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6 Ways to Utilize the Weekend to Prepare for the Work Week

By Calendar | Scheduling, Time Management | No Comments

The workweek can be tough. Life asks much of you, and it can feel like the important things are slipping away. While the weekends are traditionally a reprieve from the workweek, more and more, they seem to blend together. So it’s important to make sure you’re using your weekend wisely to prepare for the work week. Here are six ways to use your weekend time to make your next week a bit smoother.

1. Schedule the Week Ahead

Scheduling is one of the best ways to start making good use of your time. It’s easy to meander through the week with a vague idea of what you need to get done each day. You spend more mental power than you might expect when you need to reorient yourself every day.

By scheduling your week in advance, you increase your clarity and precision throughout the week. So start scheduling your week on the weekend if you aren’t already. Spend 30 minutes to an hour on your weekend, blocking out the most important items for every day.

Timeboxing is a skill where you limit the amount of time you allow yourself to spend on a certain task. By limiting the amount of time you allow yourself on a task, you’re more likely to end up finishing it faster. That way, you won’t allow scheduling itself to be another annoying part of your weekend.

2. Budget

A great way to make money is to save it. Budgeting may sound a bit tedious, especially as a weekend activity. But it enables you to be confident in your spending and stretch your money further.

Start by investigating your spending. Take a look through your most recent month of credit card transactions. Get a pen and paper or open up a spreadsheet and start tracking them. Then break them up by order of importance: essentials, need-to-haves, nice-to-haves.

The essentials are non-negotiable fees you have to pay like rent, utilities, and insurance. The need-to-haves are needs with potentially negotiable fees. Need-to-haves are things like groceries or your cell phone bill. These are basically necessities, but unlike your rent, you could find ways to cut down on their costs.

Finally, the nice-to-haves are things that do enhance the quality of your life, but you don’t really need. For example, Netflix is fun, but maybe it’s not exactly the most necessary thing you bought this month. Nice-to-haves are the easiest things to cut.

With a budget in mind, you can approach your week feeling confident about your spending. You’ll know whether you can really afford that extra candy bar while waiting in line.

3. Meal Prep

Feeding yourself can be incredibly time-consuming. You have to decide what you want to eat, go shopping, prepare the food, eat, and then clean up after. Do this three times a day every day, and the hours start to add up. Now, you could circumvent this issue with take-out or frozen meals. But these are often less nutritious and hurt your health in the long run. So why not try preparing your meals ahead of time?

Meal prep is a tried-and-true method of saving time that its enthusiasts swear by. Pick a weekend day, usually Sunday, to get the majority of the work out of the way. While you won’t be able to finish everything ahead of time, you’ll save yourself tons of time each week. The best part is you won’t sacrifice your nutrition while doing so. In fact, you might actually end up eating even healthier than before!

4. Tidy Life, Tidy Mind

An untidy space can hamper productivity. A cluttered desk, for example, is simply less functional than a tidy one. It’s also an indication and reflection of your internal mentality. The same goes for your living space. So if you’ve been meaning to clean up for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it, do it this weekend.

Laundry is also a big part of this equation. It’s one of the first elements of your household that can get out of hand. Make sure you have a dedicated space for collecting dirty laundry, like a closet hamper. Once you establish a routine, laundry can become a weekly or bi-weekly weekend habit, saving you time.

Now that you’ve got your laundry tidied up — apply the meal prep approach to your clothes. Go through your wardrobe and choose which clothes you’ll wear for the coming week. This cuts out the time you spend deliberating on it each morning. You can also go one step further and make cuts to simplify your wardrobe. Steve Jobs famously wore the same outfit to reduce “decision fatigue,” and you can do the same.

5. Take a Step Back

Scheduling, cleaning, meal, and clothing prep are all great ways to frontload work so your week goes smoother. But they’re largely task-based activities that require you to do active problem-solving. Simply put, if you’re always working, you’ll start experiencing burnout before too long. Preparing for the workweek isn’t just about completing tasks ahead of time. It’s also about making sure you’re prepared, and that includes resting.

Now, what’s restful for someone may not necessarily be restful for you. Some people need to charge up to wind down by playing sports or otherwise engaging in rigorous activity. Others may recuperate from the week by finding a quiet coffee shop and reading a new book. It’s important to find what works for you and then to make sure to actually do it.

In a world that values output, it can be easy to write off self-care as a waste of time. But if you’re too burnt out to do work, then you’ll end up wasting your time anyways. Self-care is essential to maximizing your output during the workweek. If you’re a workaholic and just can’t seem to relax, schedule time into your weekend to not work.

6. Connect with Loved Ones

Unfortunately, it’s too easy to let your connections with those you love most slip. Of course, you want to spend time with them, but the world is demanding, and so they’re pushed back endlessly.

Connecting with people who are important to you is crucial for your well-being. This is another form of self-care, but one that focuses on the longevity of your relationships. Humans are social creatures, and by neglecting your relationships, you effectively neglect yourself. Engaging in healthy social relationships boosts your physical chemistry in the short term. Robust relationships also increase your long-term resiliency and life expectancy.

So visit your parents. Go on that date you’ve been wanting for a while now. Text that friend you haven’t seen in years. Time spent with others is time well spent when it comes to your physical and mental health. And regularly scheduled social activity will help you prepare for the work week. It will give you something to look forward to when the workweek gets you down.

It’s Your Time

The traditional work weekend of Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday lends itself well to scheduling, prepping, and self-care. Friday and Saturday are great times to build relationships and take time for yourself. Sunday is perfect for scheduling, planning meals, and other workweek prep. Treating Sunday as the first day of the week with Saturday as the last is a framework for invigorating productivity.

Ultimately, find what works for you and stick to that schedule to cultivate habits that help you better prepare for the work week.

6 Ways to Utilize the Weekend to Prepare for the Work Week was originally published on Calendar. com on Sept. 29, 2022, by Matt Rowe. Featured Image: Ekaterina Belinskaya; Pexels.com. Thank you!

