Controlling your workload

A long-standing friend, who lives abroad, popped into my life again this week, via email, and out of the blue , as is usual for us. His challenge for my blog: adopt a more technology based approach. Wow that’s a great idea!

Two years ago, I could see every diary for those in my team (and for those who allowed my id to read theirs). Of course they could see mine also. It was a great advantage when anyone wanted to arrange a special meeting or phone-call. You just found a time, to maximise attendance, whether for urgent issue or social catch-up. It was imperative for cooperative international team-working and worked wherever you were in the world! And, you learned to manage your diary e.g. blocking our your own time and saying ‘no’ responsibly, otherwise you’d get none of your own work done!

Today, I’m back to a paper and pen and a cooperative family! I don’t even use an online calendar! My mobility is certainly hindered and I look forward to the day when my technology catches up with the capabilities I had in 2005!

How many of the entries in your diary are decided by someone other than yourself? How are they entered? What calendaring tools to you use?

It’s Monday, and what have you decided you need to achieve this week?

Old school productivity thinking for housekeepers suggested that ‘those that wash on Monday have all the week to dry’, compared with Tuesday and every day of the week until the last when the severest slur on their reputation, for a children’s rhyme, would be incurred!

The point is that planning ahead, assessing all the risks, gives you a better chance of weathering any setbacks.

Who or what might steer you off course this week? That’s all part of your risk planning!

Is your diary the framework for your week? Do you like to see one day at a time, a week, a month or a year? How many views (or calendars) do you have?

I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they diarise their time. Organised types (process-driven?) tend to have a time for everything and know what regular times need to be booked out. Creative types (project driven?) tend to want space in their schedule and freedom to work when they want.

I personally like one hardcopy diary, as full as possible of business and pleasure items, which can be scattered at different times of the day on different days of the week . I’ll fill each day (one per page) at the start of each day - if not already- so I know what I’m working on! Ideally, a half-full day is already booked by the time I get to my daily planning!

Who controls your diary?