A lot of people dread looking at their calendars because it causes too much stress. But what if your LOVED your calendar—and even felt a little giddy using it?
That’s the goal of today’s post, where I’m sharing three tips that have been game-changing for me. (And if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, this is going to help….)
Idea #1: Use One MAIN Calendar that Only Holds Appointments and Deadlines
This can be paper or digital, but the idea is to have a clear, open, beautiful calendar that feels like an empty canvas.
When we clutter our calendars with routines, unnecessary information, or lots of stuff we want to do, it feels heavy. And then we often spend way too much time shifting calendar appointments around because something gets in the way.
Keeping your calendar super simple—with only appointments and deadlines—will serve you on good days because you’ll have so much energy that you will think, “Ahh! What an open, awesome day I have ahead of me. I think I will create a masterpiece!”
But it will also help you on those low days—because you’ll think, “It’s okay. I can cancel the few things I had planned and take care of myself instead.”
If you don’t have any low days, that’s awesome, but I do. And a LOT of people do. There are about three days a month when I feel like I am walking through mud. I get cranky with Eric, I can’t process information properly, and I feel like the world is on my shoulders. (Those are the days I streamline my calendar and invest in personal replenishment. It feels good to know we can take breaks, don’t you think?)
Idea #2: Create a Second “Layer” for Calendar Triggers
If you’re using a digital calendar, this is really easy to do. You simply add a new “calendar” and assign it a different name and color. If you’re using a paper calendar, you might want to write all of your main calendar tasks in one color–and then record this second layer in another color.
My green Google calendar is my “main” calendar, and then my purple calendar is my “trigger” calendar.
I use the trigger calendar to schedule things that are flexible and personal—like naps, Pilates, calling friends on the phone, playing the piano with our children, etc.
Those things don’t have to be done at the designated times, and they don’t involve anyone else, so if my day gets a little crazy, I just turn that calendar “off,” and I can see what needs my focus.
It’s obviously important to prioritize things like rest, exercise, social activities, and family time, but having these kinds of things separate from your key appointments and deadlines gives you one more way to ease the pressure if your day turns out differently than planned.
Idea #3: Create a Single Place to Record Date-Specific (But Time-Flexible) Tasks
As we work with thousands of people throughout the world, we notice that most people have some kind of a calendar to hold appointments, but very few people have a reliable place to record time-flexible tasks that need to be done that day.
This is incredibly important because, if you’re looking for mental clarity, your mind needs to trust that you will at least see the appropriate tasks on the appropriate days.
For example, let’s say I need to email someone next Monday to set up a meeting, I need to check our health insurance on Wednesday, and I need to get cash from the ATM on Friday.
If we put those tasks on the calendar at specific times, we may skip the appointments or waste time rescheduling them because we knew they were flexible.
If we put them on one to-do list (that is continually growing), we’ll waste time and energy scanning that list over and over, looking for deadlines.
So where do we put them?
Eric creates them on his Google calendar as “All-Day Tasks,” and he has a routine to review them every single day so they don’t slip through the cracks.
I use a two-page-per day Franklin Planner, and I write these in the “task list” area. It’s typically a tiny list, so it doesn’t overwhelm me.
Then my day goes like this:
- Check my Google calendar (admire the empty canvas)
- Review my Franklin Planner (think about the best way to incorporate my date-specific tasks—and possibly pencil them into the day if I have total control over specific time blocks)
- Move through my day, balancing tasks, routines, project work, and incoming needs from my family, email, phone calls, etc.
Hopefully these ideas will be helpful to you—or maybe they’ll spark some new ideas that will work even better! Our goal is to help you to feel more organized, happy, and supported whenever you interact with us at LearnDoBecome.
Thank you for being with us! And if you have any additional ideas, comments, or questions, please share them below!
Much love,
April
Love the ideas. I already used ideas 1 and 2 (one for work related meetings/ tasks and the other for personal). I also find that since I use a digital calendar, i’ll need to switch between the weekly view to the daily view to used idea #3 (which is a waste of time and distracting).
So, to manage the tasks that are super important but with no specific deadline, I like to set up time in the day so I know I HAVE to do them, even if I have to move them around when other tasks take precedent.
