My Milk is Always Expired!

I was getting so frustrated as I always seemed to dump out half my milk. I couldn't drink it fast enough before it expired. 

To be fair, I’m the only one who drinks it and I mainly use it for my morning latte. I’ve been spending a lot of time upstate this summer and not as much time in our New York City apartment and while I always tell myself to take the milk with me I never remember. 

So, I switched to organic milk, which is a little more expensive, BUT it lasts much longer. 

The lesson today is about the power of your CALENDAR and PRODUCTIVITY. Yes, this would have helped me immensely in remembering to pack and take the milk. 

If you don’t write it down and/or schedule it in, it most likely will not happen. And this rings true for any leader, at any level, in any industry. 

I was just working on this with a client the other day. The only thing in her calendar were her meetings and this is not uncommon. A calendar should not just include your meetings, it should be your to-do list. I know the natural response is I have a to do list and it is always by my side, or I use a product management system to organize my to do lists. Although both of these are great, when you actually put your action items in a specific time in your calendar you have a higher likelihood of actually accomplishing it. I schedule time for myself to record videos for marketing, to make phone calls for follow-up, to answer emails, work on my finances, etc. Not only does this aid in my productivity, it keeps me on task and keeps me focused on intentional work. 

I talk a lot about taking small actions toward your goals and the best way to take consistent action is to use your calendar as a valuable tool.

Step 1: Identify actions

Step 2: Get those actions into the calendar, making a specific day and time

Step 3: Put in any supporting notes to help yourself 

Step 4: Don’t adjust, unless the shift is to accommodate a client or revenue-producing activity 

Step 6: Do what you said you were going to do 

Step 6: See the results! 

As we enter the Fall season and school is back in session, which probably means more activities overall, your calendar is more vital than ever. To be productive, you have to be prepared. And to be prepared, you have to plan. 

For business development and growth to happen in your organization, think about what needs to be part of your calendar right now. Think about the activities that you know you need to do, but don’t often actually schedule into your day. 

You might also want to take a look at your digital world and make sure everything is integrating for true productivity. When you have to switch between various platforms to see what your day looks like, it can be exhausting. One calendar - with all of the things! 

Are you a fan of digital or written calendars? I actually use both.