Staying in control of your schedule isn’t easy, especially when you’re stressed, pressed for time, or dealing with multiple deadlines and the demands of others.
But let’s be real: sometimes the saboteur is you.
If you’ve ever created a great schedule for your day but found yourself doing something completely unrelated when you sat down to work, then you know exactly what I mean.
Having your schedule hijacked by someone else is bad enough, but when you’re the main culprit, the loss of control is even more demoralizing. But instead of playing the blame game (haven’t you had enough of that?), let’s focus on solutions to the problem.
Here are 3 quick tips you can put into action right away to take back control of your schedule and stop hijacking your own schedule.
- Schedule your shade priorities. Hidden priorities are the things you in fact do even when plan to do something else These priorities are not on your agenda, but they exert a powerful influence on how you spend your time. So give them the attention they want by including them in your schedule, but set clear limits on how much time you allocate to them. For example, if your plan is to rethink your strategic goals, but you find yourself checking email instead, make email a priority in your schedule and schedule specific blocks of time to attend to it. You’ll find that scheduling your shadow’s priorities gives them the attention they crave—and the boundaries they lack.
- Schedule your when and where. It’s challenging to accurately estimate how much time you need to allocate in your schedule for tasks that require significant thought and planning, but just focus on time it’s a mistake. When and where Your work schedule is just as important. For example, if you are most alert in the morning and do your best deep thinking away from your desk, then it would be wise to put something like this on your calendar: “Strategic planning session, 8:30 – 10 am, in cafeteria/dining room Joe’s”. When you begin to take your personal style of work seriously, you’ll find that you get more done, in less time, with better results, and you’ll be less likely to take over your own schedule.
- Schedule your break. Busy people often talk about burning the candle at both ends, but life is not a candle and your health is not a replaceable commodity. The surest way to lose control of your schedule is to maintain a pace that leaves you chronically exhausted, so start to work rest into your schedule by establishing a time to go to bed and a time to wake up. You may not fall asleep (or wake up) right away, but rest isn’t just about sleep, it’s about making a conscious decision to slow down and give yourself the sense of well-being you deserve.
So if you’re ready to stop playing the saboteur role, start scheduling your shadow priorities, your when and where, and your rest. You may find the results are transformative.
