Organize More

There is one great commandment in the world of time-management and that is: thou shalt keep but one calendar .

I had been having conversations with a colleague for a while about what he identifies as some of his organizational needs. He is a brilliant man, a scholar and published author, who can’t seem to keep the little things in life under control.

One day, we met at his office to have a conversation about organizing and keeping better track of things. As I walked into his office, this is what I saw:

My colleague was sitting at his desk. In front of him was a laptop on which he was working. On the far right side of his desk was computer screen for the PC under his desk, printing to a shared printer behind him. Next to the laptop was a paper “day-timer”. His desk phone was on the far left side of the desk, out of arm’s reach. He was checking his blackberry while the cell phone on his belt was ringing.

Does any of this sound familiar?

My colleague was drowning in a sea of gadgets, and spent a good amount of time trying to make sure they were all “on the same page”. He broke the first commandment; He was keeping more than one calendar (not to mention more than one computer, and more than one phone).

If you attempt to use more than one calendar or schedule, you will inevitably lose something in translation.

Your calendar is much more than your schedule; it is a record of your waking hours and all of the celebrations, mundane tasks, and commemorative dates that make up the fabric of your life. Give your brain a break. Everything that you think you need to remember should go down on your calendar. It is the greatest planning tool ever made.

1) Take your “to-do” list and find space in your calendar for each and every task. See our article on Managing Your “To-Do” List for more helpful hints.

2) List all birthdays, holidays, and other commemorative events.

3) List vacation time and keep track of sick and personal days for comparison with your paycheck.

4) List paydays and schedule time to pay your bills corresponding with your paydays.

5) List doctors’ appointments, dental check-ups, and other wellness activities.

6) Make sure sure to block out time for exercise and other leisure activities.

Keeping one complete calendar will not only help you to stay organized, it will make sure that you never lose time or miss an important moment again. Remember, if you don’t record it on your calendar, it probably won’t get done.