Boost your productivity with your calendar

We were asked recently if we have any recommendations on apps to help improve productivity.

We know the story – you are busy, back to back meetings, too much to do, getting pulled left right and centre. How do you keep up?

Yes you can use tasks, you can use project management tools, there are any number of “to do list” apps but everyone forgets about one of the most powerful that you already have – your calendar.

If you haven’t already read “Time Warrior” and “The Power of Systems” by Steve Chandler then I urge you to do so. The essence is simple, stop procrastinating and start doing. Then find a system that works for you and have the discipline to stick to it.

For many, that simple system is the calendar. There are only so many hours in a day so allocate your tasks to slots in the calendar, you can’t over allocate. The slots force you to think about how much time you are actually going to need (or have available to start) and if you don’t have the time today then put them in later but make sure you get them all in.

Allocation key steps

1. Allocate tasks to time slots
2. Split big tasks into smaller sections and book the first step
3. Prioritise tasks
4. Get all tasks in no matter how much it fills your calendar
5. Prioritise again to make space for over runs and build in breaks (do not burnout)

As you do tasks, when you finish them close them off but if you don’t finish then stop at the end and create another future entry in your calendar to continue. If a task overruns that’s ok as you know what it has overrun into and move that task forward.

Before you end each day make sure you have either closed, scheduled time in the future or bumped a task to the future for every task you have for the day. This step is incredibly important as it is far too easy to say I will come back to it later but later doesn’t happen until it becomes a crisis in the future.

Processing key steps

1. Close tasks as you go
2. Stop when the time is up. If not finished either bump forward the following task or allocate a new time to continue the existing task
3. If something goes up in priority or needs to be brought forward then make space by moving less important tasks to a later slot/date.
4. You must ensure you have processed all tasks at the end of each day. You want each day to start fresh rather than immediately behind

Benefits of the system

This is a deceptively simple system that is very powerful, it keeps you in control of your tasks but it requires discipline from you to maintain it.

In essence you…

1. Start each day fresh: you know exactly what’s ahead
2. Forced prioritisation: you decide what matters most
3. Time allocation: you commit time not just intention
4. Resilience to disruption: you know what to move and where
5. Sense of progress: you end each day with clarity and closure

Using Outlook

If your using Outlook here are some tips that may help:

• Drag and drop emails onto your calendar
• Use categories and colours
• Setup recurring time blocks for regular tasks
• Link to Microsoft To Do or Outlook Tasks
• Sync across devices so you can quickly update on your phone

Whatever your IT question – big or small – drop us a message or give us a call. We’ll make sure you get a straightforward answer without the tech-speak.

IT that just works. So you can, too.