Happy day readers! Today, I wanted to share with you one of the most important things that I keep in my life, it’s called my schedule! Now, this is something I get asked about often. We all have demands in our lives, priorities to sort out, people to see, places to go, and things we WANT or NEED to accomplish. So, how do we keep it all organized?

I used to keep a paper planner, which if I’m honest I prefer because I enjoy writing and crossing things off a list. However, with starting my business I have such a different lifestle then I used to, and I had to be flexible with my approach.

I challenged myself over a year ago to try using my online calendar through Outlook for ONE WEEK, I did it and saw so much value that I have since continued.

So, why do I like an online calendar? There are a few reasons:

1. I can move things around on my schedule instantly, and without crossing out/ scratching/ whiting out (yep, I used to do that to keep it looking neat) etc. I can also delete appointments with ease, and keeping everything neat.

2. It keeps everything in order by time. Let me explain. So, with a paper planner let’s say that you write down at the top of a particular day “Work 11-6”, and then you later decide you want to add something at 9am.. You either have to try to squeeze it in above what you wrote, or draw arrows. There were actually a couple times before I made the switch that I missed appointments, because I couldn’t see everything in order.. I didn’t know what was next.

3. You can choose to see your daily calendar, weekly, or monthly. This helps you map out your free time, see where you have a lot going on and plan some rest. It gives you a full picture of what you’re expecting of yourself.

4. You can “double” block a time out. I can put items next to each other in the same time slot. For example, I could block out exercise next to time with friends. Which, if you saw any of my time inventory teaching you would know, I recommend you find ways to “double book” If you want to spend 10 hours a week with friends and 5 hours a week exercising. Why not exercise with a friend and be more efficient with your time?

So, here is a screenshot of some of my weekly calendar. I blocked out names/ addresses for privacy purposes (in blue)

Capture

Notice that I block out a lot of personal things in between/around my working schedule. This holds me more accountable. I block out rest time, some exercise, when bills are due and more. There is not ONE thing that you can’t put on here.

Here’s the thing, we all have different schedules, demands, and priorities. But, what we all have in common is 168 hours a week that we INTENTIONALLY CHOOSE to use. What are you spending your time on? How are you blocking out your time? We may have good intentions, but without taking action, they are just that, intentions. Don’t die with good intentions. I want to see you come to the end of your life proud of your accomplishments, and how you spent the precious time you have.