Thinking of a Career Change? Take it From Possibility to Reality

By Howie Jones | Appointment | No Comments

Deciding to change careers is a huge one. There are a lot of different opportunities out there for many people. There is no reason to stay in a career that is not right for you. You may not like your job. You could be looking for a brand new start in a completely different field. In other cases, you may want to advance.

As you think about your future, consider how you could get there. Often, giant leaps in careers take some time to plan. You need to consider many variables to know when to make your move and how. That is especially true for older people who may have obligations to meet. In all cases, your first objective is to create a plan.

To take your goal from a dream to reality, work to focus on a few simple tools that can help you to get there. Of course, every situation is a bit different, but most career changes can happen with some planning and organization. Here’s what to consider.

Document Your Goals

The first step to take is to document what your goals are. That’s a big one. You don’t have to be specific just yet. Write down what you want to do. Make it your dream job or career path. Then, write down other things you would like to do.

Within your goals, document objectives as clearly as possible. For example, who do you want to work with and why? What type of work do you hope to do? What are your “whys” for this process? Then, when you put these thoughts and ideas onto paper, you make them a reality. That is, you define what you want. Now, you can start planning for how to get to that point.

Discuss What Your Strengths and Weaknesses Are Next

No matter how big your dream is, you have to be qualified for it. To know where you stand, write down all of the strengths you have. Then, be sure to list things that could help you do well in this new field. Be specific here so that you can see what your opportunities really are.

Outline your weaknesses next. As you work to plan for your goals, you need to know what you need to work on. These could be career skills or technical abilities. It could also be a list of objectives you have for soft skill development. That could be taking a leadership course or two.

Next, make a plan for achieving improvement in all areas that impact your desired career. For example, you may need a certification from a college program. Set a date for achieving these objectives. It may be a few months out or longer. By putting a date on that goal, you further make it real and give yourself something to work towards.

Get Yourself Organized

Now that you have an idea of where you want to go, create some objectives to achieve. That includes working on those weaknesses. The most critical first step is to consider a timeline.

How long will it take you to obtain the education you need to work in the field you want? Use a calendar app to give yourself that amount of time. Set a date for achieving that objective based on the length of time it takes.

Next, consider the process of reading yourself — like, listening to audible books, and reading hard copies, also. Amazon has an incredible selection of business books and audible books. You may need time to network and build relationships. You may need some time to work in the field in a stepped-up position before taking on a significant role. Again, use a Calendar App to put that into place. Give yourself enough time for learning.

No matter what you need to do for the position, place a time goal on it. That makes it a bit easier for you to continue to pursue your education, skill training, and other objectives. You know what you need to do. You have a timeline to do it. Let that motivate you to make it happen.

Consider Your Financial Needs

Money is often one of the most common obstacles stopping people from taking the giant leap. You may be taking a pay cut. You may need to take some time off work to return to school. These things are scary for those who have financial responsibilities.

If you need to save money, determine how much you need to keep. Your need will be based on your current budget and financial need. It may look like a lot of money. Instead of seeing it as one big chunk, break it down into a weekly or monthly number. How much do you need to put into savings to be able to do this every week?

Here’s a trick. Set up an auto draft into your savings account from your paycheck each week for a portion of the amount you’ll need. You can use your calendar app to help you a bit here. It can remind you to move money where it needs to go, for example.

Make Some Plans to Get Things Done

What is going to help you make a move? While you work on training and building skill, don’t forget the small things that really add up. Begin to make appointments with yourself for specific tasks — and also to connect with others who can help you build and widen your career choices.

For many people, a new resume is necessary. Spend some time updating your resume. Be sure it is focused heavily on the specific type of job you plan to have. Adjust all your skills and abilities to match the kind of work you plan to do. Here’s a tip to do this well. Use the job websites to check out the wording and requirements that many employers have in the field you plan to pursue. Make sure your resume has those words and skills in it. Be sure to be honest, but thorough.

Next, take some time to update your LinkedIn profile. Many employers use social media as a way to gain some insight into the person they are hiring. Be sure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume. It needs to help you to shine through this process. You can also write content and some tremendous informational pieces about the industry you are interested in or the work you’ve done. That way, would-be hiring managers can see your passion in the field.

Work to freshen up your soft skills, too. You may want to volunteer in groups that are important to you. Become a member of the professional association associated with your potential future career. What other qualifications do applicants in your field have? Work towards earning those.

Start Networking

Many employers today spend a lot of time networking with would-be employees. They turn to similar platforms, too. For higher leadership positions, it helps to have a few connections. Work to meet people. Punch in a few more events into your calendar app — such as professional events or networking events. Set up some time to meet with someone in the field for lunch. Talk to people already working in the field. How did they get their job?

Consider Your Long-Term Goals

A career change is excellent, and it is what you are planning for now. However, now that you have some goals to work towards, it is time to think about your very long-term objectives. What’s the most significant and boldest goal you have?

Use this as a way to choose where to work. You want to be sure that your next career move is going to support all of your future goals. The right company, people, and opportunities make a big difference.

It takes a lot to plan for your future. But stay organized through it all. Use a calendar app to help you stay on track of your goals and the work you plan to do. Doing so can help make your vision become a reality.

Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio; Pexels; Thank you!

Thinking of a Career Change? Take it From Possibility to Reality was originally published on Calendar by Howie Jones.

A Meeting Checklist Helps You Decide if a Session is Needed

By Hunter Meine | Business Tips | No Comments

If you must have a meeting and it only needs to be about ten minutes, don’t get everyone together — utilize video conferencing rather than meeting in person or voice alone. In this way, your on-site employees and the remote team can quickly get the information needed in a timely manner.

More than half of on-site employees aspire to work remotely in the future, so you may as well practice this way of meeting now. Video conferencing reduces meeting time, enhances productivity, and fosters employee relationships. It’s a well-known fact that on-site or off-site — unproductive meetings tend to lead to disengaged personnel.

To prevent a slash to your team’s productivity — utilize this checklist to assess the necessity of any meeting (maybe a quick email will work just fine). Here are a few guidelines.

Checklist for Meetings

Is the issue urgent?
Are you searching for dialogue or deliverables?
Who is the designated accountable person for my task?
How many ideas do I need assistance brainstorming?
Are we meeting to discuss a new concept or project?
What is my optimal outcome?

