How To Be More Productive – Diary Management (Part Two)

How To Be More Productive is a common dilemma for the busy, modern world that we live in today. For example, do you know what you are doing at 2 pm tomorrow? … Did it take you a little while for you to remember? What if you were asked this question when you were busy?

If you are using a Diary already, you are way ahead of the game 🙂 But, if this is something new to you, read this article and get ready to organise your life!

Here is Part 2 of the Time Management series on How To Be More Productive…

More Productive – Your Diary – For Your Life

I am a bit of a traditionalist and have my own beautiful Diary/Day Planner by Paulo Coelho. I enjoy the process of opening up the book in the morning and again at the end of the day. Also, the fact that it is there as a reference, whenever I need it.

But you do not need to use a physical Diary. If you prefer to use a diary app or even Google Calendar, go ahead. It does not matter what you use, as long as you are comfortable using it and can easily access it.

Your life is precious. To make it even more wonderful, you need to arrange it. Organise your time, so that it works better for you. You will become more productive, have more free time and your mind will have less clutter.

More Productive – How To Fill In Your Diary

First, look at each day of the week and allocate time for you. Forget about family, friends, sport, work, etc. Think about you… Place at least 1 hour each day for yourself. If 1 hour feels a bit extravagant for you, break it up into 2 x 30 minutes. This is your time. Time for you to read a book, play a game, basically anything you like to do. But the most important thing is that you disconnect at this time. This special time helps your body and mind. So, you can carry on with the day’s challenges.

Next, think about your family. What regular commitments do you have? Put them in your diary so that nothing is missed. Your family is a priority.

If you have set hours for work put them in now. Or if you have a flexible situation at work. Or you are a freelancer. Block off an average amount of hours each day you work.

The time that you spend with your friends is flexible. Realise that these appointments can be moved. You can fit around your other commitments, or work if it changes. Good friends do not mind and will happy to accommodate to your schedule. It is important that you make time for your friends. But when you are free and can enjoy your time together.

Make sure that you have filled in everything that you normally do in a “normal” week.

Removing The Stress

Now, go back to your diary, and go through each day. Are there any appointments that are not necessary? If so, remove them. Or if they need to be done, but not necessarily by you, write them on a notepad.

Go through the whole week, following this process. When you have finished, look at the list on your notepad. Think about who you can pass the item/work on to. Somebody who would be willing and able to. After all, you do not want to stress somebody else out 🙂

Once you have gone through your mini list and have allocated everything on there. Look back at your diary. You will be amazed how organised it is and you will see gaps that were not there before.

This is a good thing. Do not feel compelled to fill them up. Leave them.

As you follow your new organised diary, you will be more productive and less stressed. Of course, things will happen, and you will have to readjust. But when this happens you can manage it with ease.

Takeaway

So, as you can see, it is possible to manage your diary in a very easy way. There is no need to stress. Don’t forget to consult it in the morning and at the end of the day. Then you will know if you need to move something to another day. Also, you will have no nasty surprises, if you look at your diary the before any appointments.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to find out more about Time Management, check out Part 1, about Email management – read it here!

Next week in Part 3, we will look at Ninja Time Management Tips.

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Have a great weekend!

Sally.

Sally Leslie

Sally Leslie is a motivational coach and optimist. She helps freelancers and entrepreneurs create balance in their lives and work towards their personal and professional goals. Sally is also a B2B freelance writer for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and startups. A lover of plants, freedom, and football!

www.theleslielink.com