When your schedule starts to get away from you, it's hard to keep up. And the longer you let it go, the worse it gets. Until, one day, you feel as though you've totally lost all control over your time and schedule. Entrepreneur Marcus Whitney reached that boiling point a few years ago. Instead of drowning in it, h took a step back and took time out of his schedule for a few time management sessions. He outlined this change to Fast Company. Here are the highlights.
Make Time to, Well, Make Time
Whitney started by blocking out hours of time in his Google Calendar. This time was going to be spent sorting out his schedule and making sure his time was spent wisely for the next year.
Start With the Important Dates
Making sure to take into account family obligations, Whitney looked through important dates relevant to his sons' schooling and holidays. He inserted all travel dates that were already set in stone and collected important dates from his girlfriend. When that was done, he was able to block on a two-week period for time he wanted to spend with his team in Boston.
Share Your Calendar
What turned out to be a simple but very significant change, Whitney decided to share his calendar with others. He shared it with his girlfriend and his team in Boston. His girlfriend was better able to make decisions about social events, and his team could see his calendar and schedule meetings on his behalf. Now, Whitney has about five different calendars, all of which are shared with different people.
