photo by woody1778a http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodysworld1778/
For some people, their calendar is the be-all-to-end, sacred tool of their productivity system. And for others it is just a dumping ground for anything and everything that they think they should do.
And here is exactly where the problem is.
Calendars aren’t meant to hold every piece of data that you need for getting things done. There are meant to hold time specific data that if it isn’t done at a certain time that is marked on your calendar, the task dies and it is too late to do.
Let’s take a look at 7 different ways that you shouldn’t be using your calendar.
Setting up false due dates
Setting up false due dates will not only clutter your calendar, but will also make you frustrated and possibly even less productive. False due dates are those things that you add to your calendar when you say, “well, I think that I should have this part of my project done by this date here,” and then mark it with your fake due date.
What this does is help you put off tasks that are related to that project until you are closer and closer to the date.
This isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with milestones, but to put a hard date a piece of a project when it isn’t actually do will most likely set you up for failure.
Time blocking
This is another one of my pet peeves; something that I tried in school that never, ever worked. Time blocking is the idea of setting a portion of time in your calendar to devote to one specific thing that you need to get done.
Maybe you have some work that you have been meaning to get done for some time now, so you “block” out 3 hours of your day to work on that one specific thing. Now, if you actually get through the 3 hours of working on that one thing that you need to do, you are a much better human than I and most others.
The reality is that if you are a “knowledge worker” the chances of blocking out a portion of time to work on one thing is somewhat unrealistic and almost always gets ruined by something else that comes up.
Instead of time blocking, try something like the Pomodoro technique or just starting a task or project with no expectation of how much you are going to work on it.
Checklists
People love lists, but calendars are not at all where they belong. If you are finding yourself putting things like, “make lunch, take out puppies, grab wallet, grab watch” etc., as calendar items or notes of a calendar item, consider using a checklist application or a simple piece of paper to keep track of this data.
What I have found, is that if you aren’t actually checking things off the checklist and just looking at the items on your calendar, sooner or later you are going to overlook something.
Sorry, but checklists are meant to be checked.
Taking notes
Some people take meeting notes or notes during an even on their calendar within the calendar’s notes field. This is not bad place for putting more information about an event in your calendar, like a description of the place where your meeting is, or a little reminder of what the meeting attendees names are. But, this isn’t the place for full fledged meeting notes.
Try taking notes on paper or in a dedicated note taking programming (even a mass of text files will do). These are easier to link to or access later, rather than going into your calendar program.
As a ubiquitous reminder repository
This is an extension of the last two points.
A calendar is meant for time and day specific things like meetings and tasks that must absolutely (and can only) be done on a certain day. Keeping all kinds of little pieces of data like reminders of things that need done in your day or even just information about something doesn’t really belong in your calendar.
Once again if you need reminders of things try using a task management app and if you need to store information related to projects and things that need done, this type of data better belongs in a text file or even personal database.
Keeping track of standard events
This is something that I found myself doing up until just a few weeks ago; putting standard events like “Work” in my calendar. I think that this was to make myself “seem” more busy than I actually was. I mean why would anyone have to block out 8 hours everyday that says “Work” on it?
I say if you have something standard that you do everyday like Work or go the gym or whatever, don’t clutter your sacred calendar space with it.
Not using it
And of course the most important way you shouldn’t be using your calendar is not using it!
Hopefully by now you realize that your calendar is like a holy place, it is reserved for things that are going to “die” if they aren’t handled at the certain time or day that they are placed on the calendar. And because of this realization, not using your calendar to keep this type of information is setting yourself up forget things and not get these important things done.
Hmm…. fact: I use my calendar in many of the ways you describe, and have done so for at least a decade. So have many others who I have directly observed. I understand you are saying that I should change. I’m asking myself, based on your article,… why?
Hey, Francis — I would never tell someone else that they should change their productivity system, especially if it is working for them. The reason that you “shouldn’t be” using your calendar this way is that I have experienced that the things outlined above generally do not work well.
Also, I probably should always place a disclaimer, I am a GTD guy who has learned to treat my calendar as “part” of my productivity system, not as the entire productivity system. I’ve found that taking notes, making reminders, creating checklists, etc. work much better in an external system other than the calendar.
One again, do whatever works for you! I have found with many others that the things that I have outlined to avoid are constant issues with productivity systems.
