THE YEARLY CALENDAR REVIEW
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE 2021 THE YEAR WHERE YOU GET MORE DONE, ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY? LET ME HELP YOU GET YOUR TIME BACK WITH MY FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER!
I decided to try something new this year…
To actually take the time and look back on my calendar over the last year to see what worked + what didn’t for me.
And let me tell you, I learned A LOT.
I’ve made several changes when it comes to my calendar, schedule, routines, and boundaries this year, but the good news is all the changes I’ve made has gotten me closer to the person I want to become.
A few changes I made that seemed to make a significant result in my life:
Setting clear boundaries for myself for social media, essentially getting off Facebook (because it was creating a lot of mental stress for me)
Re-working my “work hours” that have actually helped me get more done in my day + take more time to rest
Seeing what was causing me the most stress (certain client work that was not “right” for me) and having courage to start saying no
Stepping into work that lights me up and brings me joy (yay for becoming a certified life coach!)
I’ll be honest, I got this idea from a Rachel Hollis podcast I listened to PRIOR to the pandemic, so this is NOT my idea, but I wanted to share it with you because I believe it can bring a lot of insight into what is working for you, what is working against you, and how to move yourself forward!
STEP ONE || DO A FULL REVIEW OF YOUR CALENDAR
Really, the first step will need to be setting aside a few hours to do this. I chose to do this last Friday as part of my workday because it made the most sense for me. It took me a little over an hour, but this is only if you meticulously plan like I do. I literally plan every single part of my day and I have my plan in multiple places - my Google Calendar, which is my daily time blocking calendar, and my paper planner, which gives me a general overview of each day + the tasks I worked on.
You will literally go day-by-day, looking at what appointments, meetings, etc. were on your schedule + hopefully the tasks you had prioritized that day as well. If you don’t have daily tasks written, that’s OK. Take a look at your schedule and see if you can remember generally what you were working on each day.
STEP TWO || LIST 5 THINGS YOU WANT TO KEEP DOING
As you go through your calendar, start writing down things that you did that you want to keep doing. Things that brought you joy, things you’d love to do again, things that you changed that have helped you be a better person.
If you want to live a more enjoyable life, you need to do MORE of those things! If something changed that went well, what else can you do that will help you?
Have an ongoing list as you audit your calendar, and when you finish, narrow that list down to your top 5 things that you want to keep doing.
Here are my 5 things:
Keeping my 9AM to 1PM work hours throughout the year
Reading the Gospels every quarter (or having some sort of bible reading plan)
Piano + Ted Lasso dates with my sister-in-law
Going to church regularly with my family
Random Friday day dates with the husband
STEP THREE || LIST 5 THINGS YOU WANT TO STOP DOING
Just like the things you want to keep doing, as you go through your calendar, make a list of things that caused you stress, were a waste of time, etc.
This was a lot harder because I can’t necessarily SEE that on my calendar… but the memories are there. You’ll remember based on what’s on your calendar those feelings around certain appointments and things that caused you stress + anxiety.
Again, make this list ongoing as you do your audit + narrow it down once you’ve gone through the entire year.
Here are the 5 things I want to STOP doing in 2022:
Letting untrue thoughts keep circulating in my mind (action step: journaling them to get them out)
Worrying about what other people think about what I do, say, wear, etc.
Saying yes to things that I know aren’t a good fit for me
Procrastinating on things because I’d rather be doing something else (hello, enneagram 9)
Not listening to my body when it’s trying to tell me I’m pushing myself too hard
That’s it! I mean, it’s all fairly simple, but it definitely can be time consuming. However, I found it to be well worth the time - and you know I’m not about wasting time AT ALL.
I can’t wait to see how your life improves in 2022 because of this little exercise!
The Founding Members of the Control Your Calendar Program are currently in the process of doing this exact exercise before we officially kick off the group coaching program on January 4th! If you’re ready to kick your chaotic schedule to the curb, learn how to create routines + a schedule that works for YOUR life, then the Control Your Calendar Program is for YOU! But, hurry! The doors to join the program close Friday, December 31st at 11:59PM CT! Join today + take control of your 2022 calendar!
If you want more help creating a plan that works for you, let’s hop on a FREE 30-minute planning session! We will take a look at your priorities + your day-to-day life to help you figure out how to “balance” all the things!