How frequently do we require status updates if this is a reoccurring meeting?

Is there time to prepare?
Is everyone I’m inviting required?
What is each person’s function in this meeting?
Can we meet through video call?
How long should we meet?
Is the plan clear?
Is the conference room AV ready?
Do we need this meeting now, or can it wait?

If you’re unsure, check this list before sending out calendar invitations.

1. Is the issue urgent?

This is the first question to ask yourself. If you need to communicate, quickly consider Slack or Microsoft Teams. You can brief critical decision-makers and leaders and determine if you need to meet at all, or whether other team members should be consulted first.

In short, if you have an urgent problem that demands feedback from other team members, you’ll need to meet. But make sure you alert others quickly.

2. Do I want a dialogue or deliverables?

Before sending out calendar invites, think about the sort of meeting you want to have. As hybrid work becomes the norm, more distant employees may wish to meet in person. Meetings lower remote employees’ productivity by 1.8 times more than on-site workers, so be mindful of other schedules. Also, be aware of your remote employees’ time so they can attend on-site if needed. Last-minute meetings tend to leave your remote employees out or unprepared.

If you want your core team to share ideas, you’ll need to convene a meeting.

A meeting may not be necessary if you only need to collaborate on a project or examine other team members’ work. Remind the team of deadlines and ask for comments or contributions to shared team papers instead. Google Drive and Dropbox Paper are valuable platforms for receiving team input and modifications. Instead of scheduling a meeting, use emails or instant messages to remind people.

If tasks can be completed offline — do it. You may then meet in person or over a video to discuss the project’s progress at a later date with new ideas.

3. Who is the designated accountable person for my task?

Before arranging the meeting, ask yourself this question. If you’re in charge of a project, prepare a list of requirements before meeting with your team. Once you’ve finished your list, book your meeting.

You shouldn’t be planning the meeting unless you are the accountable person. Instead, contact the project manager to assist with any deliverables.

4. How many ideas do I need assistance brainstorming?

Having other minds in the room is always more enticing when brainstorming for a project. A meeting isn’t always required merely because you want assistance creating fresh ideas.

Save brainstorming sessions for when you need a lot of feedback from others before starting a project. Hold a virtual brainstorm for tiny ideas like blog post names or social media themes. Create a shared document and invite team members to contribute.

It’s worth holding a meeting or conference to discuss large-scale campaigns or initiatives.

5. Are we meeting to discuss a new concept or project?

Project kickoff conferences are vital to the collaborative process. It’s critical to set aside time to discuss roles, objectives, and timelines required by the group to launch a program.

Try alternating check-ins with meetings and virtual cooperation if the project has already begun.

Instead of a weekly status report meeting, try bi-monthly status reports with virtual stand-ups through Slack or email.

6. How frequently do we require progress updates if this is a recurrent meeting?

If you’re planning a recurrent meeting, consider adding virtual aspects. For example, host a weekly status update over Slack to save time if you require a weekly status update.

7. Is there enough time to prepare?

A productive meeting requires preparation. Preparation for specific endeavors, like brainstorming, is minimal. Recurring sessions generally need additional planning.

Once you know the conference type, you may assess your team’s availability and choose a date. Just because you’re ready doesn’t guarantee your colleagues are prepared with their work at the same time. Everyone should have their tasks complete by the slated dates — and your weekly update should that progress. You will want to announce larger tasks a day ahead of time so that everyone can prepare.

Check team members’ calendars to see whether they’re available. Finally, ask your team how they can prevent missing events. Once they affirm, you’re ready to go on.

8. Do I need to invite everyone?

Jeff Bezos and most business executives believe that the most productive sessions include eight people and the two pizza rule. Your invitees may invite additional team members but limit the core group to avoid unnecessary conversation.

9. What is each person’s function in this meeting?

Once you’ve decided who to invite, it’s essential to know what each individual can contribute to the table. If the meeting needs specific data or insights, appoint a suitable participant to bring it. Again, you’ll save time by concentrating on the current debate and not waiting for others to find information.

Assign jobs like facilitator or note-taker ahead of time. You’ll learn to manage your time better and see ahead.

10. Can the meeting be done through video call?

In many circumstances, the answer is “yes.” Video conferences allow distant participants to join in on the discussion and record for those who couldn’t attend. In addition, video conference sessions are quicker than audio-only meetings, making them more productive and inclusive.

11. When shall we meet again?

When scheduling conferences, consider others’ time. Most meetings shouldn’t last longer than about 30 minutes. If you’re planning a lengthy schedule, consider booking an hour-long meeting. First, however, you should review your plan to see how long these talks will take.

Set the session timer for 30 minutes and only 45 or 60 minutes if the agenda items are closely connected. Longer meetings can cover a wide range of duties, which may confuse attendees. Better to have one topic or a better checklist for longer meetings.

It’s preferable to schedule two shorter meetings than one big one. Remember to use our checklist before arranging the second meeting.

12. Is the plan clear?

Nothing is worse than an unprepared leader. Agendas provided in advance help attendees prepare constructive contributions. Making a plan also helps you clarify your ideas regarding the project.

13. Is the conference room A/V ready?

Last but not least, ensure the conference place is ready to go. Use our AV checklist to ensure the room you’re using is ready for video conference immediately. Fifty-nine percent of remote employees say IT difficulties hinder meetings. Yet, remote employees depend on these technologies to properly join the team.

More efficient sessions save time and money. Meetings in the last year cost U.S. businesses $37 billion. You don’t want your business to add extra dollars to this tally for your annual conference expenses. Find out more about meeting costs and the most OK video conferencing camera for your conference location. So clear your calendar.

Image Credit: Christina Morillo; Pexels; Thank you!

Meeting Checklist Helps You Decide if a Session is Needed was originally published on Calendar by Hunter Meine.

Why Your Business Should Plan for Vacation Season Now

By Jon Bradshaw | Business Tips | No Comments

Summer — and vacation season — will be here faster than you know it. With it comes sandy beaches, tan lines, snow cones, and grilling on the patio. School is out for most kids, and weather conditions are ideal for taking trips and spending money on souvenirs and other pleasures.

