Sane & Sensible Scheduling of Your Work Day – 10 Fabulous Tips

Posted on September 12th, 2009, by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D.

Has your schedule ever gotten out of hand? Do you end up with more on your schedule (and your to-do list) than a sane person could ever get done? Then I know you’ll want to peruse this collection of ten tips that have been given to me by others who are now, and have been, sanely and sensibly scheduling their work day. You will find one or all of these tips helpful:

Kim Beig: Leave an hour open at the end of the day – to tie up loose ends, take a look at tomorrow’s schedule, make changes that need to happen.
Michelle Jennings: Schedule time to meet with team members. This makes such a difference in not duplicating each other’s efforts and making sure that everything that needs to get done IS getting done.
Beth Bonham: Keep 2 steno notebooks – one for home and one for work, with different pages so it’s easy to distinguish them. Learn to write in the office notebook three ‘have to items’ and do them as soon you get there. You get those three items done before the distractions start. The cool thing is that many times I have accomplished many more than the three, but that’s just a bonus!
Pat Veesart: Use a Franklin Planner system. Write everything down. This can be your prioritized action plan, that gets you back on track if chaos has broken out (which it does!)
Beverly Delidow: Protect some open time every week so you can clear your mind, download emotions, catch your breath, processing your thoughts.
Fran Glazer: First thing in the morning after doing a quick check of email and my web-course, looking for URGENT & IMPORTANT items, I sit down and write so that I can relax and move smoothly through the rest of my day knowing that my writing is done – and it’s rewarding and productive!
Deloris Gianopulous: I have a list I call GID – Get It Done. I only allow myself to put 3 items on that list. It helps me to prioritize so that I’m not just busy, but am productive.
Linda Arena: Set a routine and explain it to those around you. Set the schedule and stick to the schedule. Post it for others to see. People may resist at first, but eventually, they will come around (as long as you don’t keep making exceptions). They soon learn that when you meet with them, you are more focused on them because you had the time scheduled and set aside just for them.
Karen Rudy: Schedule driving time. Write that right into your planner so that you don’t accidently schedule two meetings back to back. It helps not to feel so rushed, too!
Sylvia: One strategy I use, or try to use consistently, is to be ’2 ahead’. What this means to me is to be 2 days ahead on a deadline or task, or even 2 hours ahead on a deadline/task or just 2 minutes ahead for a meeting. For example, if I have an article due on June 28, I put in my planner that it’s due June 26, 2 days ahead. Sometimes I forget the ‘real’ deadline and I end up being early. If I remember the ‘real’ deadline, I still try to be ’2 ahead’ but I have a ‘margin’ there. The 2 minutes early to a meeting really helps. It’s not too early and I’m relaxed and ready.

These ten tips will help you make smart, sensible, and SANE choices about scheduling your work day. Try just one of these to get started. Then, to keep moving forward on your goals for more peaceful productivity – which include sane and sensible scheduling of your work day, join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly emails (and see what is available for download at no cost at the following websites):

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!