From the course: Time Management Tips
Prepare your schedule for emergencies
From the course: Time Management Tips
Prepare your schedule for emergencies
- Many of us experience emergencies in our lives. It's nice to think that if we put something on the calendar it simply happens like that and nothing ever gets in the way. 20, 30 years ago at the dawn of time management training we could get away with filling up every minute in our schedules because there were far fewer sources of interruption. But in our world right now where we're overloaded with so much information and infinite opportunities we're bound to be interrupted. This is why it's absolutely essential that we under-schedule our time. I call this under-scheduling buffer time. Buffer time refers to open spaces on your calendar on either side of every appointment that you schedule. How much open space you need depends on the kind of work that you're doing. For example someone who has a job that is very consistent and predictable in terms of schedule may need only a bit of buffer time. Perhaps 10 percent of their schedule. This means that they need around 10 minutes of buffer for every 90 minutes of activity. However some jobs such as emergency response or IT support well you're expected to respond to people when they come inbound you're going to need a lot more buffer space in your schedule. As much as 50 percent of your total time. I've coached a variety of business leaders through the years. One of them was the manager of a successful auto repair shop. He learned, over time, that he could only schedule about four hours of pre-determined work in his eight hour workday. The other four hours had to deal with the interruptions and the emergencies that happen frequently with his repair crew. So when it comes to being prepared for emergencies how much buffer time is appropriate for you? If you don't know where to start shoot for about 10 minutes out of every hour. For example if you schedule two hours to work on a project you're going to want no less than 20 minutes of nothing in your schedule immediately following. The paradox is although this appears wasteful in the long run it helps you be far more productive because you're living in balance with the truth of time. Now, what if despite putting buffer in your schedule something serious happens that is more than your schedule can bear? When this happens to my clients such as a loss of a loved one or a catastrophic business event or even something positive like the birth of a new child the first thing that I tell them to do is stop. They must take a moment and change their expectations about themselves and what they can accomplish. It's not reasonable after going through a significant life event to think that you're going to work at the same level of productivity you did before. In fact trying to push forward at the same speed will be counter productive because you'll overextend yourself and fall behind leading to even more distractions and interruptions. No, stop and tell yourself it's okay to slow down. To help with the necessary slowdown start scheduling extra buffer time perhaps doubling the amount of extra space you had previously in your schedule. This will give you more room to deal with unexpected issues. Next create a reasonable date from when you'll return to normal. Not only does this help manage your expectations but also keeps you firmly grounded to your calendar. Not long ago I experienced the loss of my father and it was very emotionally draining. It took a lot of time to sort through all the details that were necessary for his funeral, for cleaning through his house, and his belongings. It just took time for me to sort through my own feelings about the impact of his life upon me. When that occurred I said to myself dealing with this is going to take several weeks so I'm going to lower my expectations and reduce my workload for the next six weeks. Then at the end of that six weeks I'm going to return to my normal level of activity. This gave me room in my schedule and permission to take the time necessary to get back to normal. Life never (chuckles) lines up perfectly the way that we want yet we can create reasonable, realistic expectations for ourselves. This helps us maintain principles of correct time management even in the most challenging of circumstances.
Contents
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Power tips for sending email3m 14s
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Reduce interruptions with 1:1 meetings2m 6s
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Positive procrastination3m 15s
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Set voicemail and email expectations3m 25s
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How to deal with feeling overwhelmed4m 32s
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Make the most of an inbox and outbox3m 2s
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Remove the "busy" tag2m 58s
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How to respond to quick questions3m 4s
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Follow through on your commitments2m 57s
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Fight negative procrastination3m 58s
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Ergonomics' impact on productivity2m 55s
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Replace to-do lists with a schedule3m 21s
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Establish boundaries in open workspaces3m 9s
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Manage digital interruptions4m 19s
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Find your productivity rhythm2m 56s
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Craft a visually productive workspace3m 16s
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Use background tasking to get more done2m 51s
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Make the most of meetings2m 52s
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Participate wisely in social media3m 23s
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Follow up on delegated items2m 58s
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Overcome opportunity addiction2m 51s
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Make sound your productivity ally3m 12s
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Embrace the power of doing nothing3m 3s
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Implement a closed door, open calendar policy3m 26s
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Become tech savvy4m 33s
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The two most important hours of your day2m 40s
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Make investments to gain time2m 40s
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Maximize your energy each day2m 5s
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Focus on the person2m 37s
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Use your email archive effectively1m 52s
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How snacks and scents affect productivity2m 14s
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Stay engaged in video meetings2m 49s
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Embrace harmless distractions2m 12s
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Find focus in an interruption-heavy environment2m 19s
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How to check email and still stay focused3m 53s
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Manage time before and after vacations2m 35s
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Handling tasks that take too long2m 33s
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Using quarterly planning for maximum benefit2m 28s
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Clearing your mind with note-taking apps2m 35s
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Overcoming analysis paralysis2m 41s
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Protecting your processing time3m 18s
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Time management for moms and dads3m 58s
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Efficiently setting appointments with others2m 58s
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Creating your digital-free zone2m 29s
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Prioritizing your work to free up time3m 3s
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Understanding virtual assistants2m 51s
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Regaining focus with reminders2m 26s
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Getting the most from learning opportunities2m 18s
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Power tips for frequent travelers3m 32s
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Staying engaged in conference calls2m 40s
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Building transition time into your day2m 7s
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Increasing follow-through by making yourself accountable2m 57s