If you run an appointment-based business, you may also experience an upswing in summer business. For some, going barefoot on the beach requires regular pedicures. Dental appointments for the kids and physicals for fall sports are easier to squeeze in when school is out of session. Whatever the nature of your business, summer may mean an increase in activity, not a series of lazy, hazy days.

If you’re prepared for it, summer business can result in exciting growth and earning potential. It could even take your small business to the next level. The trick is planning for vacation season now instead of waiting until the first day of summer break officially begins. These are just some of the reasons why your business should be preparing right now for the upcoming summer vacation season:

1. Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail

This old adage holds a lot of truth in it. While no one is actively planning to fail, you’re essentially setting yourself up for disaster — or at least missed opportunities — by failing to plan for a seasonal uptick. Not only could you face overburdened staff, you could also leave current and potential customers dissatisfied.

Review your game plan from the year before so you have an idea of what worked and what didn’t last season. Consider hiring some seasonal employees to take on the additional workload or prepare self-service resources to take the weight off of your team when there’s a full house. Anything you can do to plan and prepare for the influx of business will help you delight more customers.

2. Employees Also Want Vacation Time

Customers aren’t the only people who are wanting to make the most of popular vacation times. At least one of your employees will be making plans for that same time period. If you’re not planning employee schedules in advance, you might find yourself short-handed during a busy time of the year.

You and your team need to touch base well before vacation season picks up. Right now is a good time to talk about summer plans with your employees as the weather continues to get warmer. Coordinating PTO and making sure schedules are covered before planes take off will help ensure that everyone gets their deserved vacation without leaving the rest of the team high and dry.

3. You Can Boost Your Sales With Prepared Content

Any time consumers are primed to spend is a good time to prepare some promotional content. For example, the right marketing campaign for the Christmas season can make an instant impact on your sales numbers for the final quarter of the year. Without posting any content, your business may get drowned out by the many other brands and competitors clamoring for attention. The same goes for snagging consumer attention during the summer months.

Your content and promotional deals will reap far more benefits if they are prepared well in advance. For example, your mother-daughter mani-pedi deal will flop if you don’t have enough staff scheduled to apply the required polish. Throwing together a promotion on the fly will not be nearly as effective as a well-thought-out and carefully executed plan. You should be conceiving and fine-tuning your promotional content weeks before it is set to go live.

4. Things Can, and Will, Go Wrong

Your normal business operations are probably doing fine at the moment. However, the vacation season can add a lot of strain on your normal workflows and daily operations. This added strain can make a lot of new and unexpected problems show up at the most inopportune times. It’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst.

What happens if your star stylist comes down with a case of post-picnic food poisoning and has to cancel days’ worth of appointments? This isn’t something you can predict, but it’s one of those scenarios you should be prepared for regardless. Having other staff ready to pitch in can make sure his clients don’t have to head to the beach without their highlights. The better your backup plan, the fewer annoyed customers you’ll have.

5. You’ll Only Reach the Goals You Set

You can accomplish a lot of things with your business this summer, but only if you start your planning now. Let’s say you’ve started a new business, and you want to use this busy season to pay off one of your business loans. Getting rid of those monthly payments would sure be helpful, but you need an actual plan in order to achieve that.

With a goal in mind, what can you do in the prep phase to make things happen? Perhaps it’s by designing and running a killer digital promotion that will bring in new revenue. Maybe your plan is to set up an information tent at ball games, concerts, and other busy public summer events to get the word out about your new business. Plan these efforts now, and you might actually meet the goals you set.

So much can go right, or wrong, depending on the amount of planning you put into your business. With appropriate preparation, you increase the likelihood that summer vacation season will make — not break — your business.

Image Credit: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi; Pexels; Thanks!

How to Boost Your Productivity Game in 2022

By Max Palmer | Appointment | No Comments

If you are one of those people who make New Year’s resolutions, being more productive likely made the list. In fact, it probably makes the list for all people — year after year after year — because productivity can be elusive for all.

Even if you started 2022 with a constructive few months — by April, you may already be waning. The commitment to productivity in your job and personal life may be as unused as your gym membership. “Maybe tomorrow” turns into “maybe next week,” then “maybe next month,” and so on.

Before you allow your good intentions to pave that road to you-know-where, take note. There are ways you can restore that drive for productivity and make it a habit rather than a hope. Don’t just resolve to boost your productivity game in 2022; make it happen.

Establish Some Boundaries

If you don’t set limits on what you do and don’t want to do, you’ll keep landing out of bounds. Deciding what you’re not going to do in 2022 will keep you focused on what you do. Those limits will help you say “no” to wasting time and “yes” to getting things done.

Boundaries are rules used to guide interactions with others. Those interactions could be with family, friends, co-workers, or even the barista at your favorite coffee joint. That means they are personal, professional, and transactional.

You may decide this is the year to not indulge in office gossip. Or perhaps you’ll choose to not run to the bathroom and hide every time that annoying co-worker approaches you. Imagine what you could accomplish just by placing those two activities out of bounds.

Your productivity will rise if you are centered rather than lurking on the periphery. Obviously, you need to set some boundaries to know where they are. But once you do, you can focus on what matters and leave what doesn’t outside the lines.

Breathe Life Into That To-Do List

Now that you’ve set some rules for what you aren’t going to do, make a list of what you are. To-do lists come in all forms and lengths, so begin by deciding what format will work best for you. If you aren’t sure, don’t be afraid to try a few on for size.

Make sure your list doesn’t linger on your desk like the company’s last strategic plan that’s sitting on the shelf. A good list should be consulted and revised every single day, marking items off, and adding new ones. If that isn’t happening, adjust the way you’re doing the list or don’t bother having one.

You can add structure to your list by using your calendar instead of a series of sticky notes. It will force you to think realistically about the time it will take to accomplish a task. Moreover, you’re less likely to overschedule the volume of tasks on a day filled with meetings.

To-do lists may do more harm than good if they overwhelm rather than encourage. If your current method isn’t working, give it some oxygen. Done correctly, your list, (and that strategic plan), should be a living, breathing thing.

