Calendar – My Experiments
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Ever since I started my productivity journey, I have been trying to find the most effective Task-Management System. I started off using To-Do lists such as AnyDo, Google Keep, etc. Although it did bump up my productivity a little, It did not make a big impact.
I recently came across this concept of getting rid of my To-Do lists and using a Calendar instead. It was quite scary in the beginning to have my entire day blocked.
I just love the scene from Shawshank Redemption where Andy, Red and the other convicts tar the roof of a building. To quote Red, “We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men. Hell, we could have been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the lords of all creation.” -Red, The Shawshank Redemption. The truth is, you really are free to build your life the way you want it! Your Calendar is not your prison. Use your Calendar to make the day you want! 🙂
This is my journey of using a Calendar to manage my time.
My Calendar Setup
It has been a month since I started this journey. I choose Google Calendar as my weapon of choice. It is free to use and syncs across all my devices. I use multiple calendars for different areas of my life. They are color-coded for quick visual aid. It also helps me determine how much time I spend on different parts of my life.
• Adding personal appointments and calls: When I commit to meet/call someone, I check and block my calendar right away. It helps me decide if I have time to spend and It also respects the time of others.
• Building a routine: I try to perform an activity at the same time every day. This will help form habits and make it easier to perform the activity in the long run.
• The Bigger picture: I use Google Keep to remind me of my goals. Google has this neat feature where you can open a small tab of Keep next to the calendar. We all have a limited amount of time to spend. We cannot work on everything we like. Having clear goals and reviewing them while adding tasks will help you stay on track by saying no to things that don’t align with your goals.
Things to Keep in mind
• Never Multi-task. Just focus on the activity at hand. If you come across something that needs to be done. Just add it to a list and address it later.
• Account for switching activities. A lot of time goes towards commuting to and from work or even switching between activities. Make sure you give yourself enough time to account for this.
• Do not fill up your entire Calendar! Designate a certain percentage of your day to let your thoughts run wild! You do not have to be productive all the time. 🙂
Conclusion
To be honest, I have only followed my calendar completely for two days in the past month. I generally end up following only 30 percent of it on average. However, I can see the difference it has made in my life! Blocking time has helped me balance my work and personal life. It has also helped me reduce my stress, as I allocate sufficient time towards my important activities. This way, I give myself no room for complaints. It also permits me to say no to anything or anyone that gets in my way.
Everything comes down to taking action. This calendar is of absolutely no use if we don’t take action. I am almost certain that I will not be able to follow my calendar consistently. (for a few months at least) However, I will continue to implement this slowly trying to make it a habit.
What is your experience using Calendars?
