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[Stephen Smith]

Three types of raw data go into your calendar:

   1. Time-specific actions - This is jargon-speak for meetings and appointments, some will be with other people and some will be for yourself. Make a habit of scheduling your Most Important Tasks for the day.
   2. Day-specific actions - Less-structured than a meeting or appointment, this type of entry is for an action that needs to get done on a particular day, but any time is fine. I suggest that you use this category carefully, as your calendar should not become a to-do list. Your 3-5 Most Important Tasks will often fall in this category.
   3. Day-specific information - This category of entry is for data like telephone numbers, directions, or specific information about a person you are meeting or the agenda for that meeting. If this category gets too bulky/takes up too much space, consider just writing a note in the calendar as to exactly where you can find that information.

Your calendar is a tool, not your taskmaster. Work toward the habit of limiting your calendar entries. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, keep the entry as simple as possible, (but not too simple) for you to be able to make the most of the information. A cluttered or messy calendar leads to a day of frustration!

Remember: the appointments that you make with yourself for your most important tasks are just as binding as appointments that you make with other people.

If you aren

[Matt Wood]

Your calendar is a tool, not your taskmaster. Work toward the habit of limiting your calendar entries. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, keep the entry as simple as possible, (but not too simple) for you to be able to make the most of the information. A cluttered or messy calendar leads to a day of frustration!

I've heard some very smart people say you should schedule everything, to make sure you get it done.  Say, for instance, you want to make sure you work out that day.  Put it on your calendar at a specific time, then honor it.  If you just leave it on a list, maybe it's easier to blow it off. I can see this working if you make a habit of ignoring your to-do list.  In that case, the calendar should rule.  Perhaps it has to do with which tool you give the most priority to, your calendar or your task list.  This may vary from person to person.

[Jason Echols]

I've heard some very smart people say you should schedule everything, to make sure you get it done.  Say, for instance, you want to make sure you work out that day.  Put it on your calendar at a specific time, then honor it.  If you just leave it on a list, maybe it's easier to blow it off. I can see this working if you make a habit of ignoring your to-do list.  In that case, the calendar should rule.  Perhaps it has to do with which tool you give the most priority to, your calendar or your task list.  This may vary from person to person.

I like that approach for a situation where I am trying to hold myself accountable to get specific things done.  For example, if I have gone a few night being lazy and not getting my Trek 1500 on the road, I may decide to do that by setting an appointment for 10pm (I ride generally at night during the week). Then my i760 will pop up a reminder at the appropriate time to shame me into getting my butt in gear.

[Michael Ramm]

For example, if I have gone a few night being lazy and not getting my Trek 1500 on the road, I may decide to do that by setting an appointment for 10pm (I ride generally at night during the week). Then my i760 will pop up a reminder at the appropriate time to shame me into getting my butt in gear.

Just leave the headset at home or on HARD mute!!

Michael

[James Mallinson]

I can't emphasize enough what Stephen said about having time/day specific tasks ONLY. Trust is such a big issue when it comes to getting stuff done, it really needs to be discussed more (I've done a blog post about it recently). It's interesting how when faced with a big list, if you jump in and start getting stuff ticked off, the trust in yourself to complete tasks increases, and you will often find yourself on a roll. Don't put a task on your calendar unless you're definitely going to do it.

[Jason Echols]

Just leave the headset at home or on HARD mute!!

Michael

 

[Tim Glinatsis]

I've always struggled with the idea of putting day-specific tasks in my calendar. Not because it doesn't make sense, but because I don't have a built-in trigger to remind me to REVIEW the calendar at whatever-time-is-appropriate.

I rely heavily on reminders in my calendar, and I don't typically spend time reviewing it unless I'm adding a new appointment.

How do you guys fit the calendar into a context? Do you just randomly check the calendar each time you visit a different contextual list? (This is GTD-specific, so apologies to those of you who think I'm speaking alien)

[MarinaMartin]

How do you guys fit the calendar into a context? Do you just randomly check the calendar each time you visit a different contextual list? (This is GTD-specific, so apologies to those of you who think I'm speaking alien)

I set Google Calendar to send me an email and/or SMS as appropriate, so I don't actually have to look at my calendar ever, except to enter a new event.

