Manage Your Calendar Like a Pro: 5 Tips for Busy Professionals

Manage your time like a boss!

Do you ever feel like time just slips through your fingers?

For most of us, managing money becomes second nature. We’ve been taught the value of a dollar, and we budget, save, and make careful choices with our finances.

But time? It’s a currency we often spend recklessly. Now, consider this: Think of your calendar as the budget for your hours, where every commitment you make is a withdrawal. Just like with money, if we’re not thoughtful and strategic, we can find ourselves overdrawn and overwhelmed. Before we get into the tips, it’s crucial to cement this understanding: Your money, your time – both deserve boss-level management. And, here are 5 tips to help you manage your calendar like a pro.  

1. Recognize the limits of your calendar budget and schedule, schedule, schedule!

Every single week, we are all blessed with 168 hours, none of us get a second more or a second less. So, if we break it further down. Let’s say you aim for the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night (though, let’s be real, how many of us consistently get that?), you’re left with roughly 112 waking hours. That’s 112 hours to  go to work, spend time with loved ones, pursue your passions, and so much more.  

But, how often have you caught yourself thinking, “If only I had a few more hours in the day!” It’s a common sentiment. This is why the first tip is really a mindset shift: recognize the limits of your calendar budget. 

The thing is, unlike money, you can’t hustle to earn more hours. You get what every one of us gets in a week—if we’re blessed to see it through. Waste time? No refunds, no returns. So, it’s crucial to make every moment count. This means being proactive in how you manage your calendar. Schedule everything - your activities, appointments, tasks. You might be thinking, “But that’s a lot of work!” Yet, once you get into the groove of planning your week, it becomes second nature. We’re creatures of habit, after all.

And remember, keep everything on one calendar. I know many people maintain separate work and personal calendars, but this can lead to oversights and double booking. Imagine forgetting your daughter’s special “muffins with mom” day or scheduling a huge project deadline the same week as your anniversary. Life isn’t compartmentalized, so your calendar shouldn’t be either. Everything about you should be in one place.

2. Prioritize your tasks

Let's talk about something we often overlook: prioritization. It’s a fancy term, but the essence is simple - decide what matters most and tackle that first. We all have tasks shouting for our attention, but the trick is not to let the loudest one win, but the most crucial. The ones that align with your goals, values, and purpose deserve the prime slots on your calendar.

Ask yourself, “What are the tasks that will move the needle for me this week?” Or, my favorite question that I borrowed from the book The One Thing by Gary Keller, “What is the ONE thing that if I get done will make everything else easier or unnecessary.” Nail this down and block out time for it.

It’s also easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily life, reacting to what seems urgent but might not be that important. And that’s where tools like the Eisenhower Matrix come into play. It's a simple system to help you sort your to-dos. The matrix breaks tasks down into four categories based on urgency and importance: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and the last one—neither urgent nor important. It’s a visual reminder to not let the small stuff overshadow what truly counts.

3. Block your time

Alright, let’s dive into the third boss move for managing your calendar: time blocking. Now, this isn’t about merely scribbling down what needs to get done; it’s about carving out dedicated chunks of time for each task, almost like reserving VIP sections in a club.

With time blocking, every moment has intention. Instead of a sprawling list of to-dos, you’re giving each task its rightful space. Say you’ve got a presentation to craft, slot in a focused two-hour session to dive deep into it. Then, perhaps follow it up with a 30-minute break to refresh, maybe a walk outside or a coffee recharge.

Being this deliberate ensures two things: one, tasks don’t unexpectedly spread across your day, hijacking other plans. And two, your mind gets the message that during this blocked time, it’s all about the task at hand. Distractions naturally diminish because your mind is committed to one thing.

It’s a great way to approach your day, putting you in the driver’s seat. By having these structured blocks, you become more proactive rather than reactive. Instead of constantly playing catch-up, you’re setting the pace, ensuring each hour is spent with purpose.

4. Be committed but flexible

Every entry in your calendar is a promise, an agreement between you and your time. When you set an appointment or task, you’re saying, “This is what I’ll be doing then.” It’s a clear show of what’s important to you.

But let’s be real: unexpected things come up. So, while it’s important to stick to what you’ve planned, it’s also smart to be flexible when needed. Your calendar should be a mix of sticking to your plans and adjusting when life asks you to.

Remember, putting something on your calendar means you’re committed to it, but always leave some space for the unexpected. It’s not about being indecisive; it’s about being ready for anything. Life isn’t always predictable, and sometimes, the unplanned moments are the ones you remember the most.

So, plan for the knowns, while leaving room for the unknowns.

5. Review and adjust 

Every week, it’s like clockwork: the hours roll on, the days fly by, and before you know it, another week has passed. That’s why the final step in managing your calendar with authority is to continuously reassess and recalibrate.

Take a moment, maybe at the start or end of your day, to glance over what’s coming up. Is everything still in alignment with your goals and priorities? Maybe that meeting you scheduled last week doesn’t seem as crucial now, or perhaps something urgent popped up that needs attention.

And don’t stop there. Carve out a little time at the end of each week, even if it’s just a coffee break’s worth, to look over the coming days. Shuffle things around, cancel what’s no longer necessary, and give more time to what truly matters.

Consistent check-ins keep your schedule and priorities in harmony. It ensures you’re not just moving with the flow, but you’re directing it. By being in tune with your calendar, you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed and more likely to be at the top of your game.