Aligning Your Calendar & Your Priorities

Have you been feeling “off” lately? You’re managing your time well. You’re getting more organized. You’re checking things off of your list. And yet, something doesn’t feel right. You don’t quite feel like yourself.

Maybe you’ve been more irritable. Maybe you don’t feel rested. Maybe you feel you don’t have enough time for yourself. Whatever is happening, it’s clear that something is wrong.

We’ve all been there at one point or another. I know I have. 

And when these seasons happen, you need to step back and honestly ask yourself, “Does my calendar reflect my priorities?” 

This simple but powerful question shines a light on how your priorities and the ways in which you’re filling your days may not be lining up. Because in order to have true work + life harmony, we've GOT to get those two things in alignment. 

Below is an exercise I want you to go through when you begin to feel off or unlike yourself. I know it will help open your eyes to your priorities and how they show up on your calendar.

Step One: Sit down and ask yourself, “What are the things that are most important to me in my life?” 

And I'm not just talking about work and family. I'm referring to your entire life. 

What are things that are really important to you? 

What are the things that you love doing and the things you always wish you had more time for?

After you answer this, I want you to take the time to break at least some of your answers down to a more granular level. 

For instance, I love my business. It’s very important to me! But my business encompasses a lot of things, and some of them take higher priority for me. One at the top of the list is my podcast because it allows me to consistently show up for my people every single week.

On the personal side of my life, family time is really important to me. I particularly value our nightly family dinners. This time is sacred to me.

I also value having time to myself each day. That’s extremely important to me. 

My list could go on and on, but the valuable thing for you to understand is that, when making your list, be sure to be thorough and consider all aspects of your life.

Step Two: Once you have created your list, go back and look at your calendar for the last 30 days and review all the stuff that was on there. 

This is where I want you to see if the things on your calendar truly align with what is most important to you.

Do you see your priorities captured in your calendar? Are they reflected in how you actually spent your time over the last month?

As you look at your calendar, when you see places where you have time allotted for activities or tasks that align with what’s most important, put a check next to them. Then, move to the next thing on your list and so on.

Step Three: Make adjustments to your calendar accordingly going forward.

If you see that your priorities and your calendar are lining up, fantastic! You want to make sure you are keeping those same systems and processes in place that are allowing you to have this harmony in your life.

However, if you see that your priorities and your calendar are not matching, you know you’ve got work to do to get them more in alignment. And this is the kind of work that only you can do for yourself. 

You can find support though, and that’s what I’m here for! To learn more about my offerings and resources, visit https://www.megansumrell.com/work-with-megan. 

And for more tips and exercises on all the things, time management, organization, and productivity for your new year, check out more blogs or podcast episodes!