Hi Beatrice! You have hit on the key here. The whole goal is to make this work for you. If you love the weekly view, and it works to schedule in all your activities, that is great! Especially if your schedule allows you to be fully in charge of your daily decisions.
I think the key is to choose the path that uses your time most wisely. If moving tasks around later (if you miss them) takes less time than switching from a week to a day view, then that is the way to go! Thanks for sharing!!
I see 3 calendars here and that’s 2 to many for me. I need everything in 1 place to check when I’m available for X activity or event. Having 1 calendar is a struggle because I can’t always locate it when I need it. My schedule varies daily and since I’m helping my Mom, her activities go in my calendar. How do you keep track of what you need to when things are scattered? I’m not efficient at the computer calendar and like to see things on paper where I can make notes. Do you take 3 calendars with you when you leav your office or home? Feeling overwhelmed by this and so much more. Thanks,
So glad you asked this question! Okay, so I DEFINITELY recommend one calendar for the things you HAVE to do at a specific time. That is what my green Google calendar is. But since you like paper, I would recommend one paper calendar (portable) for key appointments and deadlines. But you will want to keep it as open and simple as possible. If you are having a problem locating it, I would perhaps keep it in a purse or use a Franklin Planner that doubles as a wallet and make sure it goes with you everywhere—or at least has one resting spot in the house. The goal is to know where your calendar is at all times and to use it throughout the day.
The second calendar layer I referred to is simply a different COLOR on the same calendar. So maybe you could do appointments in Black and Routines/triggers in Blue, or something like that.
The third section of the post talks about date-specific activities. Like phone calls to make or emails to send or other flexible tasks that need to be done during the day. Having those on a list—like I have in my planner—gives me one place to look for “to do” items when I am in between appointments.
Please feel free to post follow-up questions here, and our team can help!
I carry a small calendar in my purse to schedule appointments on the go for doctors, dentists, hair and so forth. I use a good online that has a free version and paid version called Cozi calendar. You can add people so that they can see the schedule of your day. That would be a good one for your family since your children have activities. Has a menu planner and some other stuff . Check it out.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing, Tammy!
I have Cozi too! I love it!
Susan, I’m a paper gal too! Love my Happy Planner. They have a few different dashboards, but for this model their 3 square one would be perfect! The days are in columns and there are 3 boxes below each day heading. I use the top for overall work deadlines. The second becomes my added task or projects to pay attention to. Then the final box is personal and family. If we have hard fast deadlines or appts they get put in the box. The floating tasks go in the side bar lined area as important items for the week. The Happy Planner has a few different sizes so they can be small in your purse or large for a desk format! https://www.thehappyplanner.com/
My daughter introduced me to the Happy Planner and I love it! The vertical view you describe makes it so much easier for me to organize and I love that I can purchase add-ins that allow me to personalize specifically to my situation. I cannot say enough how much I love the Happy Planner calendars!!
How do you merge these calendars with you context specific task lists? For example getting cash from the ATM on Friday would normally be on your errand list . Thx!
Great question, Audra! Idea #3 is referring to a list rather than an actual calendar. The key is to have one single place to write those things down & then create a routine to check them on a daily basis. Eric keeps his electronically; April writes hers in her paper planner. As you review them each day, you then transfer the task to your Context Based Next Actions list in the appropriate category.
April explains it this way in another comment, “The third section of the post talks about date-specific activities. Like phone calls to make or emails to send or other flexible tasks that need to be done during the day. Having those on a list—like I have in my planner—gives me one place to look for “to do” items when I am in between appointments. ”
Please feel free to post follow-up questions here, and our team can help!
Is the context next action list a daily list or a weekly list? Mine is pretty full for one day but I’m using a 3.5 “ by 9” notepad piece of paper (easy to put in my purse or stick in my planner etc) .
Also – where do you put the current steps you want to work on for the 7-8 projects we’re working on? Does April put them on her two page planner or somewhere else? And if on her 2 page planner – under what heading?
Thanks- julie
Great question, Julie! The Context Based Next Actions list (CBNAL) is a weekly list. The current step for the projects you’re working on also goes on that list. This post (https://learndobecome.com/2minute-tour/) explains in detail how April uses her planner in conjunction with her CBNAL.
