Make Time For Important Things By Making An Appointment With Yourself

We only have a limited amount of time each day, and it is important that we get as much as possible out of our day. Often we are inundated with things to do that are urgent, and lots of stuff that just happens to need to be done today. If we do not know how to prioritize these tasks, we may waste our time on meetings and other unproductive things.nnTake a good look at your daily calendar. Is your calendar full of things that you have to do for other people, such as meetings etc? What are the items that you have blocked out? If you're like most people, you have a list full of appointments, and meetings. And you also probably have a to do list somewhere which you look at and try to finish some of those items as you get the free time to do so.nnWhen someone wants to schedule an appointment, normally, you would look at your daily planner, and block out the time of the meeting there. This of course makes it important in your mind, and when the day comes, you will remember that you have an appointment. Another important effect of this is that you know that you have committed the time, and you cannot accommodate any other appointments or meetings in that same time slot without disrupting your original appointment.nnIn the same way, you can block out the time to make an appointment with yourself. If you have a task to do, that takes a significant amount of time (A task is considered significant if it will take more than 15 minutes to perform), then make sure to mark it on your daily planner and give it the importance that it requires.nnThen, focus your mind and body completely on that task when the time comes. Not only will you be able to concentrate and complete the task at that time, you will feel much better in completing one of your to do items. You can honestly say to someone if they are conflicting with your time slot that you do have a prior appointment. The fact is, you do have an appointment with yourself to do that specific task.nnHere are some ways you can minimize and eliminate any distractions that may come up during that time slot that you will devote to getting your task done. Firstly, turn off any potential distracters such as your email client, instant messaging, and even your telephone. Also, set an alarm to end the appointment at the appropriate time, so that you do not overshoot and miss your other commitments (which should have been blocked off in your calendar).nnYou may think that you can remember your appointment with yourself and that you do not need to write it down in your calendar. Well, remember that your memory is not perfect and that you are quite likely to forget your unwritten appointments. Only by writing it down does it become real and unforgettable. Make a point to actually schedule it into your day and your daily planner, even if it may seem silly.nnGo ahead, look through your to do list, and make an appointment with yourself!n