Using a Google Calendar
Are you one of those people who Have to See it To Believe it? I know…this picture was so cool, and scary at the same time. I can’t image how this person must have felt. But it did make me think about something. Has your business or household ever felt like it is being swallowed with clutter and disorganization? Are you forced into making quick decisions in order to stay afloat?
Getting yourself organized will give you the freedom to enjoy each day. There is nothing worse than the gut-wrenching feeling of missing a deadline, rushing to an appointment or misplacing something that takes time away from your day. So how do you get yourself organized? Let’s concentrate on your weekly calendar.
Know your weekly schedule. At a local area MOPS meeting this week we talked about coordinating schedules between the family, particularly spouses. This same theory should be used when thinking about how your office staff coordinates it’s calendar. I learned this lesson back in 1997 while working in the financial planning field. There were 3 on our team. We had a weekly meeting on Monday morning to discuss the following: what was on the calendar already, who needed to be scheduled this week and how much income would be potentially generated from those appointments. Using these techniques helped us realize where the agent was spending his time, how we would be spending our time and who we needed to put on our call list for the week.
Your home schedule can operate in the same way. Take a good look at what is scheduled for this week and who is responsible for that appointment, i.e. transportation; what extra-curricular activities are scheduled this week; what other outside activities or obligations have you made for yourself or the family, etc.
The secret to mapping out your calendar is that when everything is written down in a convenient place and schedules are coordinated, everyone can be held responsible and accountable. The key is to find out how you can coordinate this effort. There are several ways to accomplish this goal. Here is what I recommend:
Use a google calendar that can be shared with everyone. I love the fact that the calendar can be color-coded for type of appointment, who scheduled the appointment and type of appointment. And, with technology, all of this information can be downloaded and shared on your computer and cell phones. It makes it simple and easy-breeze to manage a work and family calendar. Back in the day, we used the same type of system with highlighters to indicate the type of appointment that was scheduled.
Another thought that I believe needs to be noted is this: If you are the owner of a business keep one calendar for your business and personal use. Use the color-coding system to highlight your work day along with any evening meetings that you may need to attend. This will allow your spouse to easily determine if you are available to help with any errands or other responsibilities that may arise. It is all about communicating your schedules to each other with ease.
Coordinating calendars makes it easy to avoid the chaos of overbooking appointments which can ease stress in any household. Juggling day to day schedules doesn’t have to be a chore. Think about how your family and business can benefit from coordinating your calendar efforts. Be proactive and be productive.
0 comments