Please feel free to post follow-up questions here, and our team can help!
My husband and I use Cozi. Is there a way to use ideas 1 & 2 on Cozi? Should I just use the note function for idea #2?
Linda,
Great question! I use Cozi as my primary calendar, and I then feed my work calendar (google) into Cozi. You can create a calendar within Cozi for each family member, business, etc. but it does not allow you to “layer” them. You can choose to view “all” or choose to just view one at a time. This doesn’t work well for idea #2. I like to print out a weekly calendar that I map out my time on for that specific week which includes when I go to the gym, errands, etc. I LOVE Cozi in that I can print off a week and month at a time for my family to see what is on our agenda, but it does have some setbacks. I hope this helps!
Cozi’s list has an option to put a date in front and it will show up in the calendar. I use this to make sure rx’s are refilled, and for other minimal tasks as well.
Can you please explain one day tasks? Do you mean that day or any day. Again what is on this? Did you described this as a task list? Is it location based or is that different? I use 1 calendar as a working calendar and another as definitive – only what actually is a firm appointment or deadline to give me pece and realism. If I use another as a working calendar I know it’s just for planning. I do have too many calendars and hoping to customize one based on what works next year.
Hi Mindy! The one-day tasks are JUST for that day. Sometimes I segment that list (quiet time tasks up top, tasks with kids in the middle, Errands at the bottom), but it is usually a short list. My flexible, weekly Next Actions list is location based. For more details on my full planner, there is a post called “My Two-Minute Planner Tour” in the productivity section!
Thanks for the reminder to layer my calendar. I use electronic and am still learning so I was just lumping every thing on one layer. Now I see where to tell which calendar an item is on and can simplify my appointment scheduling. Thanks for being here for us.
how do you layer on google calendar. i also have 1 layer. i do have different colors assigned to my 4 member family, but their colors don’t show up.
Hi Rita! Thanks for your question. Google Calendar has a few options. You can create events that are different colors. These may or may not show through depending on which app you are using to view the calendar. You can also create a separate calendar for each person and then choose whether to turn it off or on in the settings. Again, this depends on which app or device you are using to view the calendar. A quick Google search can usually turn up a few tutorials on how to make it work. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with other questions and our team will be happy to help!
Love the info you share. I started with the central spot to have my files. I’m gonna work on the calendar. The problem is sometimes I like to write things down and sometimes I like to use the cellphone calendar. I love listening to your mini seminars. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Ann Marie! I totally understand the struggle between digital and paper. 🙂 Wishing you the best as you figure out which habits work best for which functions of your life. So glad you’re here with us!
Hi April,
Great ideas here…Do you use the compact or the classic size Franklin planner?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Tausha! We actually have an entire post about April’s planner. Check it out here! https://learndobecome.com/2minute-tour/
Hi April, I am a busy corporate manager by day with 3 teens. Lots to plan! My business meeting calendar is in outlook. No room for more and my to do list at work each day is long. Do you suggest I keep family planning separate from work?
I think it’s a great idea to keep business and personal separate enough that you don’t feel confused when you’re selecting an item to work on. If your business calendar is full–and the house are totally separate from your family hours, you could definitely keep the calendars separate. You just want to make sure there is zero overlap–so you don’t have to look at TWO calendars. And I’m not sure if you’ve gone through our STEP program yet, but that will help to make your to-do list feel less long. 🙂 So glad to have you here!!
Hello
you speak about triggers. what does that look like? what are some examples of triggers? please elaborate.
rebecca
Great question, Rebecca! April actually shows a screenshot of her digital calendar here: https://learndobecome.com/2minute-tour/. Look for the section titled “My Google Calendar”.
Essentially a trigger is a reminder that happens on a specific day. Maybe it’s someone’s birthday & you want to give them a call…you’d create a trigger to remind you. It’s date specific but not a time specific appointment.
Please feel free to post follow-up questions here, and our team can help!
I’ve been receiving your emails for almost a year, but never had a moment to read a single one until last night. 13 hours later, both my inboxes are at 0, and I have asana all set up. Tackling figuring out Evernote next, because I think that would be really helpful. THANK YOU!
