July 25th, 2008 in Featured, Productivity

Back to Basics: Your Calendar

One of the first things people do when they make the decision to “get organized” is buy some kind of calendar. It might be a dayplanner, a desktop “blotter-pad” calendar, a Palm or Blackberry, or some other kind of device or system they can schedule all their appointments and obligations in.

Most of us instinctively understand that the key to good time management is knowing where to be and what to be doing there at any given time. And we also recognize that our ability to keep track of all our obligations in our head is severely limited.

Effective calendar management goes hand in hand with good task list management. While a task list is a great moment-to-moment tool, a calendar is much better at presenting “the big picture”. With a glance, you can see a day, a week, a month, even a year at a time, allowing for both short-term and long-term planning in a way that a task list can’t.

What kind of calendar?

The functional requirements of a calendar are pretty basic: Your calendar should be easy to write in, easy to read, and available whenever you need it. How those criteria are going to be best met is really up to you, based on your own personality.

In general, calendars fall into three broad categories: paper calendars like dayplanners and Moleskine planners, computer programs like Outlook and Sunbird, and online calendars like Google Calendar and 30 Boxes. Each type of calendar has its own pros and cons.

Paper Calendars

Pros:

Great for people who think best with a pen or pencil in hand
Easy to use, minimal learning curve
No special technology needed
Never runs out of batteries

Cons:

Difficult to share with other people or move data to another system
Limited physical space makes scheduling far in advance difficult
Recurring events need to be entered by hand
Can be lost; backup strategies are awkward at best (e.g. photocopies)
Needs to be replaced every year

Computer-based Calendars

Pros:

Appointments and recurring events are easy to create
Data can be exported to or imported from other systems
Events can be emailed to other people
Many programs allow rules to be set up determining, for example, what information is public and what is not
Notes, files, and other information can be added indefinitely
Can schedule events easily years in advance
Data can be backed up regularly

Cons:

Data corruption is possible, altering or even deleing events
Too many options can make simple event scheduling complicated
Need physical access to your computer or PDA/smartphone to see schedule
On PDAs: batteries can fail, leaving you calendar-less
Steeper learning curve than paper
Dependent on technology

Online Calendars

Pros:

Access anywhere you have an Internet connection, including public computers
Share your calendar or part of your calendar easily
Some, like Google Calendar, have natural language scheduling, allowing phrases like “lunch with Tom tomorrow at noon” to be translated into calendar entries
Exchange data with other online services, like task lists, web sites, RSS readers, weather services, news sites, etc.

Cons:

Security concerns: are you comfortable allowing Google to (potentially) read your calendar entries?
Security vulnerabilities: calendar could be open to unauthorized access
You might be without Internet service, or the site could go down
At the mercy of host’s business plan – they could go under, taking your data with them

My setup: a hybrid calendar system

I use a combination of software-based and online calendars. My primary calendar is kept in Outlook (totally square, I know!). I also have an online calendar with Google. Thanks to Google Calendar Sync, a program that runs in my taskbar and synchronizes my Outlook and Google calendars, both calendars are kept up to date.

I sync my Blackberry with Outlook, which means I always have a copy of schedule with me. If I add events on the Blackberry, they get synced to Outlook when I connect to my PC, and those changes get uploaded to Google when Google Calendar Sync runs. I also have my Outlook .pst file (where the calendar and all other Outlook data is stored) set to save to an external drive every night. So I have multiple redundancies in case any part of the system fails. (I also print a hard copy from Outlook if I’m going to be out of town, just in case my Blackberry breaks and I can’t find a computer to check my Google calendar.)

What goes on your calendar?

There are two philosophies about how to use your calendar. The first, which is recommended by David Allen in Getting Things Done, is to only put in your calendar those events which have to happen at that time – meetings, appointments, scheduled phone calls, etc. The rest of the time, you’re working from your task lists according to your sense of what the most important thing to work on right now is.

I disagree with that approach, though I admit it seems to work for many people. But I believe in scheduling everything – appointments and meetings, but also blocks of time for email or phone calls, meals, travel time, and most importantly, “project time”. Project time is a block of time devoted to making progress on some active project I’m working on at the moment. If I don’t schedule that kind of stuff, I know the relatively trivial stuff will expand to fill all the space between my (rare) scheduled events – and I won’t find time for the important stuff.

