Smart Scheduling Strategies for the Average Businessman. Ever have those work days when you can’t seem to focus on any one task, no matter how hard you try? These days are characterized by frantically jumping from one task to another, trying to keep a difficult schedule while keeping everyone happy.
Effectively Organizing Your Appointments There just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done Here are a few helpful tips to help you better schedule appointments and tasks throughout your busy day. When you travel, schedule those in the same geographical area together. Don’t leave the east side of the city to reach a client across town, only to return two hours later to another next door. Visit the next door one before taking off. This will help you effectively use your day. Scheduling appointments according to location will help ensure you get everywhere on time. This may seem like one of those “well duh” pieces of advice, but it may surprise how many people forget this when clients ask kindly for very specific time frames. Remember that your time is just as precious as theirs, not somehow less.
Scheduling Similar Appointments It deserves your utmost care and they will understand. Where possible, try to schedule appointments that are similar together. This means that you should schedule meetings that cover the same topics close together. For example: If you plan to have a meeting about your finances at 9 a.m., try to set other appointments that involve financial discussions to take place at 10 and 11 a.m. By doing this, you will keep the same frame of mind throughout all your meetings, ensuring that you are consistently working toward the same goals. In this case, you may have made a goal to decrease spending wherever possible in the first meeting. You will want to make sure that everything you do in subsequent meetings works toward decreased spending. Scheduling appointments that are similar close together will help you ensure that this actually happens.
Set Limits For Yourself Schedule yourself with limits. You are not superman, no matter how much you dream you are.
Set limits on what you can do. If you have a 15 minute drive between appointments and you are 15 minutes away, you do not have time to squeeze anything else in but maybe a phone call. You are trying to book yourself too tight. Don’t do that. It will mean nothing but misery for you and those around you more often than it will bring good. You will let other clients or coworkers down by setting you back for the rest of the day. On top of that, you feel guilty for falling behind. So don’t promise something will be done right away unless (1) you can delegate it to someone else, or (2) this client has the potential to take your company places and helping them will put you ahead. For everything else, be honest with your client and tell them you will get to it as soon as you have a free moment. Although you may think that you are superman, you just lack the super speed and energy, and that’s okay. Learn your limits and don’t overbook yourself. These three tips will help you ensure a more doable schedule for you. The appointments might not always be enjoyable themselves. But you will be happier at the end of the day for meeting all of your obligations on time.