Free Up Your Prime Time

Everyone is more productive at some times than others. The time of day, day of the week, or month of the year are all variables. The trick is determining where your productivity sweet spot is and using it to your advantage.

If Monday morning at 11 with two cups of coffee down is your prime time, block it off your calendar. Schedule a task for that time instead, especially one that’s important, on a tight deadline, or difficult. It’s a great opportunity to check off a loitering assignment.

Freeing up those chunks of time when you are most productive also means eliminating corresponding distractions. Close your office door (if you have one) and hang up a “do not disturb” sign. Stick your phone in a drawer and silence those pesky notifications so you aren’t tempted to look.

If you can develop a habit of preserving your most productive times for actual production, even your coworkers will notice. That may help them avoid distracting you despite working in a cubicle or an open office space. You’ll be more than ready for prime time.

Employ Some Tools of the Productivity Trade

Productivity apps have become ubiquitous. They’re all designed to boost productivity at work, at home, among individuals, or teams. In fact, you can skewer your productivity by spending too much time figuring out which ones you want to use.

Nonetheless, if you find an app that makes you more focused, more organized, and more productive, use it. You may find some are handy for everything from working out to whittling down the honey-do list at home. Using productivity apps for more than your job will make you more adept at using them.

Employing apps and productivity hacks for more than one purpose at a time may make you more productive on multiple fronts. For example, kill two birds with one pomodoro technique that you’re using to maintain focus on tasks. During those five-minute breaks, do some squats or sit-ups and get your workout done too.

The fact is that productivity devices don’t work for everyone. But if you haven’t tried any because you don’t think they’re your thing, you should. Any job is always easier if you’re using the right tool to get it done.

Give Your Productivity a Leg Up

Everyone needs a little help sometimes to keep their resolutions going — or to start over. It’s okay to ask for help, stumble a bit, and restart when necessary. Abandoning the attempt to become more productive is the only real failure.

As you focus on your resolve to improve, celebrate your wins, and don’t beat yourself up over the losses. Productivity is, after all, work. Boost yours even a little this year, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

How to Boost Your Productivity Game in 2022 was originally published on Calendar by Max Palmer.

Image Credit: Olia Danilevich; Pexels; Thank you!

4 Simple Things to Do Every Evening to Make Your Mornings Easier

By Choncé Maddox | Time Management | No Comments

4 Things Every Evening Make Mornings Easier

Mornings are supposed to be calm and relaxed, welcoming the new day ahead. And yet, more often than not, they are rushed and chaotic as you scramble to get out the door in time. Add young children into the mix as well as partners, pets, or roommates, and you have yourself a full-on nightmare each day. That’s no way to greet the new day; however, it’s a habit many of us have fallen into.

Thankfully, there are ways to prep the night ahead to set yourself up for success in the a.m. Even if you are exhausted and ready to call it quits, setting some time aside to prepare for the next day is beneficial to your mind and body. It may also shave off a few minutes of the allotted time, allowing you to have a more calm, established morning routine.

Obviously, the pandemic has changed all of our schedules. So knowing how to set yourself up for a breezy morning can be easier said than done. Not sure where to start? Read on for four simple things to do this evening to make tomorrow morning even easier. Your future self thanks you.

1. Check Your Schedule

Before you close out of work for the day, look at your calendar or schedule for the next day. See what you need to get done tomorrow and what tasks you need to carry over from today. Knowing what is ahead can ease your mind. And you can also proactively change or move meetings to accommodate your schedule better.

Of course, if you are a parent, you also need to be on top of your children’s and perhaps your partner’s schedules. For example, if your youngest child has soccer practice after school, you’ll need to decide who is in charge of dropoff and pickup. Or, if your child is on snacktime duty tomorrow, you’ll need to quickly figure out what 30 individually packaged snacks look like.

These are all items you and your partner can discuss the night before. Doing so will help alleviate any unnecessary tension in the morning.

2. Plan and Pack Up

Planning and packing up considers all things that you need to either wear or bring to work tomorrow. This includes figuring out what you will wear by checking the weather forecast. Laying out your clothes or hanging them on one hanger can save precious time getting ready. While you’re at it, put your shoes by the door as well.

You’ll also want to pack your bag, ensuring you have all your devices and chargers at the ready. How many times have you left home without your laptop charger? Guilty. Once your bag is ready, place it by the door, so it’s one less thing to think about. The same goes for any of your children’s backpacks.

3. Do Your Food Prep

The worst time to think about what’s for lunch is in the morning when you’re feeling rushed. Leaving your food prep to the morning is also another way for you to wind up just getting another overpriced takeout lunch again. While you’re cleaning up dinner, go ahead and make your lunch and put it in the fridge. It can be helpful to designate one shelf in the refrigerator to everything that you — or your family — need to grab in the morning. No lunch or water bottle left behind with this trick.

This can also be the time when you prep your breakfast. Smoothies, chia pudding, and oatmeal are all excellent grab n’go morning noshes. If you’re a coffee drinker, now is the time to either pre-set your machine or at the very least pull out your to-go mug and grind the beans. Meal planning the night before can help save you time and money. It can also be a healthy jumpstart, knowing that you have homemade (or at least home prepped) meals waiting for you when you rise.

4. Tidy Up

Ok, cleaning is likely the last thing you want to do after a long day. That said, waking up to a filthy or messy house is the last thing you want to see when you open your eyes in the morning. So doing a quick tidying up the night before can be beneficial to how you start the next day. It helps close out the day and transition yourself out of work mode into nighttime mode.

We aren’t saying you need to pull out the vacuum cleaner, per-see. But doing small tasks like wiping down the counters can mean smooth sailing in the a.m. If you live with others, you can make this a family chore or a roommate task. Ask everyone to go around the house and pick up any loose clothes off the floor or help load the dishwasher. It’ll take less time when everyone is involved, and maybe a chance for the mess to not happen in the first place.

Takeaways

A productive, less stressful morning starts the night before. Whether you are a morning person or not, these four tips will help you feel better and calmer each morning. By checking your schedule and planning ahead, you’ll know what to expect and how to approach the next day.

