Take control and reduce anxiety … Create more time and space for what you have to do and what you *WANT* to do!!

Block Time to Plan

One way to stay in front of the eight ball is to block time to plan.

I sometimes see co-workers not remember a meeting until the 15 minute Outlook reminder pops up. He or she is in the middle of something (totally unrelated) and is suddenly considering, “do I need to have anything prepared for this meeting?” A panicked 10-minute preparation doesn’t land anyone in the seat of control!

To be honest, the above ‘co-worker’ describes earlier versions of yours truly. Thank goodness none damaged my career (as far as I know)!

Relying on pop-ups and/or trying to keep all to-dos in your head is a recipe for poor performance, reactive behavior, and likely, drained energy… and drained energy WASTES time. My mission is to help hyper-busy professionals scrape up as much time as possible so we can ‘spend’ it on better things …

• Professionally -> better, more substantive, quality work projects and output … i.e. success!
• Personally -> more FUN, enrichment, growth, and room for change … the best parts of life!

So, how to…?

Many of us are good at throwing things into the calendar. ‘Calendarizing’ is not the same thing as planning (although it is one component of planning). Indeed, my calendar includes any/all meetings, social engagements and professional events … I’ve also blocked out my commute (which helps me quickly see that Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5-7pm, calls are not realistic).

[Here’s some video I streamed on this topic a couple weeks ago]

But I also take time to preview – and I block time to do this. So at the end of the week, maybe Thursday or so, I begin to look at the next week and see what’s coming up. I transfer some of the calendar items to a paper planner. (I am using a Planner Pad right now.) As I flesh this out I see where things are jammed up – where I might have to be especially careful with planning in the days preceding. For example, if I have an event on a Wednesday night, I know my schedule allows no time on Tuesday or Wednesday to do any last minute preparation. I can see clearly that prep for said event HAS to happen on Monday if I want to be in control (not frazzled and not missing materials, etc.) come Wednesday night.

Other ways this comes up – (maybe my personal examples jog some aha’s for you):

++if we’re having guests for dinner on X night, and we need special ingredients for Y dish… maybe I see that, “Oh yea, I’ll be driving right by Whole Foods on Z day.” It makes a lot of sense to grab those ingredients then. [Next key step: calendarize the Whole Foods stop (ideally, listing those ingredients!)]

++if a training event requires printed materials on Thu, I absolutely ensure they are ready by Tuesday

++for a bigger event – like a workshop I am planning this month – I spend a little more time several weeks out. I brainstorm all the items I need to work on and materials to have ready. I map these into weeks preceding and the small components (of the big event) become part of the weekly preview.

Daily Preview

In addition to an ‘end of week’ preview, I also recommend a daily preview (and review). You can do this when it makes sense for you. I have found that blocking this time outside of busy working hours is best. I look at the ‘plan’ at the end of each day and make notes about what to do first the next morning. If there are going to be meetings (or whatever) I do my best to prepare (print print materials, etc) and make notes early, before other matters take my attention.

Daily Review

At the end of the day, block time to review. Acknowledge everything you accomplished. If something could have gone better, make note (perhaps a better process needs to be considered and developed). You can also assess where you completely under-estimated the scope of a project or task. The sum of the review allows better future planning!

Surely you cannot plan for or anticipate everything that might/could come up during your day. The power behind this process is not about grabbing tight and ensuring the day unfolds in some rigid order, it’s about defining loose parameters, and being prepared.

To plan is to adjust your mindset. Previewing, by default, allows you to powerfully take ownership of your roles and responsibilities. Your energy will be higher (not unnecessarily drained by anxiety brought on by ‘unknowns’) and you will better positioned for success – success in business and in life, and as YOU define it!

About Linda Stacy

Linda is a Boston-based Productivity Specialist and author of The Whole Package Professional: The Definitive Guide to Productivity, Success and Fulfillment in Business and Life. She created the LivingBluPrints System based on her experience as busy professional in the management consulting industry, an entrepreneur, and years of research, training, and living her best life.

Linda hosts public workshops and brings her transformative productivity system to corporate audiences, entrepreneurs, and hyper-busy professionals.