3 minute read
animals are telling us via their body language
Ask the Experts: Mastering a Schedule
Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner dog*biz sets out guidelines for what to do when you have too much to do
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Q: I read in your Monthly Minute newsletter about creating a master schedule. I love the idea of having a way to organize everything I’ve got on my plate. I love the idea of not feeling stressed by a to‐do list that I never manage to finish, both for my business and in my personal life. But I have to tell you—it’s not working. What am I doing wrong?
A: I’m super glad you’re working to find ways to gain control of your todo lists and your schedule and, most importantly, your work/life balance. A master schedule is a powerful way to do that. A wellcrafted schedule creates a place for everything, allowing you to move through your days peacefully. It allows you to focus on just the task at hand, knowing that everything else will be taken care of in its own spot. © Can Stock Photo / iqoncept A wellcrafted schedule allows you to focus on just the task at hand, knowing that everything else will be taken care of at the allotted time
You haven’t given me a whole lot to go on to help pinpoint what’s keeping your master schedule from doing its job that are most important to you. If you don’t prioritize deliberately you for you. But from the bit you’ve shared—having a lot on your plate and may find that those things most dear (like time with your own dogs) or what sounds like a neverending todo list—I’m going to hazard a guess most important (like building your business) are sacrificed to lesser tasks that the breakdown is the most common culprit: Too much to do. or commitments.
A master schedule is a powerful tool, but it’s not magical. Organiz This won’t be easy to do. Most likely there aren’t many things on ing how you use your time can make you more efficient and remove a your current todo lists that don’t have value. You may feel guilty about lot of stress, but it can’t change the natural laws of time. If you’re trying letting certain things go or saying no to others. But there’s no getting to fit in more than is possible to get done in a day your master schedule around the limited number of hours in a day and, while everything may will break down. have value, some things are more important than others. Give yourself permission to build a realistic master schedule that prioritizes what’s Prioritizing most important to you and I think you’ll find it works much better. n One thing we love about helping clients and THRIVE! members build their schedules is this moment I suspect you’re in right now. It’s initially distressing to realize that, no matter how hard you work, you simply cannot do it all. But facing that reality is the first step to freeing yourself from the stress and moving toward balance.
So your next step is taking a hard look at all that you have on your plate, and then doing the (sometimes painful) work of reducing it. What can be set down or scaled back in order to build a realistic, sustainable schedule for yourself, one in which you feel you are finally in control and on top of things? Start by identifying the things you do (or want to do)
A master schedule is a powerful tool, but it’s not magical. Organizing how you use your time can make you more efficient and remove a lot of stress, but it can’t change the natural laws of time. If you’re trying to fit in more than is possible to get done in a day your master schedule will break down.
If you don’t already read dogbiz’s Monthly Minute e‐newsletter, we highly recommend it! Sign up for a free subscription to benefit from their monthly business tips for R+ trainers. ‐ Ed.
Veronica Boutelle MA Ed CTC is founder and co-president of dog*biz, and author of How to Run Your Dog Business and co-author of Minding Your Dog Business. dog*biz offers professionally designed positive reinforcement dog training class curricula, including Open-Enrollment Puppy, Open-Enrollment Basic Manners, and short Topics classes built for retention. Do you have a question for the business experts at dog*biz? Submit your question for consideration to: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com