And by doing all of your meal prep and tidying your space, you will fall asleep knowing you really have to grab and go before heading out the door. So start implementing these tips today and start welcoming more calmer mornings.

4 Simple Things to Do Every Evening to Make Your Mornings Easier was originally published on Calendar by Choncé Maddox.

Image Credit: Lisa Fotios; Pexels; Thank you!

Reasons to Stop Planning Too Much — Live in the Now.

By Choncé Maddox | Knowledge Base | No Comments

It seems easy enough, yet we humans struggle to appreciate the present. Why? We frequently speak only of our future plans — but what about building your now? You hear, “Know your why.” Start thinking, “Know your now.”

Some people think we lose out on fantastic moments because we are too busy rehashing previous events or preparing for the future. We seldom pause to smell the flowers. We don’t enjoy the moment. Keep the destructive process from becoming the precedent.

It’s sad not to be in your own personal time zone — since we don’t know how many more moments we’ll have. Meditation and many of the healthy habits we work to learn are all about living in the now.

Go ahead and plan your life in detail.

This is not suggesting we spend less time planning. To leave out the planning is terrible counsel. Setting goals is critical to our personal and professional happiness. Setting and achieving realistic objectives fosters personal accountability. Careful planning is a kind of goal-setting that gives significance to our lives since it requires devotion, hard effort, and tenacity to achieve.

Some people feel our culture has gotten obsessed with planning. We frequently speak about constructing for the future, but what about building the now? We all want true pleasure, and to experience it, we must live in the now. Focusing only on the future causes tension and negative thoughts and even uncertainty to enter our thought processes.

Why should you concentrate on living now instead of preparing too far ahead?

1. Right now is the only moment you can control.

No matter how much you plan, you can never predict how life will unfold. You will only know when you are there.

The only moment you can control is this one right now. You may either appreciate or despise the situation. And of course, you may also choose to squander the moment by ignoring it, but the choice is yours.

Planning won’t get you out of the moment. It may help you achieve your objectives, but it will not enhance your current quality of life. Planning for the future won’t ensure a desirable result, so why not focus on the now?

2. Enjoy every minute in the now.

Nobody knows how many moments you will get to experience. This is vital to understand. Nobody knows when their next moment will be gone. Your next moment isn’t specific, so why not make the most of it?

You can’t have this perspective if you’re always planning your next level. You can only feel this excitement for life by living in the now. It’s trite and impractical, but it’s true.

Don’t waste time. Plan when needed, but not at the price of enjoying the moment. Life is brief, so enjoy it while you can.

3. Being present reduces stress.

Too much future and past thinking generate stress. Some of the stress that comes from not living now may be harmful to one’s mental, physical, and emotional health. Yes, your thinking takes a controlled effort to remain within a balanced life — but the effort will be worth it.

The over-planners hinder themselves from living in the present and cause unneeded tension in their life. Invigorate your life with present-focused living practices.

You certainly don’t have time to meditate for five hours a day and not make plans for the future, but making tiny adjustments will help decrease stressors and help you be able to get a jump on the inevitable problems that come up in life.

Observe when your mind starts focusing on the future instead of the current moment. Ask yourself whether this is required. Being conscious of your thoughts can help you be more present.

4. Plans seldom come to fruition as expected, so live in the now.

Know that you have planned the best you know-how, and expect that things don’t always turn out as your plan dictates whether you like it or not. How often have you attempted to plan something that didn’t work out? What happened? Did you become offended, or did you accept and comprehend the situation, do something else, or move forward?

Plans go awry. You fail a lot as an imperfect species. It is inevitable.

Trying to plan every stage of your life is tricky and unhealthy. Plan for the best — but be determined that you will not be annoyed or disturbed when those plans don’t work out.

You don’t have to prepare for the worst — just have contingency plans here and there in your life — then, just let life happen and be.

Make preparations if that helps you, but don’t lose sight of the moment. If your plans don’t work out, try to accept them.

5. Being present makes you happy now and in the future

Some people don’t like using the term “makes you happier” since nothing makes you happier than yourself. With that in mind, living in the now is one of the surest ways to achieve true joy in your life. But, yes, happiness is a choice most of the time.

Without going into all the statistics and studies, it is clear that living in the now is one of the most important keys to happiness. Too much long-term planning will keep you from enjoying the moment.

Take a moment each day and observe how living in the now has made you feel? How can you make a better plan? How can you remain in the present if your plans take a dive off the planned course? Plan when necessary, but keep an eye on the present.

Strike a balance between spontaneity and forethought. You can only control the present moment.

You’ve heard it before if you’ve worked on mindfulness at all — this moment is a gift. Try to believe that and be okay with the statement. Enjoying the present reduces stress. Recognize that plans don’t always go as planned. Accept the moment and be joyful.

Plan as you see fit. Save for a family and a home — then invest in yourself. Set and achieve objectives. As you plan, put yourself first and don’t lose sight of where you are now.

Reasons to Stop Planning Too Much — Live in the Now was originally published on Calendar by Choncé Maddox.

Image Credit: Jill Wellington; Pexels; Thank you!

3 Ways to Be Productive Despite Uncertainty

By Deanna Ritchie | Appointment | No Comments

Humans tend to be creatures of habit, setting up and following routines that make them feel comfortable and safe. Within those routines is a sense of predictability that helps individuals find and keep their bearings. But what happens when consistency goes out the window or a lot of uncertainty starts to creep in? Every human being on this planet has had uncertainty in these last two years. But what can we do about it now?

Not knowing where things are headed and pivoting away from well-established routines leads to stress and anxiety. Magnifying that stress is the fear of the unknown and the pressure to respond to situations without guidelines. In addition, the energy it takes to manage ambiguity, and the unease that goes along with that ambiguity make it more challenging to stay focused. As a result, productivity can take a hit, whether your stress involves team issues, personal objectives, or stuff at home.

You Can Be Productive Despite Uncertainty

Despite the constant change around you, there are ways to work with it and establish some sense of normalcy. For example, you may need to redefine what productivity means, help reshape your environment, set different boundaries, or shift your focus. If you’re finding it challenging to stay on task during uncertain times, here are three ways to reclaim a sense of direction.

