In my blog, Getting Things Done, I talked about prioritizing. But this is only effective depending on the action that you put behind your to-do list.
Today, I will share how I translate my to-do list into my calendar.
Friday afternoons are when the magic happens! I love doing it during this day because I get to recap my week. During this time, I get to congratulate myself for everything I accomplished for the week, and it makes me look forward to the weekend and the week ahead because I already know what I need to do. Another benefit of doing this is that I get to practice mindfulness in whatever I do because I have blocked off time for that activity. I am not thinking of anything else.
I introduced Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix in my Getting Things Done blog. This is the tool that I use to get myself organized, coupled with Trello, a project management tool. Trello starts my recapping and planning process, and I end it with Microsoft Outlook's calendar. The applications I mentioned are my preferences; you can use others that you are comfortable with.
For this blog, I will assume that you are using Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix and are familiar with the four quadrants. I've added two categories to supplement the matrix with what I call "New for the Week" and "Done!" lists.
New for the week – I use this list to jot down new tasks that I get within the pre-planned week. If the task is not time-sensitive, I leave it on that list, but otherwise, I look for time to accomplish it before the deadline. The purpose of this list is to decrease the distraction of non-urgent tasks and focus on the activities you have already pre-planned.
Done! – This is where I list all the tasks I accomplished during the week. This list gives me joy, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment. I strongly recommend adding this to your planning process.
The Planning Process
I follow the idea of the "ultradian rhythm," which suggests that 90 minutes is the ideal duration for a person to focus intently on a task. Therefore, I ensure that all my tasks are limited to 90 minutes only.
To leverage your calendar for maximum productivity, fill each day with enough tasks to take up the time available. You'll probably know from experience how long you need to complete a task. If you don't know how much time a task needs, time it so you know for the future. Remember to schedule breaks!
Now, we are ready to transfer your to-do list to your calendar.
Step 1. Look at your "New for the Week" list, then move the tasks in this list to your Time Management Matrix to determine which quadrant it belongs.
Step 2. Now that your tasks are categorized, you can move them to your calendar. Start scheduling the items in Quadrant 1 (Urgent and important), followed by Quadrant 2 (Not urgent but important). Block off the appropriate time for the tasks.
Note: Don't be limited to weekly planning; you can always plan for future weeks, months, and even years if the task takes a long time.
Step 3. Execute your plan. Sometimes, your schedule works out differently than planned. That's okay. If you are in this situation, look at your calendar and see which can be rescheduled. This would be easy to do because you know the importance and urgency of each planned task.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1 to 3
Embedding this system in your life will make you feel in control because you can say yes or no easily, be less stressed and more fulfilled, and have a lot of time for things that matter to you.
Image by wayhomestudio on Freepik
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