Episode 57 | 3 Tips on How to Clean Up Your Calendar

Sophia Noreen: Hello, everyone. Welcome to another fantastic episode of the Boss It Podcast. My name is Sophia Noreen, and I'm going to be your host for today. And today, I am going to be presenting three tips on how to clean up your calendar. Many people ask me how I have been managing my calendar, how I'm able to get all the things done that I do, and I'm going to share the three strategies that I use when I set up my week. That way I'm able to accomplish all of my goals and then not feel overwhelmed in the process.  

So tip number one is all about identifying your core values. Many people don't know what their values are and what is important to them. And in turn, what is bringing them joy, and what is uplifting their energy? So for me, one of my core values is spending time with family and friends. I am energized when I spend time with family and friends.  I like having phone chats with my girlfriends. I like to, basically, take care of myself as well. I like to go yoga, as many of you know. I like to take walks. I don't do that enough right now. And so, it's a simple task. But I think it's something that many people don't actually take the time to do, is sit down and really identify what are their values.   

Some people, their values are work. That is also one of my values. And then, of course, another large value for me is I love to have a tidy space. Don't look at my office right now, because that's not a great example of a tidy space. But overall, I like to have a tidy space. So if I say those are my core values, spending time with family and friends, giving me time to do self-care, and go to yoga and fitness. And then, of course, managing a house because we are not living in silos. We do live in a space, so managing that space. Then I can easily start carving out the time in my calendar for my values. 

What that means is I will ensure that I am scheduling in my time to go for yoga, or I will take the time or scheduling the time for me to take my walks on a daily basis. Now, this is not outlandish. But if you look at your calendar, if you think to yourself, I never have the time, I never had the time. And you feel that you're always uttering the words, you never have the time, then make the time for your values. Make the time for the things that you will feel uplifted doing. And if you're having a hard time understanding what that means to you, like you're having a hard time understanding where your values lie, then you could always look back in your past and see what are the things, what are the activities from your childhood that brought you joy.  

And so for me, of course, I'm a pretty busy body person. So, doing anything physical made me happy, like sports, swimming, skating. I also like to play piano, which I haven't done a lot of. So that is going to be one of my goals is to insert a few days a week at the piano. I have a keyboard, so insert some time to ensure that I'm getting time back for that passion that I used to have as a child. And so, if you're trying to identify your values and you're having a difficult time, look back at your formative years when you were younger. Think about the time when you had joy when you felt uplifted, and then make a note. Be like, okay, I like doing that activity. I need to find time to do that activity again. Or I love spending time with my sister, I'm going to ensure that I have a date with her once a month. Or I'm going to call her on the phone every other day, things like that. And these are really tangible tasks that you can complete. But again, I feel very, very strongly that if you do not book it in your calendar, it's not happening. And better yet, for many of us, if you don't write it down in a paper-based agenda. 

So I have my paper agenda sitting beside me here. And I have, of course, my digital calendar. And then the night before I will look at my digital and I'll write it down on my paper. And then by doing that activity, it helps me solidify that this is what I need to accomplish. Especially when you're not working a traditional 9 to 5 job, it's very difficult to motivate yourself to get some deliverables done. But we're not talking about that right now. We're talking about your core values. So again, this tip is all about prioritizing your core values on your calendar. Schedule them.

And so for me, I schedule my walking time. I schedule my yoga dates. I don't really schedule in talking to my family and friends on the phone. But I naturally do that in the cracks of time when there's nothing really scheduled. And I'm multitasking by, perhaps, making dinner. I'll get on the phone with a friend. So just make time for those things, and you will feel a lot better. You'll feel like your day is full of joy and work rather than just work, work, work.  

Okay, let's go on to tip number two. We have spoken about this before, and it's about taking inventory of your calendar. Many of us don't know where the time goes, because we don't know what we're doing with our time. So I do stress that if you are falling into this category of people who feel like they have so much going on but they don't know what they're doing with their time, get a stopwatch or on the hour, have an alarm go off on your phone and document what you did in the last hour. Just put it in your note section of your phone, like dictate the note. For example, from three to four o'clock, I have made calls for a reference check. And now I'm recording a podcast. And again, I'm going to do another call for a reference check. That is what I'm doing guys between the hours of three and four right now, so just to give you an example. And so if you can do that and take stock of your time, then you can say, oh wow. I didn't realize I scrolled on Instagram for two hours a day. You could say, oh wow, I didn't realize it takes me two and a half to three hours to make a post. And I know it seems ridiculous, but trust me, you'd be shocked at how much time you spend doing things that you would not have thought would take you so long?

Another common example is if you're on the computer, sometimes we get distracted and we started clicking around. Somebody emails you or forward of some sort, or you get some junk mail, a lead magnet of some sort and you click through, and then you start reading this and you start reading that. You'd be surprised where all the time goes. 

