Are your calendar appointments sacred commitments?

Recently I shared how to get more done by writing down all the projects in a brain dump and then begin to take action on those tasks. If you missed it then go ahead and read (it’s pretty short) and I’ll wait.

One of the action steps I shared was to write in your calendar when you were going to do the things that are on your personal to do list. And I’m willing to bet a good number of y’all didn’t follow directions or got overwhelmed and stopped halfway through.

So let’s talk about that.

First up, if you were happily adding tasks to your calendar and then realized you’re going to be busy from now to Christmas, then it’s time to re-sort your papers. Add more projects to your later list or outsource the next step to an assistant or family member. You can also make another pass and delete any of the unimportant projects that are no longer pressing.

What if everything I need to do needs to get done?

The bigger problem is when you have too much to do and not enough time and the stress builds up.

One of my favorite little mantras comes from The West Wing and it’s the simple “What’s Next?” It’s a good reminder to do one thing at a time, then the next thing.

Instead of focusing months and years down the road where it becomes too easily overwhelming and we’re prone to avoid commitment, just start with today.

Now some of you might be thinking that even your to do list for today is far too long and there’s hope for you as well.

If you’re not already outsourcing parts of your business, then hiring some help is critical. Even if it’s an hour a week to add a post to your blog or moderate comments, it’s important.

When you add a task to your calendar treat it like a sacred commitment instead of a suggestion.

Once something has been added to your calendar it’s an acknowledgement that this task is a) important and must be done and b) needs to be done by you. It’s nearly always easier to think you’ll do something “later” or let something less important cut to the front of your to do list.

Instead, make a commitment that when a task is on your calendar it’s treated the same as an appointment. The benefits are numerous, from getting more accomplished, moving projects forward, overcoming avoidance, and even developing the right habits for long term success.

Action Step take a look at your calendar for this week and identify the tasks that you make a firm commitment to doing. If you have no such tasks, add one per day for those things you need to accomplish.