How to fill your yearly calendar

If you have a busy life, then taking some time out to plan your schedule is time well spent. In this article, I'll show you the best way to organise your life using a variety of methods from day to day calendars, wall planners and online calendars and collaborative planning systems.

Choosing the right system

If you are self confessed technophobe, then the best option is to embrace a paper only system. This is best done with a yearly wall calendar that allows you to block in days or even weeks of activity over a whole year. If you use this system in conjunction with a daily calendar and diary planner, then you should never miss another appointment! Technology
As most people now have access to the internet and many people now own smart phones, it seems silly not to take advantage of this technology. Making the use of a Smartphone
Using a Smartphone in conjunction with Google calendars allows you to share you calendar with your contacts. The benefit of this approach is that people can see what you have planned and arrange meetings around that, reducing your administrative load. This system has built in security settings which allow you to hide personal information and contacts. Offline systems
If you don't have mobile internet access, then you may prefer to use an offline system. Apple users should use iCal in conjunction with their iPhone or iPad. If you do not have access to these softwares, then iSync will sync your mac to any other given mobile device. PC users can achieve the same effect by using Microsoft outlook. This software also allows you to create your own calendar to print, which is useful feature for office workers.

Planning your schedule

Regardless of whether you have decided to choose an online or offline route to organisation, the process should be the same. It is basically a process of prioritisation. 1. Start with your yearly planner and mark on the date of all your friends and loved one's birthdays. Forgetting birthdays is a huge source of stress for many people and this can be easily avoided. 2. Block out any national and personal holidays. It is important to dedicate time for relaxation. Now you are in a position to start scheduling in more short term dates. Start with the month you are currently in, try to use pencil if you are using an offline calendar as this will allow you to easily make changes. Online users should make sure that any sensitive information that is stored, is properly secured with passwords. Get into the habit of checking your calendar at the start and the end of every day.