If you don’t have a well laid-out plan for your week, you need to start using your calendar to schedule your work and life. If you’re already using a calendar but never seem to stick to your plans, this tool will help you to put your calendar to good use.

1. MANAGING YOUR CALENDAR
A WELL-STRUCTURED CALENDAR IS THE BEATING HEART
OF ANY PRODUCTIVE PERSON’S WORKFLOW. IS YOURS
HEALTHY? AVOID THE CARDIAC ARREST OF BEING
OVERWHELMED AND DESIGN YOUR WEEK IN A WAY THAT
ALLOWS YOUR WORK TO FLOW FREELY.
WHO THIS TOOL IS FOR
If you don’t have a well laid-out
plan for your week, you need
to start using your calendar to
schedule your work and life. If
you’re already using a calendar
but never seem to stick to your
plans, this tool will help you to
put your calendar to good use.
WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF IT
A calendar with a schedule you
can follow and a clear mind that
you can use to focus on your
work.
By scheduling your activities and
tasks, you can make sure your
work will get done. When you’re
overwhelmed and can’t decide
what to do next, your calendar will
point you in the right direction.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
• 60 minutes free of interruptions
• A pen
• Access to your calendar and
to-do lists
• For best results use after
Project Focus Tool and
Managing Your Email.
Tools created by
www.peoplewhodo.co.uk
Click here to learn how to work smarter.

2. THE TOOL
BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR
CALENDAR
If you already have a to-do list
and a pretty good idea of what
you should be tackling this week,
you can skip this section and go
straight to the section ‘Filling in
your calendar’. (And no, a mental
list is not suitable: get it down on
paper or on a screen.)
Think about your current projects,
make a list of them. Now ask
yourself: what steps do you need
to take to advance them? Write
them down as specifc, actionable
tasks.
Think a little bit more into the
future: what projects would you
like to tackle over the next two
months? Is there anything you
should be doing now to start
them?
List everything you need to do
over the next week – don’t forget
to include those things taking
place in your personal life. If you
don’t schedule them in, they
might take up headspace as you
try to fgure out when you will be
able to fnally get them done.
(If you’re having difculty fnding
your focus, try our Project Focus
Tool.)
Once you’ve got your list, open
your calendar so that you can see
the whole week.
FILLING IN YOUR CALENDAR
1. SCHEDULE SHORT,
ACTIONABLE TASKS
Write down tasks so that they
don’t feel daunting. When you’re
flling in your calendar, make the
action required clear, so that you
can get on with it straight way.
For example, instead of writing
down ‘Start Marketing Plan’ break
it down into ‘Create outline for
plan’, ‘Ask team members for
data’, ‘Create 1st draft of budget’
etc.
Try not to schedule any single
task over more than 90 minutes.
If you need to work on something
all day, reduce the task to discrete
steps and schedule in some
breaks. Be aware of the diferent
energy levels you have throughout
your day, they can make a big
diference to the type of work
you plan to do. Not all hours are
equally productive.
TO DO
TASKS
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z

3. 2. SCHEDULE IN REGULAR
MEETINGS AND APPOINTMENTS
Include preparation time before
meetings and time afterwards to
make notes or plan new actions.
(Remember to include travel
time.)
If you’re going to attend an
important or difcult meeting,
schedule time for refection
afterwards, rather than trying
to continue with your work while
you’re still going over the meeting
in your head.
3. SCHEDULE TIME TO CHECK
YOUR EMAILS
Set certain times of the day
to check, process and reply
to emails. Don’t let this be an
ongoing activity, it will interfere
with your work. (If email is taking
over your life, check out our
‘Managing Your Email’ tool)
4. ADD BUFFER TIME
Don’t underestimate the need to
plan for the unexpected. Schedule
30 minutes between tasks and
meetings – tasks might take
longer than expected, meetings
overrun, people will interrupt.
(Don’t forget to include rest
breaks and lunch during busy
periods. They’re important: treat
them as such.)
5. SCHEDULE STRATEGIC
THINKING AND PLAY TIME
You are paid to think, plan
and innovate. So make sure
you schedule time to work on
strategy and treat it just like any
other appointment. Be mindful
of when and where you do this
best, there’s no point in planning
thinking time when you are likely
to be easily distracted, close to
a deadline or lacking energy for
example.
6. SCHEDULE TIME TO PLAN
YOUR CALENDAR
Put 30 minutes aside every week
to plan your days.
7. LOOK OVER YOUR PREVIOUS
WEEKS
Is there anything you didn’t
fnish? Any follow-up actions you
need to take? How about next
week, what’s happening then?
Anything you need to do this week
in preparation? This could form
part of your weekly review. (See
our Weekly Review tool.)
Which of these steps
has turned your world
around? Tell us on Twitter
@NokiaAtWork
#smartereveryday