To be honest, that probably isn’t too far from the spirit of GTD, even if it’s against the “letter or the law” as set down in Allen’s books. Working on projects often is something that has to be done at a set time, or it doesn’t get done. Working on email is the opposite – if it’s not done only during the times I schedule, it can easily fill the whole day.

My advice, then, is to determine what absolutely has to be done each week and schedule all of it – and stick to the schedule. That means you give everything you’ve scheduled the full block of time allowed to it – but not more than that. Use a timer, if necessary. The point of using a calendar isn’t just to make sure you work on your important tasks at set times during the week, it’s also to make sure you leave adequate time for the stuff that can’t be easily scheduled – time “off the clock”, enjoying yourself.

Your calendars

What about you? Are you a fan of paper, software, or “in the cloud” calendars? What’s your setup? And how do you use your calendar to keep yourself on track? Tell your calendar story in the comments.

WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY

Dustin Wax

Dustin M. Wax is the project manager at Stepcase Lifehack. He is also the creator of The Writer's Technology Companion, a site devoted to the tools of the writing trade. When he's not writing, he teaches anthropology and gender studies in Las Vegas, NV. He is the author of Don't Be Stupid: A Guide to Learning, Studying, and Succeeding at College.

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Shanel Yang says on July 25th, 2008 at 11:58 am

I think it’s so amazing that at age 42, I’m still reading articles about how to calendar my tasks! It’s a skill (and constant process) I began learning when I was in high school b/c I finally started having real homework assignments (as opposed to just take home whatever you can’t complete in class) and occasionally more than one test on any given day.

Since then, prioritizing, guessing how much time any given task will take, and making time for unexpected contingencies has been a constant battle. Sometimes I’m winning, and sometimes chaos/entropy is winning.

What seems to work best for me is a big (letter-sized) desk calendar (I like Time Traveler) in which I keep all my most important information (appointments; deadlines; ticklers of important deadlines if I feel I need them; various data I’m tracking on a regular basis such as my weight, certain blog stats/goals, and inspirational quotes; important new names, phone numbers, addresses, ideas). Then, I keep all of these Time Travelers, so I rarely lose anything critical. So, I’m with you Dustin, more in the calendar is better for me than less.

I also have a pocket-sized Moleskine which I try to keep with me at all time b/c I don’t usually carry the desk calendar around.

Thanks for the great post, Dustin!
Greg-C says on July 25th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

I use a hybrid systems simlar to you - Google Calendar, Palm Desktop (with 8 years of stuff in it) and a Palm Treo. One advantage to a computer based or web based system is the ability to search for past events - when was the last time I was at the doctor’s?, look up info on a conference I attended a while back, etc. You can do it with a paper calendar, but its not as simple or fast and you may not have the info all together.
guyworkaholic says on July 25th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

i have two laptops, and an online system - combination is a hybrid.. i use a blackberry for backing up all my data (contacts, calendar, etc).. this is purely for backup.. on the forefront, I use my iphone and Nokia N82 on a regular basis (and I carry both of them around ALL the time).. and, I use the mobileme service for an extra added protection layer.. so, all in all.. its a rather complex but very efficient system..and works very well.. also, from all my phones and computers, I can directly sync to Gcal (I use gcal from work).. everything syncs every night between 1 and 4 am.
Laura says on July 25th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

I use three systems–pda, Outlook, and gmail–and sync all three. Syncing is crucial. A few months ago, my laptop died and all the Outlook data went. Due to software changes, I had also lost much of my pda calendar data. Gmail saved the day. Yeah! for sync capacity.
thp says on July 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm

after several unsuccesful attempts with paper, computer-based and internet based solutions, i’m quite happy with my simple nokia phone and its calendar function. hassle-free, cheap, always with me, and i also have the advantages of computer-based calendaring (sync, backup, recurrence)

never thought a phone could be used for that, but it is a very straightforward solution!
David Engel says on July 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pm

One Pro of both computer and online based systems that you neglected is the ability to PRINT it to paper for carrying with you when you are away from any computer.
Simon Hill says on July 25th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

I use Outlook at work which also syncs to my BlackBerry over the air. I can access the Outlook calendar via the web is what I do at home. I’m a heavy user of Google Apps except Calendar but after reading this I am going to investigate the syncing idea - even if only as a backup.