Re: calendars, I’m good with #1. Number 2 feels a little superfluous to me, and I’m still thinking through whether I need those kinds of daily reminders…. just feels like too much. But I have a key question about #3: I have a long list of small tasks that need doing, much more than I could fit in a day. They’re not project-based, or routine-based. Where do I keep that growing list of small tasks until I can assign them to a day? Perhaps the trick is to get them done and whittled down as soon as possible, so I can start with a clean slate? I’m not sure I understand how to keep them *somewhere* that isn’t just an endless list I extract from as I plan each day.
Marianna, that’s so exciting! Inboxes to zero is huge! Good work!!
Regarding your growing list of small tasks… Utilizing the Two Minute Rule could apply here just as it does to your email. If it takes 2-minutes or less, do it! If it will take longer or you don’t have 2-minutes, then writing them down is a good thing. Keep the list separate from your regular to-do list. Refer to it when you have some extra time to get a few done. You could also block out some time to get several done at once.
Our free webinar offers even more suggestions on how you can tackle your lists. We’d love you to join us! Click here to sigh up! https://learndobecome.com/step
Hi! I love Learn Do Become, but I just can’t seem to find a calendar (Paper) to use. I’m really liking the look and feel of the iBloom calendar, but want to incorporate your wonderful steps listed above!!
Do you think that the iBloom calendar would be a good fit? I really appreciate your advise, because I’m am so overwhelmed with trying to keep everything in order…:(
Hi Nancy! I’m not familiar with the iBloom calendar. Any calendar can work with the principles in our Steps To Everyday Productivity program as long as you are consistent with keeping it updated. There may be some in our Mastery program who also use the iBloom. Feel free to ask inside the Facebook group. The members there are a wealth of information! Thanks for being part of our community here at Learn Do Become!
Thanks for your advise! I will ask within the Facebook group then.
I use FamCal as my family’s calendar. We can all login on our phones or tablets to see what everyone is doing, (as long as the children keep their activities updated, work in progress). Each person has their own color.
I own my own bookkeeping business, so I also use Google calendar to keep work related appointments and tasks. My family doesn’t need to know where I am working or what I am working on, just that I am working, so I just block out times on FamCal and get specific in Google calendar.
I have also started using a paper 2 page per day calendar that combines the two, MY events off the FamCal and business events off Google calendar to keep from double booking. I also can keep track of tasks and project progress.
Recurring tasks I write on small sticky notes. When I complete the task I move it in the calendar to the next time. Example: ABC payroll needs done every two weeks. I get the payroll info on Monday and need to have completed checks dropped off at the client before Friday. Rather than writing the task on my to-do list every day until completed that week, I have written “ABC Payroll due before Friday” on a small sticky note. If I don’t get it done on Monday, I move the sticky note to Tuesday, and so forth. When I complete the payroll, I move the sticky note to the next time payroll is due.
Thank you for these tips. They have helped with my family and my business.
God bless you.
These are wonderful! Love how you’re creating systems to calm your mind. Way to go, Tonja!
good Job
Color coding – GREAT IDEA. I manage 3 small businesses and this will work out wonderfully.
Flora, thanks for your comment! We’re glad this post has been helpful to you. Please let us know what we can do for you moving forward!
The Three Ideas are great. Love the idea of a Trigger Calendar. Thank you for all the wonderful information you are sharing with us.
You are so welcome! Excited for you to be here, and we hope this brings lots of relief and help to you. 🙂
I use Fantastical and it sync’s my google calendar.(I have an iphone) I use it on my phone, I’m a realtor and my phone is my business. I like Fantastical calendar app better than the google on my phone because I can see all the events for each day listed. In google app you have to click it to see more of what’s listed on that day if you’re looking at the month view and I was missing things, not ok ever. I have dots which are events on the month view and I can scroll from day to day and see everything listed with color dots if I like showing all events. It’s a great app.
Hello, I’m new to the STEP program and am going through the Quick Start section. So far, I’m not connecting everything but I’m hoping as I continue through, things will begin to make more sense.
