Schedule and Calendar Management

Fundamental, tactical skills like email management, schedule/calendar management, and making documents and presentations are sometimes overlooked by leaders when they consider how to keep their teams aligned.  If things aren't running smoothly, there's value in reflecting on these fundamentals, both for yourself (Are these tactical, foundational systems running smoothly for you?) and your team (Do some of your team members need some mentorship or training in these areas?).

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

- John Wooden, former American basketball coach of UCLA Bruins

Schedule Management

• Treat schedule management seriously -- overlooking it can cost you significant chaos, rework, and poor prioritization
• Connect your schedule management to your organization's strategic planning -- ensure you, and your people, are pushing the big rocks forward, and not just reacting to emails as they bounce around
• If you're "Too busy to plan", you'll likely react out of stress and a sense of being overwhelmed, and not prioritize your work well (Rushing through the wrong order of stuff doesn't end well)
• Review your calendar at least weekly to review at least the next two upcoming weeks to look for conflicts or prioritization adjustments, and then coordinate relevant changes

In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.

- General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Calendar Management

• Clearly communicate intention: Accept meetings you'll attend and decline meetings you can't or won't (due to competing priorities).
  • Don't automatically accept any incoming meeting invitation – thank about if you need to go
  • If you're not going to show (e.g. you have a conflicting meeting, or a personal appointment at that time), communicate that proactively/quickly, so the meeting host can determine if they will back-brief you or if they need to reschedule the meeting
• Don't schedule recurring meetings that conflict with other key events such as weekends, holidays, or other critical meetings unless absolutely needed -- attention to detail is critical for people to stay engaged and show up to your meetings
• Invest time in proactively managing your calendar:
  • Ask for clarification from the meeting requester if you're not sure why you're relevant
  • Have a shutdown routine, or other daily, recurring reminder at the end of each day, which includes reviewing your calendar for tomorrow, to ensure you are prepared/aware of upcoming events