Making Etiquette Easy: Organizing Outrageously Overloaded Calendars

 

These days it doesn’t take much to feel overrun by busy schedules and bulging calendars that seem to beg for more hours in a day. I don’t know about you, but I have a “master” calendar where I meticulously record all commitments in pencil (I know, it’s old school, but it works) and then I have my computer Outlook and iPhone calendars.  As I’m sure you can relate, having too many calendars can lead to double booking and over-committed days.  Here are some tips on how to organize multiple calendars and ultimately stop calendar madness:

 

                -Choose a primary calendar and sync it up to your devices.  It’s really wise to choose a calendar program you use frequently and have constant access to, such as Outlook. Once you’ve done that, go through each of your existing calendars and import important dates to assure that everything is in one place. As I mentioned, I keep a hard copy of my calendar (it’s my constant companion) as a reference and always use a pencil, as dates and appointments tend to shift on short notice.

                -Color code your calendars for different portions of your life. If you are a busy professional (like pretty much everyone I know!) and like to stay as organized as possible, you can color code your calendars to denote different categories of events. For example, I use different colors for work, our daughter’s schedule, family events, and social events.  This method has really helped me stay on track with my calendar and maintain that elusive healthy work/life balance.

                -Share your calendars. As technology has evolved, we now have the ability to share our calendars with others. My husband and I share calendars so we can both can make calendar additions or changes, and remain on the same page regarding family events and work commitments. As we both juggle our careers and family life, this has helped us to stay organized and avoid what we call “the double book.”

 

                Our schedules and calendars can get out of hand very quickly, so taking these few simple steps to get organized will help avoid feeling overwhelmed by that over-committed monster of a calendar. 

Doubly Duty: Being a Parent and a Working Professional

 

Between running a business and being a full-time mom, I’m constantly searching for ways to work smarter, not harder. My husband, who also works long-hours, and I try to create that delicate balance between family (we have a toddler) and work life. We have found that in order to have a good balance between the two, we use as many resources at our disposal as possible. Here are a few things that work for us:
 

                -While traveling for business, use technology, such as Face Time, to stay connected with your family. Our firm has clients throughout North America which requires my traveling to conduct or participate in meetings or events.  With today’s technology, I can Face Time or Skype from my smartphone or laptop, which makes home never feel too far away. Having these Face Time moments with my family during my travel has helped me not miss out on important events, talk about each other’s day as if I were at the dining room table, and has been reassuring for my daughter to see me “on the TV” while I’m on the road. On occasion, I’ll bring back a little memento for her as a reminder that I am always thinking about her while I’m away. This also creates a learning opportunity as I can use the souvenir as a tool to teach her about the place I just visited.

                -Adding the family to a business trip.  I’ve seen many families at the airport this summer with at least one briefcase toting parent clearly ready to hit their meeting upon deplaning. My husband and I recently did something similar during a trip to Canada. A client invited my husband to join in the social activities between meetings, and with the client’s help, we were able to arrange a baby sitter for our daughter while attending work-related events. We had a set itinerary regarding which portion of the trip would be work and which would be vacation. Once I completed the business portion of our trip, it was time to focus on family time. These trips can be cost effective, worthwhile, and fun for everyone involved, if managed correctly. 

                -Identify flexible times in your daily schedule for family. Family schedules can be particularly challenging during the summer months when the kids are out of school attending various summer camps or day camps, or wanting to have a play date with a friend. It takes some planning, but there are ways to assure that work does not suffer while shuttling the kids to that next important summer event.  It is critical that your work obligations do not suffer, so if you are out of the office some during the day, be prepared to check emails after hours to stay on top of things. Being a part of their summer fun can be amazingly rewarding. I had the honor of taking our daughter to her second summer of music classes at TCU. She loved it and I relished the time we shared together during that time each week.  
 

                Everyone’s family dynamic and profession is different, so finding equilibrium between work and family life may be different from ours, but by reevaluating and making some minor adjustments to your schedule, you can get one step closer to life balance happiness. And that, my friend, is worth working toward.

 

Photo Courtesy of: geralt