Executive Coaching And The Benefits Of Developing A Schedule

As a busy executive, you probably have a lot to do. In addition to all the work projects & tasks you are responsible, you also have errands to run, bills to take care of, and an exercise schedule to maintain.

It can be confusing to keep track of it all.

That’s why executive coaches recommend making plans and creating a schedule. Without a set plan, it is hard to know what you should be spending time on. By prioritizing your tasks and finding time for them on your calendar, you can be sure to find time for everything.

Find the perfect system. What’s your calendar personality? Do you prefer to handle your schedule electronically or the old fashioned way? Spend some time finding a system that works for you. Some people like a complex method with a lot of features, others thrive on simplicity. Keep in mind that you may need to try more than one system before you find one that works for you.

Constant tasks. Your first step in creating a schedule is to determine your ongoing tasks. For example, do you go to the gym every day after work? Put it on your calendar. Do you spend 30 minutes each morning in a staff meeting? Schedule that too.

Also include those weekly meetings, daily phone calls from the corporate home office, and any other task that takes up some of your time.

Write everything down. Have you ever had one of those moments virtual roundtables when you thought you’d remember all the details of that important meeting but when you show up, you got the details all wrong? To prevent this from happening you need to write things in your schedule as quickly as possible. If you rely on a large calendar to maintain your appointments, you may want to carry a smaller one around with you to transfer all those last minute appointments.

Learn to prioritize. Prioritizing your tasks is an essential part of getting everything done and maintaining your sanity. Before you begin each day write down the five most important tasks you need to complete that day and then do your best to complete them before you do anything extra.

Whenever you can, spend the first two hours of the day focusing on your most important, high leverage projects.

For example, if you have an important AM meeting, put that on the list. If maintaining your exercise schedule is important, that also needs to go on the list. When you finish these tasks you can tackle the other things on your ultimate to-do list.

Be flexible. Yes, keeping a schedule is great. However, you need to let yourself be flexible. If you don’t relax or mentally plan for unexpected things, you could end up really stressed which could lead to health problems.

Remember that keeping a schedule is an important aspect of stress. But if you don’t learn to accept the unexpected, that could prevent you from enjoying life.