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Time management for students2m 59s
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Handling the inefficiency of others2m 29s
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Time management for managers and leaders2m 34s
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Making the most of extra time1m 59s
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When work and personal matters collide2m 29s
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Time management for assistants and gatekeepers2m 43s
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Avoiding less valuable activities2m 45s
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Ending meetings with action1m 44s
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Establishing a productive daily routine2m 26s
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Time management for working in teams2m 32s
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Setting achievable expectations2m 31s
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Tips for bill-by-the-hour professionals2m 4s
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Helping others improve their time management2m 4s
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Make the most of your commute4m 5s
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How to handle interruptive ideas2m 59s
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Dealing with overlapping responsibilities3m 18s
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Stop coworkers from encroaching on personal time4m 4s
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Organizing and using stacking trays3m 26s
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How to avoid unnecessary meetings4m 43s
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How to deal with a reading pile3m 17s
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Handling unexpectedly long tasks3m 13s
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Processing long projects with many steps4m 21s
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Connecting personal values to productivity4m 28s
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Building a not-to-do list2m 46s
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Putting news in its proper place4m 49s
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Making peace with the truth of time4m 5s
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Avoiding the crowd mindset2m 58s
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Placing a value on your time3m 30s
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Celebrating success for improvement3m 20s
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Exploring the weekly planning session4m 8s
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Coordinating family schedules3m 24s
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Tracking your daily activity4m 3s
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How to schedule a meeting3m 35s
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Prioritizing learning opportunities3m 7s
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Finding your optimal break cycle3m 57s
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How to develop flexibility4m 19s
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The trouble with texting3m 48s
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Yearly planning to support goals3m 52s
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Create a perhaps list4m 58s
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How to deal with incomplete tasks4m 45s
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Reduce attention switches4m 46s
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When to fix, and when not to fix, a problem3m 10s
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Make time to build relationships3m 10s
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How to take notes productively3m 39s
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Time management fundamentals at home5m 10s
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How to cultivate more patience5m
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Adapt your favorite app4m 33s
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Make time to get more time3m 49s
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Read vs. unread email3m 52s
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Use typing shortcuts to save time3m 36s
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Work across multiple time zones3m 36s
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Make time to have fun3m 57s
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Set boundaries with your smartphone4m 48s
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Make phone calls more productive4m 36s
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Prepare your schedule for emergencies4m 47s
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Tips for the paperless office3m 45s
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Create a nightly ritual for sleep4m 25s
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Create a morning ritual3m 23s
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Help others keep appointments with you2m 37s
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Get your time management back on track2m 51s
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Meetings and conversations that run long2m 44s
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When to create new homes3m 26s
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Negotiate deadlines with coworkers3m 51s
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Take responsibility for finding answers3m 47s
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Stop perfectionism from hurting productivity3m 6s
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What to do with business cards3m 10s
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Manage the rate of communication3m 51s
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Share email with a team member3m 33s
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When and how to use video in email2m 51s
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How to reduce spam3m 48s
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Why repetition saves time2m 48s
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How to be prepared for anything2m 32s
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How to shake off negative experiences3m 37s
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When someone doesn't respond to your email3m 7s
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What to do when appointments are cancelled3m 23s
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How to leave an effective voicemail message3m 1s
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Gambling with time for profit and fun2m 51s
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When others fail to keep their commitments3m 21s
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How being kind improves productivity2m 49s
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What to do about unsolicited phone calls3m 11s
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What to do when someone is multitasking on you3m 13s
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How to deal with feeling overwhelmed1m 59s
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What to do when major life events occur1m 51s
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Productive passwords2m 3s
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Productive web browser tips1m 51s
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Using reply to all and carbon copy1m 30s
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Writing a productive email1m 55s
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What to do before sending an email1m 51s
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Understanding why you procrastinate2m 10s
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Use your calendar to stop procrastination2m
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Use positive procrastination2m 8s
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Commit to your calendar1m 54s
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What to say instead of ASAP1m 46s
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Set voicemail expectations1m 43s
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Set email expectations1m 46s
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How to use an inbox1m 41s
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How to use an outbox1m 53s
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Dealing with distracting coworkers2m 6s
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How to stop ignoring recurring reminder2m 1s
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