Structured Time

Posted: January 12, 2010

By: Stefanie

At the beginning of each week I open up my daily planner and try to create a structured plan of how I will accomplish my goals over the next five days.

By blocking off time each day to do the things I know I need to do, I am able to achieve the tasks on my to do list and make room for the surprise calls, emails and events that come up throughout the week.

When I know I have time set aside to work on a project from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for example, I put it on my calendar and try not to move on to the next task until that time is up. After 12:00, I am free to move on and start working on the next thing if I choose.

In a world of text messages, Twitter, Facebook and iPhone, we are really allowing ourselves to be accessible at any time. While this convenience definitely has its benefits it also makes distractions very easy to come by.

When starting to make your schedule, break it down into half hour increments. From 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. work on your resume; 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. send five emails to contacts about open positions; 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., read about the industry you’re interested in, etc.

Putting time aside time and breaking your goals into small tasks will help you stay focused, organized, and allow you to be more effective. You will accomplish more than you would by spreading yourself too thin in many directions.

Start tomorrow by looking at your calendar and giving yourself a small window to take care of one thing you’ve been meaning to get around to. Write it down and look at it again during your scheduled time..

If you haven’t finished it in the time you thought you would, put it back on the calendar for the next day. Break it down and chip away at it at your own pace. Just make sure you give that project 100% of your attention for the time you scheduled. You’ll probably be surprised by how much you get done when that’s all your focusing on.