Cheers

Simon
armando says on July 25th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

I use exactly the same system you described… except that my pda is a palm (with the keysuite software). And yes : maximum redundancy (multiple backups, multiple versions kept, incremental…) is a necessity! No excuse with all the great software available nowadays, and the price of external storage dropping below the level of the sea.

Like you, and for exactly the same reasons, I also believe in scheduling in advance. Yes, stuff gets pushed, moved etc., but at least there’s a structure to be followed. There are great things in GTD, but it’s not always efficient if you’re a freelance worker — yes, unimportant stuff tends to absorb all time and important projects indefinitely get munched away.

So I use a system that’s a mix between Covey (based on projects and priorities), Allen (for when I have free time and wonder what to do…)and Constandse (how to harmonize your values, goals, projects, tasks and appointments…).

Thanks
nXqd says on July 26th, 2008 at 2:04 am

I really love ” Back to basic “
Ribeezie says on July 26th, 2008 at 4:31 am

I’m a “put the pen to paper” kinda guy. I have an “At-A-Glance” calendar; it’s broken down into days from 7:00am - 9:00pm. I try and calendar everything but I’m also pretty observant of how much I take on. I check off my completed tasks and get upset when if I have to “X” something out for not having completed it (ok, now I feel weird for admitting that). Anyway, it’s been great practice for me and it helps me stay focused and disciplined towards getting more done (it’s a good way of holding myself accountable).
Miguel de Luis says on July 26th, 2008 at 4:33 am

For calendar, I use a variation of the 43 folders and a pencil. I have 12 month sheets in my DIY planner, and 31 day sheets.
Appointments that belong to the current month are noted down in its respective day sheet. The rest go to their respective month sheet.
On weekly revisions (I follow GTD) I erase past notes and note down new ones. It’s like the 43 folders but using a pencil and a eraser. A soft 2B pencil is easier to erase and makes your writing quite visible too.
DanGTD says on July 26th, 2008 at 8:40 am

It probably depends on each one’s occupation.

The more time you spend online, the more sense it makes to manage your time with an online calendar.

Another benefit of online calendars that was not mentioned, are the ‘alerts’.
Ahmad says on July 26th, 2008 at 4:06 pm

I used to use google calendar
Bas Grolleman says on July 27th, 2008 at 9:26 am

I use google calendar with GooSync to keep my Nokia 6120 updated. Simple, hassle free.

Since my wife also uses Google Calendar, and Goosync, we both can see each others calendar on the phone (paid version only, but for us worth it), that has saved us a lot of rescheduling already. :)
Pedro says on July 27th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

I like the online calendar http://www.rememberthemilk.com. It works great for me.
Rickard says on July 27th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

What do you guys think of using the calendar for ticklers? Do you really need a special tickler file?
selentharry says on July 28th, 2008 at 1:23 am

Ya! I too supposed to use the calender to mark the important dates it is very good habitat to have.
Martin Wildam says on July 28th, 2008 at 3:14 am

Just to add a thought: Depending on your job you have to deal with certain interrupts including rise of new additional work that needs to be done at the current day. Depending on the approx. amount of such work you should plan only a part of the day. - Some say you should only fill your calender up to 60% with scheduled work. For me 50% works even better.
Andre Kibbe says on July 31st, 2008 at 3:08 am

“To be honest, that probably isn’t too far from the spirit of GTD, even if it’s against the ‘letter or the law’ as set down in Allen’s books.”

That’s true. Allen has repeatedly stated in interviews that if a task takes an hour or more, it’s probably a good idea an schedule it. I still do this with my most high-focus activities, though for writing projects I generally keep them off my calendar (I don’t have external deadlines) and use an @Writing context list instead. Since I’m a writer, that’s the first and only list I look at in the morning.