If you’re like most people, very often you find yourself struggling to get everything done (or working late into the night). Whether you’re running your own business or working in the corporate arena, it’s sometimes hard to remember that there are only 24 hours in a day, and some of those hours have to be used for sleep, food, and general living. Once those hours are gone, there’s no way to make more of them, so we’ve got to use the ones we’ve got wisely. If you constantly feel like you’re playing catch-up and working 15-hour days, you’re probably over-extended.

Budgeting your time and making the most of it comes down to setting up a solid schedule and sticking to it…as much as you can. Stuff happens, so make sure that the schedule you put together has enough flexibility in it to deal with crises and changes. It’s a good practice to schedule only about 75% of your day so that you can deal with unforeseen challenges.

The first thing you want to do is consider whether you are a morning person or an afternoon person. Most of us fall into one of those categories, and it’s a good idea to schedule your most important projects during your “up time whenever possible. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t “wake up” until noon, you certainly don’t want to schedule a meeting with your biggest client at 7:00 AM. So make sure you take your personality into consideration when you’re setting up your schedule.

Set up a Schedule

As simple as it sounds, setting up a schedule can be very complicated. First, you want to decide on a format of paper or computer. Why paper in this age of technology? Because it’s very easy to jot down notes on a piece of paper, and if you have a paper calendar, you can have it open on your desk for easy reference. You also don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting a paper copy of something. But paper isn’t always the only answer, as computers have alarms and reminders, warning systems for overlapping projects or meetings, search capabilities for specific items, etc. The easy answer is to use a combination of the two, just make sure that you update both of them so you don’t cause an unintentional conflict.

Setting your schedule is usually something you want to do at the end of the day for the next business day’s work. Allow yourself about 10-15 minutes to accomplish it, and put it into your to-do list.

Now, you’re going to want to write down everything that needs to be done. Start with items from yesterday that didn’t get done. Include any projects that you’re working on for your own business or for a client, even phone calls that you need to make in that day or other types of appointments. You might even want to schedule time to check e-mail and voice-mail. Make notes as far as importance of the task and the deadline for its completion. Major tasks should be broken down into their component parts so you can set aside time each day to work on it instead of trying to compress it all into one day.

Once you have your list, give priorities to each entry based on the deadline (items with an immediate deadline take higher priority) and based on what the item is. Items that directly affect your business and are essential need to be ranked higher, as do those that might lead to a high payoff for you. Items that are not due immediately can be moved down the list. Don’t be afraid to schedule time for yourself for planning and organization. You are your most important client!

Once you’ve got your list and you’ve prioritized it (put a star by one or two of the most important items so you know what to work on during any “down time” you might encounter), it’s time to put it on the calendar.

Lay out your Calendar

On your calendar, start with your most important item from your To-Do list and put it into your most productive time slot (if you’re a morning person, schedule it for the morning work hours). Take the next most important item and put it into the next productive slot, and so-on down the list. Using this procedure will have you working on your most important tasks when you’re most “up in your day. Remember, most projects will take more time than you think, so schedule a little extra time for the most important ones. If you have a special phone call or appointment, schedule projects to finish well in advance of the call so you don’t run long and call in late.

Don’t over-schedule your day. Remember, block out about 75% of your day so you’ve got flexibility for those unforeseen challenges that can, and often do, arise.

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© Copyright 2009 Sheic Space®, LLC. All rights reserved.

Angee Robertson is the Founder and Editor of Sheic Space Online Magazine. Sheic Space celebrates the shift from a masculine workspace to a feminine workspace by sharing how other business women use their office space to support their creativity and nurture their soul. Be sure to visit www.sheicspace.com to sign-up to receive your FREE subscription.

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