Life can be a juggling act when trying to balance your schedule with work, family, friends, appointments, social activities and everything that squeezes into a day.  The days fill up and schedules will overlap but we can still use our time effectively.  Here are some quick ways to help organize your schedule so you have the joy of accomplishment without the extra stress:

• Color Coded Calendar – our family has a color coded calendar on the wall so everyone can see the activities for the day.  We know what each family member is doing at a quick glance.  Even our young children get excited to see a special family event with their color on the calendar.  You can have a color coded calendar just for you with one color for business appointments, another color for social time, a color for doctor visits, etc….
• Clean Out Your Inbox – some days it feels like I can spend the entire day writing and responding to emails.  Try scheduling an hour first thing in the morning when you get into work and an hour at the end of the day to focus on sending and responding to emails.  Handle your work emails during those times and respond to personal emails in the evenings and on weekends.  Focus completely on emails during that time, put your phone on silence or close your office door if you need to.  Avoid interruptions so you can get it done.  If you think you’ll go too long set a timer and when it buzzes, stop.
• Time to Talk – schedule phone time each day for returning calls, initiating calls, scheduling appointments, and completing projects.  It is important to follow up with business connections as well as family and friends.  Keep your personal calls during work hours to a minimum and utilize that time to schedule business appointments and work related calls.  Call family and friends in the evenings or weekends to make sure you have enough time to catch up with them.
• Plan your Dinner – plan your week of meals prior to going to the grocery store.  Lay out the recipe  and any items you can prior to leaving for work that morning so when you get home it is ready to be put together.  If you have a crockpot they are fabulous for people working that want to come home to a meal.  Put the main course in before work and when you come home add a side of veggies and fruit then your dinner is ready.  Pack the leftovers for lunch at work.
• Double Duty Meals – you can easily accomplish multiple tasks when you work through an occasional breakfast and lunch.  Have lunch with your business partner and brainstorm about the business.  Meet a friend for lunch to catch up and let the kids run out their energy while you talk.  Take lunch at your desk so you can get through an extra project.  You have to eat so mix up your meals and pick a couple days when you will meet someone during a mealtime.  If on a budget or tight schedule grab coffee together.
• Project Creativity – time needs to be set aside daily to complete projects both personally and professionally.  Determine what needs to be accomplished that day and make sure you have time allocated to get it done including projects that you are doing with your clients.  Same goes for the personal side of life somehow the laundry doesn’t get done on its own and the house cleaned unless you take the time to do it.  Take into consideration the amount of energy and concentration you will need for the project and make sure it fits into your day at an ideal time.
• Quick Sweep – clean off your desk, organize your office, file papers, and other office work items 15 minutes a day (set a timer if you need to).  By dedicating even a brief time to this on a daily basis you will be able to maintain a cleaner more organized office space. I have been known to let it pile up over several days and then it can take hours to dig myself back out.  Make it brief and daily so that it is more effective and organized.

It is important that your time is utilized efficiently.  You will have  interruptions, however, doing your best to schedule time to complete specific tasks throughout the day will allow you to be more productive and focused.  Every one of us has the same 24 hours in a day and we must make choices on how to use the time given to us.  What are some activities you do that help keep your day balanced?