Time Management is More than Keeping a Schedule
I think many people are either intimidated by or just can’t get excited about keeping appointment books, diaries or planners. They see them as extra paper work, needless in detail. They feel they can keep everything in their heads and don’t need to micromanage themselves to that extent. An occasional note here and there on scrap paper or on a desk pad is all they think they need.
How are you going to plan tomorrow’s day with everything pinned to your office wall or scribbled in haphazard notes on a desk pad? You’ll spend more time sorting everything out before you can really begin to move forward with an organized plan of action for the next day.
When you do organize, do it the right way. Organize smart using time management tools, make sure you put your activities down on paper. It will help you do a couple of things: track your progress and make sure you don’t miss anything.
Fortunately, remembering to do something was rarely, if ever, one of the things I neglected to do. Probably the most important thing about writing things down in my appointment book was that it forced me to NEVER FORGET. To me “forgetting” is unforgivable, especially if it involves your family or a customer.
By relying on my appointment book instead of my memory or a bunch of sticky notes tacked up all over my office, I was able to not only remember all my appointments but also to be well prepared when I arrived. I was then able to focus my attention on how I was going to handle my prospects and customers. Everything else that was of any importance was written down in my planner. Even today as a keynote speaker I use an appointment book to manage my daily activities. This is a practice that can be applied to any career. I can’t say enough about this.
The most effective way I know to manage time is by using an appointment book or daily planner for all your activities each day—business and personal. You will immediately know how much time you have set aside to accomplish your goals for the day. The rest of the time will be for you and your family. Force yourself to put everything in this one spot, your appointment diary, to organize how your day will go. Getting things prioritized on paper is the key to efficient and organized planning.
Image Credit: Denise Chan via Compfight
