Weekly Calendar Management – A Look Back, At What Dangles, and Forward
By Terre Short
Not a week goes by that I do not find myself coaching one of my clients on calendar management. Nor does a week go by without me intentionally planning time to do three key things with my own calendar. I schedule this meaningful time on Thursdays at 4 PM, and call it, “weekly review.” During this time, I do exactly this: reflect on how the week has gone, assess what is still dangling, and inspect what the future holds. Let’s look more closely at these actions and why they matter.
Reflection – The first thing I do at 4 on Thursday is reflect on what has gone particularly well so far this week. I remind myself of all that I have accomplished and accept the dopamine hit for the value I have created in the first four days of the week. This does not come naturally.
Our natural inclination is to ruminate on what has been missed or has fallen prey to procrastination. Since we know positive reinforcement is much more useful and supportive than our predisposition to a negative bias, this effort must be intentional. This is no different than starting each meeting and each 1:1 with recognition of a win or what is going well. Making this a focus will eventually create a habit of positivity.
Dangling – Next, I accept what still dangles. This might be something that got put off or was overridden by an urgent matter. I decide if this task must be done this week and if so, find time for it on my calendar on Friday. Otherwise, I set aside time the following week with specific information on what I will accomplish toward this task written in the time block that I calendar.
Doing this reasserts the value of this effort. It causes me to assess why it was put off (am I procrastinating and if so, why), and infuses the energy needed to reengage with this task. I might ask myself why this is important, what timing is best, and when will I be at my best to accomplish this particular task.
Future – Lastly, I look forward to the following week and sometimes beyond. I am inspecting the realism of the next week. Do I have enough prep time blocked? Are there enough wellbeing activities on my calendar? What does a glance at the colors on my calendar tell me? See past article on color coding your calendar.
This effort puts me in control of my time and energy. I am proactively planning for both in the coming week. Without this look forward, I am apt to get into next week with a feeling of dread and find myself being more reactive than I would like. This contemplation creates more calmness, and who doesn’t want that?
So, pick a day and time for this three-part exploration. I choose Thursday afternoon at 4, and I have clients who report choosing Friday, Sunday (not a fan of a non-workday), and even a few on Monday. Block whatever day and time will afford you the most effective look back, enable to you to assess what remains dangling, and provides enough time to recommit to what the coming week holds. Happy Calendaring!
Terre Short is a best-selling author, executive leadership coach, dynamic speaker and learning experience creator who connects from her heart. Visit ThrivingLeaderCollaborative.com to learn more.
