Forum Discussion
Lana O'Brien
Jul 29, 2016Former Employee
7 simple calendar tricks that will level-up your team’s productivity
What’s the secret to maximizing productivity and efficiency? There’s no single silver bullet, but one sure-fire way to make gains is with calendar tricks that will keep you organized and focused. Fro...
Bill Diekmann
Aug 08, 2016Iron Contributor
Lana.
Very valuable points. I have managed my calendar in this fashion for a decade and it really does work. As a leader, I need to ensure that I am scheduling time for myself (time I spend thinking...about strategy, approach to a problem, etc) as much as I spend time with my teams.
One item that I did not see in this list, and I find incredibly valuable, is the use of categories. I color code every item in my calendar (based on categories). This lets me visually see the balance of what is on my calendar. Am I spending enough time on Strategy, am I spending too much time on Tactical, how much of my time is spent driving (commute or inter-office travel). By seeing my week laid out in color, I get a quick (mere seconds) of what my week is going to look like and this allows me to have the right mindset for what is coming up.
On a side note...it would be great if the Outlook mobile app supported the category color coding the way the OWA app does.
Very valuable points. I have managed my calendar in this fashion for a decade and it really does work. As a leader, I need to ensure that I am scheduling time for myself (time I spend thinking...about strategy, approach to a problem, etc) as much as I spend time with my teams.
One item that I did not see in this list, and I find incredibly valuable, is the use of categories. I color code every item in my calendar (based on categories). This lets me visually see the balance of what is on my calendar. Am I spending enough time on Strategy, am I spending too much time on Tactical, how much of my time is spent driving (commute or inter-office travel). By seeing my week laid out in color, I get a quick (mere seconds) of what my week is going to look like and this allows me to have the right mindset for what is coming up.
On a side note...it would be great if the Outlook mobile app supported the category color coding the way the OWA app does.
Lana O'Brien
Aug 09, 2016Former Employee
Great ideas and feedback! Thanks for sharing Bill.