1. Adjust Your Work Environment and Schedule

When things change on a dime, you’re expected to respond urgently and rearrange your plans. Suddenly, your kids may not be attending in-person classes today and will need supervision while they learn from home. In addition, you might need to schedule critical appointments during working hours, care for sick family members, or practice social distancing.

Adjusting your work environment to accommodate unpredictable shifts in responsibilities and precautions can be an effective way to respond. For example, you could negotiate remote or hybrid work schedules for yourself and your team. In addition, having the ability to work from anywhere — like a remote worker — helps employees handle personal and professional obligations without stressing about them.

You won’t have to worry about finding someone to watch the kids or ill loved ones. The need to use sick time or PTO to take care of your well-being also won’t be as frequent. With remote or hybrid schedules, it’s easier to juggle doctor’s appointments and family events without losing productivity.

Focus on work assignments for a few hours, take care of personal responsibilities, and go back to your home office. You’ll probably find that you get more done in less time without as many distractions from colleagues. And with hybrid work arrangements, you’ll still maintain a sense of connection with the office and your co-workers.

2. Try New Time Management Strategies

You might already be practicing some form of time management on your Calendar, whether that’s block scheduling or prioritizing your tasks. But when your environment becomes more chaotic or uncertain, you may find that some of your techniques don’t work as well. For instance, the Eisenhower Matrix won’t necessarily apply to scenarios where priorities are constantly changing.

Everything could become an immediate task in a single day. And by Friday, you might have several former high-priority assignments scrapped or buried by five new ones. There could also be days when there’s not enough information to determine what’s urgent and what can wait.

Instead of relying on familiar strategies, you can look for redundancies and repetition. Time management techniques like the DRY Principle can help you improve efficiency regardless of what you’re tasked with. This technique involves tracking your time to identify what tasks you’re repeating.

Perhaps you’re sending the same emails to clients or co-workers. Repetition could also be occurring with scheduling, content creation, or meeting agendas. Productivity can be lost because managers and experienced employees aren’t delegating tasks or training others. Under the DRY Principle, you can establish ways to automate repetition, eliminate redundancy, and balance workloads. You can set up productivity protocols for these situations.

3. Make Contingency Plans

As a leader, how will you respond if several employees walk out the door at once? Or you lose someone who’s fulfilling a critical role or working on a high-profile project? Turnover has an immediate impact on employees because someone has to fill the gaps left by others.

Filling those gaps could mean temporarily redistributing responsibilities and increasing workloads. However, it could also entail restructuring positions, bringing more vendors into the mix, or relying more on existing external partnerships. If temporary assignment shifts or permanent restructuring will occur, how you communicate and plan those changes will impact the productivity of anyone involved.

In the face of uncertainty, don’t spring changes on any member of your team. For example, telling an employee that they are now responsible for website management on top of everything else is not productive. Just because you think someone has the skills to handle the tasks doesn’t mean they can, and they may currently be overwhelmed with tasks. More than likely, they’ll feel caught off guard and perhaps resentful that they weren’t asked in the first place.

Your employee may find themselves unprepared to juggle a new set of tasks or meet the demands those new assignments require.

Implementing fly-by-night solutions for staffing shortages that seem convenient might lead to more turnover. That’s why it’s more effective to develop several solutions in a well-documented and communicated contingency proposal. Then, although you can’t predict every two-week notice, you can plan for it at all levels.

Line up backup vendors or freelancers for departments that already have skeleton crews. Build relationships with temp or staffing agencies for front-line positions. Also, create a pipeline of internal and external successors for leadership roles. Most importantly, communicate the reasons and tactics behind contingency staffing plans. Be sure to solicit buy-in from employees willing to step up instead of assuming they’ll embrace anything you throw at them.

Stay the Course

Maintaining productivity is tough during uncertainty because the unknown often consumes your thoughts. The stress of many “what-ifs” can result in confusion, an inability to concentrate, and conflicting priorities. Accomplishing tasks with determination and efficiency isn’t as simple as going with the flow when chaos seems to be surrounding you.

However, you can reestablish control by adjusting work environments and schedules, trying new time management strategies, and making contingency plans. Putting these methods into practice will help keep productivity at acceptable levels in the face of ambiguity. While the shifts that occur during constant change aren’t always predictable, the ways you respond can be.

Image Credit: Cottonbro; Pexels; Thank you!

5 Easy Ways to Be on Schedule for Your Appointments in the Winter

By Jon Bradshaw | Appointment, Scheduling | No Comments

Planning and scheduling your appointments in the winter can be a distinct challenge. It can be hard to stay motivated when all you want to do is curl up by the fire. Travel may also be difficult. Road conditions can certainly throw a wrench into your plans by extending travel time or even causing events to be canceled.

Some people live in areas that rarely see snow or even freezing temperatures. Life goes on as normal for this demographic. But if you’re among those who have to brave the cold each winter, there are a few extra things you’ll have to do to make your schedule work. To ensure you’re always on time for your planned appointments during the harshest of winters, use these five strategies:

1. Connect an Online Calendar

If you struggle with being tardy to appointments, you need to log onto an online calendar. You can use a simple app on your phone that will forever change how you look at time management. In many cases, you can even connect this online calendar with your appointment bookings for instant synchronization.

With your appointment booking in your calendar, you can plan more strategically to make it to your events on time. If you have a meeting or obligation that ends right before your appointment is supposed to start, you’re more likely to end up running late.

2. Opt for Appointment Reminders

If the business in question offers appointment reminders, you should seriously consider signing up for them. Rain, snow, or shine, appointment reminders are a great way to make sure you arrive at your appointments on schedule. Businesses using online appointment software can send you reminders in a variety of ways.

For starters, online appointment software enables automated reminders that can be sent at the most optimal times for every booking. You can receive these reminders in an email, over text, or even with a robocall. You can often select how to receive your reminders according to your personal preference.

3. Check the Weather

Staying on top of the weather forecast will help you stay on time for your winter appointments. By checking the weather for the upcoming week, you can plan short-range appointments for the sunniest days when the roads are most likely to be clear.

