Tackling Busy Schedules

Summer is right around the corner! And since we’ve been confined to our homes for the past year, everyone’s calendar is starting to fill up (if not already). Cookouts, beach trips, brunch, parks, and more.

With all of the festivities going on, it’s important to not put ourselves on the back burner. And that can easily happen when you have a lot on your plate.

Over the years, I’ve juggled multiple jobs as a full-time college student. Because work and school took up the majority of my time, there was barely any room for me to just rest or enjoy life. I hated that feeling.

Today, I’m sharing tips to help you prioritize your needs and create balance while tackling a busy schedule!

*I use the calendar app on my ios devices. If you’re looking for alternatives- Outlook and Google have nice calendars as well.

SET ASIDE TIME.

Plan when you want to plan your plans. Simple enough, right?!

Carve out 30 minutes to an hour of your day and dedicate that time to plan upcoming events and tasks.

Try to plan at least a week or so at a time, but no more than a month or two out. That way, you’re not sitting down every single day trying to plan what you’re going to do the next.

Free yourself of distractions, turn on your favorite playlist, and get comfy!

MAKE A LIST.

When it’s time to plan, the first thing you should do is make a list.

Write down things like grocery shopping, important deadlines, and anything that you’ve already committed to or would like to commit your time to. No task is too little.

In your list you should incorporate things that don’t require a lot of energy (rest/downtime), things that you like to do, and self care.

Sometimes we get caught up in being so busy, that we end up neglecting our needs and the things that make us feel good. As much time as you commit to work and other people, return that same energy to you!

PLUG THEM IN.

After you have a decent list, plug those items into your calendar. Start by creating events for everything you’ve listed and play around with the placements.

The best part about digital calendars is being able to view any given day, week, or month and seamlessly see what’s on your agenda.

If you’re unsure about how long a task is going to take, guesstimate. And if it takes longer than expected, keep that in mind for the next time you do that task.

Always give yourself some wiggle room for rest, idle time, and unexpected events.

In the second picture above, you can see my events have space in between them. This gives me room for travel time, little breaks, or extra time for neighboring tasks.

USE MULTIPLE CALENDARS.

You can create as many calendars as you’d like. I have about 5 that I work with regularly:

Another thing I like about digital calendars is that you can color code them. This is extremely helpful when creating balance.

You’ll be able to clearly see how much time an area is taking up. Know what you can handle in a typical day and adjust it to your liking.

SET REMINDERS.

Think of these as your accountability partners.

Once you’re satisfied with your calendar, start telling siri to add them to your reminders list. Make those smart devices work!

You can also use colorful stickies and place them where you can see them.

YOU’RE ALL SET!