Scheduling, Previewing, and Practice

Exciting things have been happening in our advising and writing and designing and delivering and problem-solving practice.

So, in previewing my weeks ahead, I made an unusual step. I hope you don’t think less of me.

I scheduled family time. Does that make me one of those over-committed type-A you-know-whats that’s so busy he doesn’t have time for his family?

Nope. I don’t want to take my family for granted. While we’re working through this new shape of our practice, I want to schedule everything that matters. When I’ve got them scheduled, they’ll get my full love, care, and affectionate attention. No email checking or phone calls. They’ll get the full measure of me … for better or worse. 🙂

I’m also scheduling time to write, think, read, research, design and produce. Too often in the past, those things have gotten pushed aside by someone’s phone call or email or request to ‘just pick my brain for an hour or so.’

Do you use a planning calendar? What do you schedule? What do you omit?

Furthermore, do you do a weekly preview?

I use Leo’s advice from Zen-to-Done and pick out the week’s 4-6 most important tasks from my master list and schedule them first.

Then, I schedule each day’s three other most important tasks. If I get nothing else done but these first two groups of things, I will have solved a lot of problems for other people.

It takes practice … building a practice. Make your life and work simpler by eliminating noise and friction from your day, week, and world.

It starts with scheduling and previewing and setting the table for easily doing.