The biggest challenge to productivity is managing your time and task load.
When you have a lot of things on your plate, you need to use the right tools to help you keep track of what needs to be done and when.
And to answer this need, there are a plethora of productivity tools and platforms available online that you access in an instant.
However, productivity tools aren’t always the best solution. It often takes a long time to learn how to use them and this becomes a task in itself. And they can make simple tasks and projects appear more daunting than they are.
Instead, there’s a simple tool that’s pretty much at your fingertips already: a calendar.
In this post, we’ll cover a few ways that you can optimize how you use a calendar to be more productive. Whether you use a paper calendar or a digital one, you’ll find that with a few tweaks, a calendar can be your tool for getting things done.
Make your calendar easily accessible
People tend to use the tools that are right in front of them at any given time. if you want to make good use of your calendar, start by making it easily accessible.
Place a large paper calendar on your wall or door where it’s visible. Or if you’re using a digital calendar make sure that icon shortcuts are apparent to you on your device.
This simple one-time act of making your calendar visible to your eye will be the starting point at which you’ll become more organized.
Save important events to your calendar
Do you struggle to remember meetings, birthdays, and other events in life? A calendar allows you to add these events to the right date easily.
If you’re using a physical calendar, I suggest getting creative and making use of colored pens, stickers, and other embellishments to remind you of upcoming events.
For a digital calendar, all you have to do is add an event to the calendar and you’ll get a notification on your phone before it takes place. A clever idea is to add a reminder or an event before an anniversary, birthday, or meeting so that you have the opportunity to plan and be ready.
Share your calendar with others
If you want to create accountability, collaborate with others, and make sure that things get done on time, then you need to share your calendar with others.
You can use digital calendars to set up meetings and let other people know that there’s an important event or task to be done.
For home and personal work, snapping a picture of your physical calendar and sending it to others can serve as a great way to keep everyone informed on important events. So, a calendar doesn’t just help you keep up with dates and events, it’s also a collaborative tool.
In this way, you and your teammates will be on top of any job that needs to be done.
Embellish your calendar
Calendars don’t have to be dull and plain. You can get creative with both your physical and digital calendars.
Use color coding to highlight different types of tasks in events or to distinguish different people. For your physical calendar, add embellishments in the form of stickers, emojis, hashtags, pictures, and more to make events stand out.
By making your calendars look appealing and fun, you’ll go back to them, remember what to do, and stay on track with your work.
Conclusion
There you have it. Working with a basic calendar is a powerful productivity hack that can change how you work. You have the option of working with paper or digital calendars and each of them has benefits that make them powerful in different ways.
I’ve shared a few ways a calendar tool can be a lifesaver. Make them fun, accessible, and personalized to create the best effect. You’ll soon be on track with your work and feel peace of mind.