The Art of Calendaring - Organize Your Life

Getting organized can seem like a chore to some people because they don't know where to begin. There are many methods for getting organized in all aspects of your life, and today I am going to talk about organizing your life with the art of calendaring. Although it does take time to get organized calendaring is one of the first places you should start especially if you work from home!

Some people like to use a separate calendar for business and home, but I prefer to combine to the two in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. I wouldn't want to schedule a phone interview with a client at 1:00, when I need to pick up my son at preschool during that time. I use goggle calendar, but I also have a back up with all the same information right at my desk. Using a calendar is especially important if you work at home.

Plan your Week

First make a list of what you need to do during the week, along with other appointments phone calls or other obligations that you may have. Plan your week ahead of time, and also write down your daily tasks for the next day on a note pad so you can cross them off one by one. Use a calendar with a time lime, and stick the clock so that you can be efficient with getting things done. Here is an example of my daily schedule on a busy day working at home with the kids under foot. I have a toddler and a baby so I have to be organized in order to get anything done. There are some days when I schedule more cleaning, and other house hold tasks rather than work depending on when my deadlines are. I also have days when I can only get work done in the mornings and the rest of day I am running errands and getting groceries with the kids.

6:30-7:00- Morning walk with the boys.

7:00-7:30- Breakfast- Write article for associated content

7:30-7:40- Make doctor apt for next week.

7:40-8:30- Free time with family.

8:30-9:00- Write 1-2 more articles for associated content

9:00-10:00 Start on rough draft for press release, and press kit for XYZ client.

10:00- 11:00 Write 2-3 more articles for associated content

11:00-11:30 Revise and work on web content for new client due in 2 days.

12:00- 1:00 Lunch time with the boys.

1:00-2:00- Both boys go down for a nap. More work or sometimes I use this time as my free quiet time alone to get some reading done.

2:00-3:00- Free

3:00- 4:00 Free- snack time

4:00-5:00 Prepare and cook dinner

5:00-9:00 Family time

9:00- Bed time

Leave room in your schedule for free time just in case it takes you longer to complete tasks that you had anticipated. At this point I have a pretty good idea of how long it takes me to get things done, but I always try to leave room in my daily schedule to catch up on things should I happen to fall behind. My main goal is always get to the tasks for a particular day done in the same day to prevent work from piling up over the course of the week.

Highlight the most important things that need to be completed, and always allow time for family in your schedule. Be sure that your schedule is balanced or you will get burnt out. I try to also get my work done before my husband gets home from work so that when he is home I can focus strictly on him and the kids during this time.

Stay tuned for up coming articles and advice with more on organization. I plan to share some of my other tips with you, which include pantry organization, organizing your closet, setting up a productive filing system, and more.