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Do you use a calendar to organize your day? Well, I do! In fact, I live by my calendar. People who work with me know if it isn’t on my calendar, then it’s not going to happen.
[callout]This post is part of a series based on the book Today Matters: 12 daily practices to guarantee success by Dr. John C. Maxwell.[/callout]
Now I must admit, I didn’t always use a calendar. However, I learned the importance of using a calendar early in my career when I missed a very important meeting. After I left my bosses office, I went straight to the store and purchased a pocket calendar.
Over the years, the size of my calendar has grown as I have moved up the leadership ladder. When I assumed my first command, I learned another valuable lesson.
As the new leader, everybody wanted my attention. Every night, I would prepare my to-do-list before I left the office, However, I struggled to get anything done on my list. I would leave the office tired and frustrated.
I knew I needed to make some changes, but I didn’t know how. During a conversation with a colleague, I shared my struggle with my calendar. Carol told me I had a choice. I said what choice do I have? I told her I am the leader and I must be available!
Well, I will never forget what Carol told me. So, what did she tell me? She said, “you can control your calendar or others will control it, the choice is yours.” I asked her to explain. She told me how she scheduled her time. Carol delegated tasks to others and she scheduled the time to complete her to-do-list.
As I listen to her, I began to restructure my calendar. The next day, I met with my staff and explained the new approach to my calendar. I shifted several functions to different staff members. I also blocked out “quiet time” for me to work on my to-do-list.
Over the next several weeks, I continued to adjust my schedule. As I became more comfortable with delegating, I found it easier to manage my time. At the end of the day, I found myself checking more things off my to-do-list. Instead of leaving the office tired and frustrated, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
So how can you manage your calendar to ensure you achieve your priorities? In his book Today Matters, John Maxwell offers the Three R’s: required, return and reward to help us identify our priorities. Ask yourself the following questions before you place items on your calendar:
- What is required of me?
- What gives me the greatest return?
- What gives me the greatest reward?
[shareable cite=”Robert McKain”]The reason most goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.”[/shareable]
Remember today’s priorities give me focus.
What activities do you need to remove from your schedule to achieve your priorities?
Your leadership guide,
Kim
Dr. Kim Moore | Your Leadership Guide | kimdmoore.com
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