{A new theory on using a calendar + 3 of my best tips.}

Even though I work from home full-time I’ve realized something so important, it’s literally “do this, or fail”: I absolutely must follow a calendar. An average day easily includes both blog + shop work, and without a schedule via my calendar I would get nothing done. And it’s not because I’m not bored with my work, it’s simply because there’s always been an abundance of work to do.

I’m the type of gal that excels when I know what the day holds, even if it’s just a tiny glimpse of what it holds. And I’m sure you’re the same way.

It’s become a pattern for Zack + I to share our days with each other over dinner at home. Having his support means the world and it definitely has helped with the success/growth of my business. Zack knows how crazy intense it is to run a handmade business + lifestyle blog, from home, with a high personality pup, while 34 weeks pregnant, in a new city + state, AND with the ocean hanging out like 3 miles from our home. Ohhhh yeah, how’d you like that run on?

Without a calendar I’m afraid I wouldn’t make much progress. Zack routinely asks me about my day, and for the longest time I would say something like, “Oh, I didn’t get enough done…” as I listed off seven things I did do. I always found a way to mention that there were four more things I wish I had also done, instead of keeping the focus on all that I did do.

And finally the light bulb went off!

It doesn’t matter HOW much I get done each day, what matters is I had things to do and I did them.

Once I realized what was really important — what MUST go on my to-do list verses what could/should go on it, I decided to start taking my “all that I accomplished today” list more seriously.

Calendars are meant to assist us. Do you believe that? They are meant to help us, and when used correctly they are an amazing, free tool. And I definitely feel like my business has benefited from the simplicity using a calendar brings. It’s the difference between spending my time doing something that’s important verses something that is possibly a waste of my time. It’s the difference between committing to my purpose with this blog verses floating about like a cloud in the sky. It’s the difference between keeping my sanity and feeling like a hot mess.

TIPS TO USING A CALENDAR CORRECTLY:

1a. Add tasks to each workday

– Example tasks for Monday: cut fabric, answer emails, write a blog post for later in the week, eat lunch/rest, Rhiannon is coming by to drop off product, {if there’s time} start a few side projects

1b.  Assign realistic time frames to each task

– Cutting fabric will take approximately 2.5 hours so I block out 11am to 1:30pm. Answering emails will take 30 minutes so I block out 1:30pm to 2pm. Continue adding blocks of time to each task, updating your calendar until your workday is full. Re-arrange tasks if need be, making sure you are realistic about completing each task on the day it must be worked on

When done with 1a + 1b, your daily calendar should have sections of time blocked out, like this:

2. Take advantage of color-coding tasks for additional organization

– Here are some colors we use and what they represent: blue, my daily tasks // green, blog post topics // orange, assistant schedule // yellow, events/meetings

– Color-coding allows me to overlap blocks of time. If an assistant is coming by to drop off product it’s totally possible for me to be working another task, like answering email

3. At the end of each workday, evaluate your tasks

– Ask yourself, did my calendar serve me well? Did you get everything done on your to-do list? If not, move that task to another day. Sometimes not getting a task done is a sign it wasn’t that important. Perhaps it can be deleted? Other times, not getting one task done is a sign another task took longer than you anticipated. Regardless, be sure to review your calendar so you can learn from it + be as realistic as possible with completing tasks

This type of daily calendar use can be applied to the month as a whole, too. We often have re-occuring events, so we set certain tasks to repeat every month. Also, don’t be shy about your blog post topics! Add them as an “all day” event so they get pinned to the top of your calendar, and re-arrange them as need be. If you click over + view your calendar by the month you can easily see where you have gaps in content (blog posts).

Since using my calendar like this I no longer doubt the importance of what I did that day. Who cares if I only accomplished 3 tasks?! If they were important enough to go on the calendar + take up my time, they were important. No apologies. It’s also helped me validate other schedule-related tasks, like partnering with another brand or blog — I can easily see if I have enough available time to say “yes” to those opportunities. Here’s a good post on knowing when to say “no” to opportunities that come your way.

So tell me, do you feel lost + unproductive most workdays? Do you have a secret calendar tip that helps you power through your to-do list? Share with us below in the comments. xoxo

*All photos are from Google Calendar.