So…What about tasks that need to be done on a specific day but BEFORE a specific time or BETWEEN specific times? For example, if I need to call my child’s school after they open but prior to 4pm before they close for the day? Or if I need to call the dentist office on a Friday before they close at noon, an all day task may get forgotten right? As a side note, I also use Google calendar. Does Eric set reminders/notifications for these negotiable tasks?? Thank you!
Hi Brittany! Welcome to the STEP Program! Things will start to come together for you as time goes on. 🙂 You can always reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions you might have.
To answer your first question about tasks needing to be done before or between specific times, I recommend choosing the time that you want to make the call, and then setting a reminder or notification to go off at that time.
As for your second question, I don’t believe Eric sets reminders/notifications for those kinds of tasks. He does have a routine to check his “All-Day Tasks” calendar so that he doesn’t forget anything.
Thanks for reaching out to us. We’re thrilled to have you as part of our community!!
I use outlook and use the categories to color code my calendar. I use one color for meetings and time specific tasks that I must attend or do. Another color for informational meetings (I don’t have to attend unless my calendar and time allows) and I use a third color for truly flexible time and for “me” time. This keeps other people from scheduling meetings and overloading my calendar and time. Only my assistant and my manager’s assistant know my color coding. They are also the only two people that have my permission to override my flexible time if something comes up that is critical.
So smart!! Thanks for the great ideas!
I keep a Cozi calendar on my phone/iPad for all of my family’s appointments (as well as mine) going forward, shared with my husband. Some of those things are scheduled a month or more in advance.
I also have a white board calendar for my command central (with just my appointments/deadlines or stuff that I am involved in, even if it’s not mine, like taking my daughter to the doctor) and one in the main area of the house (so everyone can see it) with all appointments/activities for everyone listed on it, onto which I put *just* this month’s calendar information.
Finally, I have a paper planner to block out time to do various work-related tasks each day of the week. I do editing and proofreading for court reporters, and each transcript has a different due date and a different amount of time that it will take, so I found that blocking out the time necessary to get the job done is essential to not overbooking myself. I also copy the relevant appointments and such from the Cozi calendar into the planner, so that I know that I can’t be working at certain times on certain days.
I really don’t see how I could get this down to just *one* calendar and one planner, total, since each of them has a specific purpose. I mean, when I’m out and about, I look at the Cozi calendar, but that doesn’t show my work deadlines (or it would be totally crowded, what with everyone else’s stuff too), and I look at the whiteboard calendars when I’m home.
Darcy, thank you for your comment! The goal is to help you reduce the number of places that you’re having to look for things. However, if your current system is working for you, stick with it! If, over time, you find a different way you can make changes. Many digital calendars have an option to choose which calendars you’d like to display so it may be possible to add your work and paper planner and then turn off those calendars for general viewing so it doesn’t look crowded. I hope this is helpful! Feel free to send any further questions to our team at [email protected]. We’re thrilled to have you with us and look forward to hearing your success stories!
I have a special needs young adult son whom we are trying to teach this to. He struggles with Executive Function issues. We get paid by the state to work with him, and one of his areas is to do this sort of thing, specifically. They have tasked us with having him make a schedule/list for the week of all his appointments and tasks, then color code them in rank of importance (most important, somewhat important, not very important). He has to check them off as he does them, or reschedule them if need be.
Because of his difficulty in writing and spelling (physically due to his difficulty with fine motor skills, as well as just not being good at spelling etc. yet – although he is improving) I’d like to find some sort of way to do all this electronically, as well as be able to monitor it due to being his teacher and to help keep him on track.
Is there a digital calendar in existence that does the following? (Or can we adjust one to accomplish these things?)
~Can be used by multiple family members where we can all coordinate our family events etc. in one place. (So we can monitor and help him)
~Individual family members are designated by a color. (To keep our different things separate)
~Each family member can also color code (or some other way) their own event/activity to indicate importance (for example, red for most important, yellow for medium importance, green for not that important – to meet the state requirements).
~Day specific tasks can be placed on the calendar, not just day/time specific things (for example, laundry day on Friday, as part of his weekly tasks).
~Things can be checked off somehow, including appointments or other time specific items (again, per state requirements to show how he is doing when we turn things in).
