, it won’t throw the rest of your schedule out of whack.
4. Highlight the Most Important Entries
Sometimes it just isn’t possible to complete every task.
That’s why it’s important to focus on the most important tasks first. The easiest way to do this is to highlight the tasks that are most urgent so that you don’t miss them.
You can even use a color scheme to show different levels of importance for each task. Not only will it improve productivity but will make your calendar look more appealing too. If you want to make a beautiful looking calendar then you can find many a calendar template for free online.
5. Build in Some Downtime
Scheduling tasks for every minute of your day is only going to end in tears.
It’s vital that you build time into your calendar to recharge your batteries. By physically adding period of downtime to your schedule, it forces you to take a break.
You may not be able to schedule as many tasks, but you’ll be far more productive in the ones you do tackle.
Are You Looking to Create Your Own Master Calendar?
If you’re planning on creating your own master calendar we hope these tips have been useful.
If timekeeping and productivity are areas you want to focus on then we’re here to help. We have plenty more articles to help you save money, succeed in your business, or just cope with the day to day of family life.
Feel free to take a good look around.