Every Sunday I review my calendar for the upcoming week and print seven Daily Action Cards (one for each day of the week). I have a special spot to list time-specific appointments at the top of each card, and fill out the ones I know on Sunday. This card is always right by me, so it's a built-in backup/reminder -- if nothing else it makes sure I wake up in time

[Jamie Phelps]

I find the reminders are extremely helpful at work. I don't keep an eye on my calendar because I'll get a reminder five minutes before the event, and that's plenty of time to gather up my stuff and get to the meeting room.

BUT!

When I have appointments on my calendar that aren't work, I have to keep an eye on them. So, for my calendar I have an @work and !@work mode. @work I don't have to check my calendar. !@work, I do. I keep a very rigid distinction in my mind between the two so I don't really think about needing to check my calendar.

I'd be interested in ways to get reminders when I actually need them. For instance, if I have an appointment in Dallas, and I'm still at home in Fort Worth, I'd like that reminder a couple hours before. I think this would be an awesome use for the iPhone's Core Location tech. "It's 3:30. Your next appointment is at 5:00 and you're still in another town at another appointment." THAT would be insanely useful. A 15-minute reminder when I'm all the way across town is almost pointless.

[Tim Glinatsis]

Good call, Jamie. I actually have a standard "travel to..." appointment that goes in explicitly before any appointment that requires me to travel to.

I used to find that people would check my calendar and schedule a meeting from 12-1300, thinking that I'd have time to transit from their meeting to my 1300 appointment. That's because they didn't see the travel time..

[Patrick Rhone]

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I am using Backpack's calendar for my "hard landscape". I share this calendar with Bethany. Because our schedules are often intertwined or must work around each other, it is crucial that we have a shared calendar.

Among the features I like most about it is the ability to receive reminders via both e-mail and SMS (either/or or both). The drawback is that the calendar only offers one time for those reminders that is 30min before the appointment but that is usually good enough for me.

Backpack also has a stand alone "Reminders" feature that allows one to set reminders for "soft landscape" items. One kind of neat thing is that you can either set these at an exact time or a fuzzy time (Later today, tomorrow morning, in a couple of days). I have various reminders in there like "Take out the Trash" that go off when I need them to. Once again, e-mail and SMS.

BTW, I have written about this topic on my blog before - Hard and Soft Landscapes: Calendar vs. Reminders

[MarinaMartin]

I'd be interested in ways to get reminders when I actually need them. For instance, if I have an appointment in Dallas, and I'm still at home in Fort Worth, I'd like that reminder a couple hours before. I think this would be an awesome use for the iPhone's Core Location tech. "It's 3:30. Your next appointment is at 5:00 and you're still in another town at another appointment." THAT would be insanely useful. A 15-minute reminder when I'm all the way across town is almost pointless.

You can set Google Calendars to send you an email or SMS alert at a specific time before an appointment. I always set an SMS reminder for the time I need to start getting ready to leave, and another one 5min before I need to actually leave. This has been incredibly helpful for me.

[Jason Rehmus]

You can set Google Calendars to send you an email or SMS alert at a specific time before an appointment. I always set an SMS reminder for the time I need to start getting ready to leave, and another one 5min before I need to actually leave. This has been incredibly helpful for me.

Marina, that's brilliant! I never realized I could have that much control over GCal notifications. I just assumed "Email or SMS" and didn't investigate beyond that. Thanks!

_{Yes, sometimes I'm that bone-headed.}

[fwade]

Stephen,

Can you say more about how you organize day-specific actions?  I use Outlook, and am thinking that an item on a Task-list will just become like all the others -- assigned to one day but rolling over to the next.

[Tim Glinatsis]

Say, for instance, you want to make sure you work out that day.  Put it on your calendar at a specific time, then honor it.  If you just leave it on a list, maybe it's easier to blow it off.

The purist in me just said: "Dude, unless you're @Gym, and your appointment with the gym isn't on your calendar, of COURSE you're going to blow it off."