Taking the Mystery Out of Scheduling

To the uninitiated, scheduling may seem like a daunting task. Truth is, what gets scheduled gets done. It is that simple. What seemed like a mystery becomes magical as the secrets are discovered and applied.

Finish the day off right. Plan tomorrow before leaving the office and before going to bed at night. Prepare for the next day today, then set everything aside and get a good night’s rest. Awake refreshed and raring to go.

The seven most important things. Seven is considered a complete number; it cannot be divided. There are seven major aspects of life that encompass our whole being. Each area should be considered and joyfully incorporated into your daily living. In a nutshell, they are:

Survival – health, rest, exercise, nutrition, protection, relationships
Spirituality – appreciation of the sacred, connectedness with God, morality and ethics
Purpose – drive, calling on your life, the reason for being on planet earth
Family – relations, descendants, ancestors, lineage
Financial – means of exchange, career choice, spending habits and attitude toward money
Community – the public, society, neighborhood, co-workers, the world
Mental – attitude, education, interests, outlook

Tame a racing mind. People frequently say, “I have a million things to do”.

No, you do not.

Do not exaggerate. You may have a lot of demands, but not a million. A million is not doable; six to ten are. Take all the scattered thoughts running through your head and put them on paper. Just write them down. Organize this random list by separating the main tasks from elements needed to accomplish the main task. This makes things more manageable.

Teach others to cooperate. To teach is to stimulate the appetite for. If you are telling, demanding or coercing others, I suggest the wish to please you has not yet been kindled. Work on relationship by being a good finder – notice and comment on positives. Be sincere, not coercive.

A word about deadlines. Some people declare that deadlines motivate because they work better under pressure. I suggest it is not the pressure but rather the limited time frame forces focused attention. Choose to devote focused attention at the beginning and revel in the flow of completing the project before deadline. A missed deadline is probably not fatal so cut yourself some slack and commit to improved time management. Feel good about what you have accomplished so far and recommit to the goal.

You will never rise above your calendar. Get more accomplished by scheduling in the task and outlining steps. Take the pressure off by going for 80% completion.

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