Sometimes Doing Less Can Help You Do More Creating an Efficient Calendar Stephanie Dorfman, MS, RDN Incoming Director of Meetings Over time, life tends to get busy and becomes a delicate balancing act of work events, social outings, family gatherings, daily errands and - at some point - we need to find time to sleep. A teacher of mine once told me, “everything important will get done,” which is something I live by. Keeping your calendar up-to-date and prioritized can help with efficiency, keep you relaxed, maintain organization and help check the important boxes off your daily list. Whether you use a calendar on your phone or prefer to use a pen and planner, keeping your calendar in tip-top shape helps to visualize what your day, week and month
will be like. It prevents overbooking, double booking or overcommitting - leaving room for the important events or last-minute adjustments. Some planners even come with a goal-setting section to help with long-term goals to accomplish throughout the week, month and year - keeping you extra-focused on the important things in your life. A key thing to remember as your calendar fills up: it’s okay to say no (or politely decline). We don’t want to spread ourselves too thinly and not have the ability to give 100% of our energy to the events we are attending, tasks we’re completing or family time we’re spending. It’s okay to schedule in self-care time, however you choose to spend it. Maximizing your time and being efficient doesn’t necessarily mean constantly being busy. Having your schedule laid out on a calendar (including self relaxation time) can help prevent burnout and overwhelm.
Sometimes doing less leads to more productivity and higher quality work. All in all, we get it. Schedules get booked, weekends get filled and calendars get so busy it’s hard to fit anything else in. Being efficient with your time and acknowledging when being overly busy becomes too much can help maximize your daily hours to the fullest. Make sure you are able to give your full attention to everything you do, prioritize and organize your calendar, take care of yourself and everything important will get done.
Stephanie is passionate about all things wellness, running outdoors, puppies, peanut butter, and spreading all of the joy. When she’s not at her corporate food service job, you can find her running (usually in Astoria or Central Park), baking challah, or laughing with family and friends. During the summer months, look for her at her favorite sleep-away summer camp, where her family still works and where her grandparents met. Stephanie loves being able to combine all her passions into her profession every day.
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