OK- makes sense… maybe a better title would have been “7 Ways That I Don’t Use My Calendar.” lol
This might not be the place for a deep discussion, but let me risk it…
I have read tips on calendar usage like the ones you made above, in blogs, books and other places, but I haven’t seen any evidence offered to support them (hence the reaction you got from from Todd in these comments.) I also haven’t seen anyone show how: “I tried it both ways and this is the way that’s better and why.” Instead, I have found a lots of blanket statements, or lessons that were learned from using paper calendars.
I have worked with some who have made the switch (including myself) and my experience has been an overwhelmingly positive one… although it’s NOT for everyone.
On a larger point: from what I can tell, people are developing their own, unique approaches to personal productivity, and are evolving past the need to religiously / strictly follow one system or another. There is no perfect way to use a calendar… if there is one, then it’s the one that works for a particular user. However, there are costs and benefits to using a calendar in the way that you (Chris) use it, vs. the way I (Francis) use it.
There IS something to be gained from understanding the difference between the different options, and knowing when it’s time to upgrade from one method to another, and most importantly….HOW. We are all better off when we can choose wisely, in keeping with what our lives are like, what technology offers.
Thanks for the article, Chris and you make some good points.
To offer another perspective, I’ve find time blocking to be extremely beneficial and even essential. I don’t necessarily block off time for a specific project, but instead mark a portion of the day “Reserved”. If I didn’t block off time, my schedule fills up with meetings, training sessions, etc. Not having the discretionary time that I need to respond to e-mails, follow up on meetings, etc. means that I end up working evenings and weekends to get caught up.
“I say if you have something standard that you do everyday like Work or go the gym or whatever, don’t clutter your sacred calendar space with it.”
I hardly consider this clutter. For example, I have a calendar called “Health” and every Sunday evening I block off time to go to the gym, attend yoga classes, etc. If I’m not intentional about setting this time aside other things tend to fill it up and my health suffers as a result.
My two cents :).
I’m in the same boat. I have a job that has a lot of calendar-driven external demands on my time (meetings). People will generally schedule meetings with me if they are able to see a publicly available open spot on my calendar.
On days where I have a significant amount of “heads down” work to do, it’s highly beneficial to me block off a reasonable period of time for notes processing, email management, etc. so that my day doesn’t become wall-to-wall meetings.
It saves me from having to “decline” meetings with an explanantion that “i’m too busy”. A meeting organizer can just see that “today isn’t a good day”.
It is not clear to me why any or all of these seven are no-no’s. To say that, “a calendar wasn’t meant to be . . . ” begs the question, “Meant by whom?” The calendar printer? The store where I bought it? God?
Regarding using a calendar as a “dump” (that’s quite the pejorative!) for reminders, it seems to me that putting reminders any place one is likely to see them is a good idea. If you are constantly looking at your calendar, it seems like a great place to be reminded about one’s “stuff.” David Allen likens reminders of this kind to putting something “in front of the door.”
I appreciate thoughtful advice as much as the next person, but I frequently ignore it if there is no concrete rationale backing it up. Canonical pronouncements are among the reasons I cut “religion” out of my spiritual life. Calendars play no role in it, either. Calendars are not sacred, at least not any more so that anything else.
Chris, I agree on all your points!
And fortunately I DON’T use the calendar in any of the 7 ways you describe :)
I’m also a GTD guy..
I agree with your points, Chris, but you need to put time in your calendar to proofread your posts.
I actively and effectively use time-blocking. For larger tasks, they really help me focus. They also help me account for how much time a project actually takes! I found they don’t work for small tasks, except that they do provide uninterrupted time away from colleagues. I’ve written about time blocking on my blog, http://www.michellebarber.org, and I don’t think I’d accomplish some tasks if I didn’t use the technique.
[...] your deadlines but allows you to set up reminders. Talking of calendars, they’ve also got 7 ways you shouldn’t be using your calendar – the point about ‘blocking’ is important. It doesn’t [...]
This article provided some methods to utilize my calendar in ways that I’ve never considered. Thanks for providing the info.
I never used any calendar. What for? Calendars are only a hindrance. You have to remember to put something into your calendar. Putting this takes time. You have to remember to check your calendar. It’s one more thing you have to remember. Checking calendar takes time too. Simply useless.
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This is a great article. Sometimes I find my calendar is a dumping ground for all of my information and by the time I get to that day, it’s highly ineffective. Time blocking has never worked for me either. You’ve given me some great ideas to get better organized! That being said, I agree with some of the other comments as well. If someone’s system works for them, I say great for them! You know what they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Thanks for the post, I enjoyed it!