Sometimes all it takes is looking at the 24-hour forecast to pick the right appointment time. It might snow one night, but be warm and sunny the next day, which will melt all the snow and ice away by mid-afternoon. Plan ahead to account for possible weather delays, especially if you don’t want to drive in rain or snow. Booking on good-weather days can help you remain punctual for appointments in the winter.

4. Prepare Your Transportation in Advance

On a day when winter conditions aren’t in your favor, the best course of action is to prepare your method of transportation well in advance. Whether you’ll be taking a car or public transportation to your next appointment, you can plan for it ahead of time. If you are taking a bus, subway, or train, check the departure and arrival schedules beforehand, as they are subject to change. Additionally, if you’re using a rideshare, pay attention to times when surge pricing is in effect so you can avoid those times.

If you are driving, start your car early on the day of your appointment. Letting it run for five minutes or so will warm up the interior so you’re not miserable. It will also get the inner workings of your car running smoothly for safe travels. This is especially important if you park outdoors. The heat from a warmed car will help melt any snow and ice that might obscure your vision while driving, making it easier to scrape off.

You should engage in other forms of preparation even earlier. For example, shop early for good snow tires. They will help you travel safely to your appointments in the winter, even during moderate snowfall. If you wait until the peak of winter to make the switch, you run the risk of getting stuck in the snow at an inopportune time. You could even spend a bunch of additional money if winter tire prices increase due to heightened demand.

5. Call Ahead on Snow Days

If the snow piled up the night before your appointment, give the business a call as soon as they open. This gives you an opportunity to ask whether they still plan on being open and serving customers that day. If they’re closed due to weather, you can reschedule your appointment. If the business has confirmed that it will be open, you can take advantage of your early travel preparations to get there safely.

Another possible scenario is that the business has decided to remain open but will allow customers to reschedule their appointments free of charge. If you’re concerned about traveling in snowy conditions, you can change your own booking without incurring the normal cancellation fee.

Alternatively, you might brave the snow if the bookings before and after yours have been canceled or rescheduled. You’ll have the comfort of knowing you can take your time traveling to the appointment without causing your service provider to get off track.

If you stay on top of things, no winter can slow you down. You’ll be able to stay on schedule during one of the most challenging times of the year.

Image Credit: SHVETS Production; Pexels; Thanks!

Work Less Because It’s Done and Play More in 2022

By Hunter Meine | Knowledge Base | No Comments

You may have seen folks around you who get everything done and then some. How do they get so much done so fast?

Time management is the answer.

Time management is the art of organizing and allocating minutes, getting things done. This maximizes productivity and achieves goals. Time management improves job performance and life satisfaction while reducing stress. High achievers don’t just happen. Rather, they’ve honed the talents required to achieve more in less time.

Productivity is a skill.

It’s an acquired talent that everyone must learn. However, it is feasible (and simple) to learn time management. There are several tools, strategies, and approaches available to assist you. We’ve rounded together our finest 32 day-saving ideas.

Planning Your Time to be Done Faster

Planned calendar management will help you build solid habits, get things done and increase your chances of success.

1. Conduct a time audit.

First things first: figure out where you spend your time. Often, what you believe is taking up your time isn’t. Humans are lousy at estimating task duration. Let’s say you need to send a 300-word email. Think: “Emailing is easy. It should just take 5 minutes.” Proofreading, checking language choice, and identifying email addresses are all duties that might add to the task’s duration. Your 5-minute email may take you 20 minutes, 500% longer than expected with such changes.

Assume you have the same issue with numerous tasks. A balanced workload will inevitably turn into a hectic to-do list during the day. You need to know what you can do and what is genuinely eating up your minutes. That’s why a time audit is useful. The most straightforward approach to undertake a time audit is using calendar tracking software. Many firms provide free software, but Toggl Track is the easiest, with applications for all devices.

Track your activities for a week to get an accurate time utilization picture. Then, examine the reports at the end of the week and analyze the time you spend on various chores. With this data, you can quickly improve. For example, you may waste time in useless meetings or busywork.

Now you can see how you spend your time and prepare accordingly.

So here’s the next piece of advice.

Tip #2: Set realistic goals and prioritize and be done.

Time management won’t assist you if you have too much to do. After doing a time audit, you’ll know if you need to manage your time better or if you have too much on your plate.

For attainable goals, skip to suggestion 3.

If you feel overwhelmed, create an Eisenhower matrix or use the 4 Ds of time management: Do, Defer, Delegate, and Delete. Your duties are divided into four categories into both methods:

Do: Important and urgent tasks.

Defer: Important yet non-urgent tasks.

Delegate: Urgent but unimportant tasks.

Delete: Non-urgent or non-critical tasks.

These methods will help you decide what jobs to prioritize, schedule, delegate, or remove. They should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

Tip #3: Make a daily management strategy.

You can do this in the morning or at the end of the day. Creating a daily to-do list is one of those time slots. Keep your to-do list simple. The sight of half-completed lists is discouraging.

Even in personal productivity, it’s preferable to under-promise and over-deliver. Write your list as though you’ve already finished it. Submit Report to Project Manager instead of “Submit Report to Project Manager.”

This tiny method will give you an extra push of desire to finish your duties.

Tip #4: Sunday planning management

A strategy will help you focus on your critical goals during the workweek. It also enables you to move from weekend mode to “work mode” on Monday morning. First, spend a few minutes on Sunday planning your entire week. Then, break down weekly goals into daily chores to increase achievement.

You’ll be able to see your daily tasks at a glance. Schedule low-priority work for Fridays and other low-energy days. The week’s energy and creative levels change. Finish creative projects on Tuesday and Wednesday. Plan meetings for Thursday, when your team’s energy drops. Plan and network on Fridays and Mondays.

Personal productivity has hundreds of variations. Because everyone works differently, experimenting with these time management techniques will help you find the ideal strategy for you.

Tip #5: Finish your most critical and time-consuming activities first thing.

The first few hours of work are usually the most fruitful. This is because you can focus better while your brain isn’t completely awake.

They have less energy for daydreaming and other duties. So, preferably, do your most intellectually demanding responsibilities first thing in the morning.