Have you heard that stress affects you physically and mentally? Successfully managing your calendar can keep you focused, organized, and also reduce your stress level. By taking these 5 simple steps, you can make a huge difference in your organization level and your health.

Leave Gaps and Keep Meetings Short

• Leaving at least 15 minutes in between meetings will allow you to decompress as well as be able to give your full attention to each meeting. 
• When possible, keep meetings 30 minutes or less. If a meeting is going to exceed that and you do not feel you have that much to contribute, let the meeting administrator know that you are only available for a specific time frame. Check and see if they can let you participate during that time frame that you are available.

Review at the Beginning and the End of Each Week

• A great habit to get into is reviewing your calendar at the beginning and end of each week.  At the beginning of the week, it helps to ensure you are prepared for each meeting. By reviewing at the end of the week, it allows you to make any necessary changes that you learned from the current week to make the next week more productive.

Leave One Day Meeting Free

• Use this as a day to get caught up and/or prepare for meetings or complete tasks from meetings you already had.  This is a good way to get yourself back on track without the interruptions of meetings

Color Code and Label

• Color coding and using labels create a visual guide that helps you see at a quick glance what is scheduled.  These customizable tools not only help visually but will also help you easily stay organized

Utilize Time Blocking

• Time Blocking is scheduling chunks of time to complete specific tasks.  It is highly effective for most people and is more productive than multi-tasking. 
• Just make sure you allow enough time to complete tasks and don’t forget to include breaks.

By following these 5 simple tips, you can become more productive with your calendar and lower your overall stress level.

Contact Schwab Virtual Assistant Services to help you get started!