7 Effective Scheduling Tips That Will Help You Feel Less Stressed ...

One of my first suggestions for creating effective scheduling tips is to write it all out. Sometimes, it can help us to create a visual when seeing how we’re going to manage a schedule, instead of just looking at our smartphones or PCs. This allows you to actively write out things to really ponder on whether you’ll be able to do them all within the time frames you’ve set. It’s easy to jam pack things into a schedule on your phone and later realize you really didn’t have time for as much as you thought. Write it all out so you can plan more effectively, and get a handle on your schedule on a more “hands on” basis.

Another suggestion I always advise is to give your schedule blank days, where you have nothing planned. This way, if something slips up in the week on another day, you can just pop it right into your blank day to take care of it. This also gives you the opportunity to have a rest day during a much needed busy schedule if you actually leave it blank. You need to take at least one day a week where you don’t have much planned. It’s essential for your stress levels and your health to do so. Having blank days in your schedule also allows for certain emergencies or last minute “need to dos” you might have come up.

You should always allow at least 20 minutes extra in between appointments in case of setbacks or delays. This gives you some leeway and leverage in case something comes up like traffic, or you get sidetracked with time.

One really great tip that will save you a lot of stress and help you stay on schedule is to be early to appointments, not late. Doing so will ensure you’re not only on time, but also not stressed about arriving late.

When making a schedule, you’ll find yourself pulled in ten different directions. Don’t expect to be able to do it all! You might have to say no sometimes, and you know what? That’s okay! Allowing yourself a week or so where you don’t do as much is perfectly fine. If you take a rest week and keep things simple, it will help you deal with your busy schedule the next week that much better. It can also help you see that you might need to organize your schedule better so you don’t become so overwhelmed the next time.

One handy tip I also like to do is to keep my other organization tips, like my grocery list and budget, right with my schedule. This allows me to visually see and write things down or make changes much better than on my smartphone. I keep this in a small binder in my purse and love having it to pull out and make changes if necessary. Having everything together also helps me feel more organized and less stressed, which makes everything better.

Another tip for organizing your schedule and your life is to keep a record of all appointments, receipts, invoices, etc. from your weekly schedules, all together. You’d be surprised how handy it can be should you ever need to look back on it. It also allows for your records to be kept all together, and when that bill comes in and you see that $150 came out of your checking account on the 5th, and you can’t remember what it’s for, you can easily look back at your schedule and see a corresponding receipt. Then you’ll remember you had that last minute insurance payment you had to make, and not freak out! That’s a true story there from yours truly, ladies!

So you tell me, how do you stay sane when you’re tempted to become stressed during a busy schedule? Do you have any organization tips that keep you calm and collected?