If you find that this is the life you find yourself in, you may be surprised that simple time-management can keep your daily calendar from this stressful overwhelm. Follow these 5 simple time management steps to help keep your calendar organized and stress free.

1. Write out a detailed to-do list. For your to-do list, don’t just write out what you have to do, but also add the type of task it is. Is it urgent? Non-urgent? Time-sensitive?
2. Add a column to the right of your list and label it STOP DOING. Make a note if this is a task you often put on hold and aim at stop doing the task yourself or delegate it to someone else. Make sure to add the date when you will be able to accomplish this. The more specific you are, the greater the likelihood will be for this to happen.
3. Schedule your tasks in blocks– Divide your daily calendar into blocks of time. Set aside 1-2 hours (or more if you need) each day to work on your urgent tasks. Set aside blocks of time to focus on your non-urgent but time-sensitive tasks. By doing this, you will help to improve your time effectiveness and you will no longer scramble to find time to get everything done.
4. Schedule a break for yourself. – Don’t get so caught up in what you have to do that you neglect yourself, so make sure that when you are creating your schedule that you put aside time for yourself.  Even if it is just 5 minutes every hour, it can help you to take a moment and relax for a bit. As a bonus, you may find that your mindset has refreshed and you are more efficient in your work.
5. Schedule time for nothing – No matter how well you schedule your day, it is inevitable that something unexpected will come up. By leaving a section of your calendar free, you can ease the stress and know that you do have time to solve/work on whatever may come up during the day.

By following these tips, not only will you be keeping your calendar clean and organized, but you may also find that you are more effective in getting everything complete. And you will be in a position to spend more time on the things you love doing instead of the things you have to do.

How do you keep your calendar from overwhelm? Be sure to share in the comments below.

The post How to keep your calendar from overwhelm appeared first on Katy Caroan.

Over the last 2 years, I’ve seen colleagues and clients get stuck in limiting thinking patterns when taking on LinkedIn.

This pattern is disabling some of them from expanding their number of contacts, asking for recommendations as well as moving into a more proactive, influential mode.

As a result, they are not in a position to leverage the great collaboration and business intelligence features within LinkedIn.

I’m currently facilitating a LifeVille group coaching game on the topic of effective use of LinkedIn to position the personal brand. 4 days into the game, I observe the majority of the players challenge themselves, share insights and inspire each other. As the coach, it’s my role to facilitate the game and encourage everyone to build skills, explore new territory and get the results they are playing for. A new community is emerging out of the team’s total effort.

Why they decided to join a game and not simply complete a long list of TO DOs when taking on LinkedIn? The gamification of real life challenges seems attractive to more and more people: We like getting inspired. We love getting insights. And we feel great when an opportunity is given to share our knowledge with others. So, instead of ticking off your TO DO list, think about what you can do to turn your current real life challenge into a game and involve your different environments to succeed.

The post Stop doing, start playing: Gamify your real life challenge! appeared first on Katy Caroan.

What I notice when listening to their daily challenges is a desire to move out of a state of overwhelm, originating from being constantly available via smart phones, social media and having a global “smörgåsbord” of information via the web at your fingertips.

I have no problem in relating to this, as a collector of numerous tips, e-learning packages and “nice-to-have” articles put into a dedicated computer folder. And my book shelves are full of materials I’d love to digest…later.

Occasionally, I decide to put aside time to focus on my favourites, promising myself I will make a habit out of it. Looking back, this has not been a very successful strategy.

The only time it truly works, is when I have made an exercise upfront. It’s so simple: Grab a piece of paper and divide into 2 columns. In the first column, list 3-5 inspirational sources you would be devastated to see vanish the next day. In the second column, list 3-5 tasks you will stop doing to free up time. Make sure the list is visible to you at your desk, refrigerator or anywhere you need to be reminded when the temptation to derail hits you. Congratulations to your effective STOP DOING LIST!

Note: I stopped blogging for a while due to information and inspiration overload. Guess what’s on my STOP DOING LIST as a fixed item as of now…

The post Overwhelmed by inspirational TO DOs? Mindful decluttering time! appeared first on Katy Caroan.