One that shocks me is how much time it takes me in the morning to get up and going. I actually need a full hour to just get up and go. I need to have my coffee. I need to obviously feed my children. I need time to get ready, shower and change. It takes me a good solid hour just to get up and go time. And so, if I don't get myself that get up and go time, I feel rushed, stressed, or my day doesn't start well. And so, being aware of how much time it takes for you to do things will allow you to set up realistic goals throughout the workday.  

So if you haven't done that activity yet, I highly suggest trying to take inventory of, perhaps, a whole week, because sometimes what happens is people have different activities on different days of the week. And it might seem very tedious, but it will really help you get real with your time and how much time you should spend on what activity. Okay, tip number three, create more open space in your calendar.  And so what I mean by that is,  don't book your entire day. Don't stack it with meetings and task time or time to work on your deliverables. Have open space. And the reason why I'm suggesting that is because the open space will allow for you to be more approachable especially if you're working with a team.  If you are a  manager for example or a person who works with individuals who need your help,  which is my situation. What I ended up having to do is I have a lot of individuals that will approach me,  and they don't necessarily have a meeting time.

So if I have open space in my calendar, I have time to accommodate them.  But if I have booked my day solid either with task time, time for me to do deliverables,  or if I've booked myself solid when it comes to meetings,  then, of course,  I don't have time for my people.  And if you're living with somebody, that's the same thing. You're working with somebody in the house. You're living with them. 

So if they come into your room and they want to speak with you and you're like, I have no time. I'm so stressed. I have my calendars back-to-back, I'm not completing anything.  Then that not only makes it more stressful for you. But you feel defeated because if something does come up unexpectedly,  then you won't be able to accomplish your entire day and that's not setting you up for success. So leave open space in your calendar.  I do suggest only booking 50% of your day.

So for example, if you work an eight to four a day,  only book four hours of that day.  And then in the open space, if nobody does interrupt you and you have time,  you can use that time to catch up.  You can use that time to do your office time, which is another trick is to have an office day, which is like tidying up email, organizing files, tidying up your space,  or the open time can also be used for education.

Get ourselves into courses.  We like to do education. We're very motivated to explore.  So the open space is so valuable for you because it will help reduce overwhelm.  It'll allow you to accommodate unexpected interruptions and finally, it gives you the time to breathe. Be more creative.  You can not only do your office hours,  but you can also accomplish your office time where you clean up your files, organized. But it also gives you the opportunity to do professional development, which is where you would learn,  where you would do curses, where you become a learner. And so, there is no negative to the open space in your calendar.  If you have a calendar that's open to others who can book,  then you can just block it off so they can book in but you know it's available to you if you need it. 

Another great idea when it comes to open space in your calendar is to either block off a whole day to catch up. So if you're saying, I actually can't have open space in my calendar each day because  I really bulk my meetings together,  or I bought my content creation. You can block off a full day for open space.  Now,  I don't like that approach, especially because I do work with a team and I don't know who's going to need me when. And so having 50% of my schedule in open space is great. So that way  I can deal with interruptions on a daily basis. But you may not need that much open space, or you may feel better about having it concentrated on one day of the week. 

Some people like to have an open space in their calendar for the full week,  so they will block off their calendar one week in a month.  So that way, that whole week in that month,  they can concentrate on organizing, touching upon deliverables.  It's just a week off from meetings and they can put an out of office on so that way they're not getting interrupted. 

So, guys, those are my three tips on how to clean up your calendar. I also use Calendly. They are not sponsoring this podcast, but if they want to, they can always send us a message at [email protected].  We use Calendly because it really allows us to merge all of our calendars in one space.  I only have to look in one spot and I get my full list of meetings for the day.  And it allows people on our team to just look in the calendar and know where I'm at and where I'm working.  It also allows people to book into the calendar with a link. So I do love Calendly. If you feel that you're in a situation where your calendars are out of control and you have multiple, I highly suggest Calendly. Okay, so from the top. We spoke about how you need to get real with your core values.  Really prioritize them in your schedule and schedule the priorities. If you want to go for a walk each day, schedule the time.  Tip number two was to track your time and get real on how much time it takes you to complete a task.  And we gave you the advice by using your phone and an alarm,  and then each hour record what you did during that hour.  And finally, tip number three,  we really want you to have open space in your calendar. Do not overbook yourself.  It becomes overwhelming.  You do not have time for interruptions,  and then you just feel defeated when you can't get everything done.   

Okay guys, I really hope this episode was useful.  Remember, take a few of these items and put them into action. Commit to yourself that you want to clean up your calendar, you want to feel in control of your time.  And trust me, you'll be able to accomplish a heck of a lot more.   

And remember if you have any questions, you can always email us at [email protected].  You can check out bossitclub.com for more episodes like this on productivity and professional development. And remember, make a plan and take action. And yes, you can have it all.  We'll talk to you guys again next week. Take care. Bye.