Sunday, February 19, 2012

Putting Your Time Budget On Autopilot


It's Sunday evening and I'm thinking about my weekend. What did I do with this weekend? Was it a complete waste of time? Fortunately, I can say that it wasn't.

Unlike many of the weekends before, my schedule is finally set on autopilot for both Saturday and Sunday. Here, let me explain what I mean.

A few years ago, I adopted a time budget. Essentially, this is where I allot a set number of hours for various areas of my life (i.e. Blogging, working out, school, and the like). During the week, I'm pretty good about following my plan because it's already on autopilot. Unfortunately, that success goes out of the window come Saturday morning.

Why? you ask. I believe it was due to an empty schedule. In the absence of a plan, I did whatever came to mind. If I wanted to sleep, I would. If I wanted to watch a few movies, I did. Come Monday morning, I regretted my poor decisions.

What's Different About This Weekend?

Unlike the many weekends before, I finally filled the calendar with my approved time budget. At the very least, I now have a generic plan of action for all seven days of the week.

Thanks to the Google Calendar "Repeat" option, my calendar is pre-scheduled from now until eternity.


What Happens When Things Change?

If there is one thing we can count on it's that things will change. With my generic time budget on the calendar, I can easily adjust my schedule to accommodate those unexpected events.

Using the example above, I have scheduled the Techmonks Podcast for 9 pm each Sunday night. Unless I change the plan, this event will repeatedly show up on my calendar during the 9-10 pm hour. Now, let's assume that a more pressing matter requires my attention. How would I handle that?

Step 1: Add the new event to the calendar

Step 2: Delete or reschedule the podcast during a different time. It is important to note that a repeating event is attached to a string of other similar events. When you make any changes to a re-occurring event, you will have the option to change only this event, following events, or all events (both before and after). Typically, I only adjust the single event because I assume that I'll be back on schedule next week.

Final Thought

I know, it's really just a minor adjustment but I think it will make all the difference in the world. The real test comes in the weeks that follow. Will it help or fall flat? We'll find out soon enough.

Until next time...

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Damond L. Nollan, M.B.A.

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