THE SECOND BEST TIME MANAGEMENT TOOL EVER

My March 14, 2017 post taught you the best time management technique ever. The second best time management technique ever is a little more complicated. I hope the visual helps.

Whenever I have a task which has a time frame which is limited by something outside my control, like store hours, a deadline when I have to turn something in, a time-zone difference for a call I need to make, I give that task its own marker on my calendar. And that marker is set to the length of time of the problem outside my control. Using the calendar above, in my world, “Chorus Festival” on Thursday the 12th is too vague. If the Festival hours are from 9:00AM – 4:00PM, and I intend to go sometime during those hours, my “Chorus Festival” appointment is set for 9:00AM – 4:00PM. That lets me see the possibility in balance with “work” (which would also be blocked out realistically, 9:00AM – 5:00PM) and “violin lessons” which would also be defined for its entire real time. Same for Saturday the 28th’s “48 Hour Film Production” which I will pretend IS 48 hours – my “Film Production” block would extend the full 48 hours. I have nine calendars juxtaposed against each other in my view at all times. I am always able to see potential opportunities at a glance. Simple and very effective.