~We can use it on the phone/on the go, as well as print out the calendar at least weekly, or perhaps monthly if possible.
This is very important to our family for the development of this special needs young man.
Jody, what a great blessing you are to your son!
Google Calendar would definitely be an option for this! You can build multiple calendars that can be shared with each family member. These calendars can be color coded through the Google Calendar app as well as on the website. As needed, you could even create a private “Triggers” calendar for events or reminders that not everyone needs to be reminded of. As for color coding individual tasks, that may be done best with a symbol or an icon if you’re using your smartphone. Perhaps an asterisk if it’s critical, a question mark if you’re not sure you’re going to do it, etc. Google Keep is another option and can be integrated with Google Calendar. Google Keep has the ability to create lists and tasks that can be checked off.
We hope this is helpful! We’d love to hear what you’re able to find. We’re so glad to have you with us!
Would a Bullet Journal work as a portable calendar option? I have not used a bullet journal before but I have a friend who was explaining it to me and it seemed to “click” with my brain and I feel like I could incorporate the weekly calendar page.
Yes! I actually want to do a podcast with the Bullet Journal people. 🙂 I have looked into their method, and it works PERFECTLY with the STEP system. Excited for you!!
Any thoughts on how to manage a work system that can’t really be used for personal use? I’m in a corporate environment that has a heavy meeting culture and currently managing calendar and email and task lists in separate systems for work and personal. I can’t really use work for personal things, security reasons, etc. And given the volume, don’t really want to corrupt my personal systems with replicating and duplicating work events and artifacts as that would feel…well…totally overwhelming. Is there a good way to bridge two systems? I would love to get down to one calendar, email and list, but not sure that’s possible given our IT constraints.
Great question! Wondering if others in our community are managing this, too? If you’re in our STEP Mastery Facebook groups, that would be a GREAT place to ask the question! I’d probably have a personal calendar that blocks out work time as “busy” and then just switch to that after work? That would be really difficult to have to keep everything totally separate…. But I’m sure there’s a good way to do it. 🙂
PS
Yes, would love to have your take on the Bullet Journal (I’ve used that with success in the past, similar to the good old Franklin Covey system, which I loved!). Also curious on your POV on Workflowy and Momentum (the Chrome plugin). I’m trying those out and they seem great, but again, it’s about the mindset and how you use the tools to capture and manage information through a process, so would welcome your thoughts! Thank you!
I do so much digitally but I have NEVER been able to successfully use a digital calendar as my main calendar, So I’ve finally given up and use a lightweight paper calendar/planner. Only monthly pages, which means each day has to be very streamlined. I have long kept only the essential appointments on this calendar. I long ago realized life can work for me ONLY when I have ONE calendar. So that means everything that is outside of the bare essentials I have to keep track of in another way. IMHO, my main calendar works perfectly for me EXCEPT that there are a couple of weekly tasks that MUST be done on the same day every week (one is a snail mail task and one is a phone call task). Just putting these on my paper calendar does not do the trick for me. I am supposed to do them so often that they become like “white noise” on the calendar. So I’ve set up a prompting system by using my Google calendar JUST for prompting purposes. I get a prompt every week for each of these tasks. I keep no regular appointments on my Google calendar, only tasks that require prompting. For the 2 tasks I get a prompt for every week, I no longer put that task on my main calendar. And this has worked so well for me that I sometimes add other tasks or appointments that ARE on my paper calendar so I can receive a prompt that day. W
What is not yet working for me are things I want to do or SHOULD do. The important-ish things from this list (which could go on forever if I don’t watch out) I add a small sticky to my paper calendar as a reminder. Since the item is not vital to do on that particular day (I just want to do it), it does not seem to require permanent space on my paper calendar nor do I want a prompt to do it. I just want a way to remind myself to get to it if possible. My paper calendar plus the Google calendar prompt system is working well for me. But it’s these other, less imediately vital tasks that I don’t seem to have a foolproof system for yet. What would you suggest?
Joan
Great question! The next actions list is perfect for this. Have you gone through our free training yet? LearnDoBecome.com/step.
I also have a two-minute planner tour here on this website, and it will show you what my next actions look like. That simple, flexible list, combined with a weekly review will change your life!