Have you accidentally double booked your busy schedule?

Are you looking for tips to help you straighten out your schedule and get back on track?

A double booked schedule can certainly be a big surprise.

You pull out your smart phone or paper planner and review your appointments.

You look at one appointment, then another, and another, when it suddenly hits you… you’ve double booked your schedule!

You’re stunned. You feel paralyzed. Your mind starts to race in a thousand different directions.

What should you do? Should you can cancel the first appointment or the second?

Or maybe you should cancel the second appointment and keep the first?

While double bookings will happen from time to time, they certainly aren’t the end of the world.

In this blog post, you’ll find practical steps to take when your schedule is double booked.

Follow these time-saving tips as soon as you uncover the double booking and you’ll and soon set things straight in your schedule!

Don’t panic.

You may feel upset, frustrated, and annoyed with yourself for accidentally double booking an appointment.

It’s completely okay to feel this way. You’re only human and no one is perfect!

The thing you don’t want to do is panic. Panicking or worrying about things won’t help you fix your situation.

So, what should you do?

Take a deep breath and hold it for a count of five. Slowly exhale and refocus your mind.

Things are going to be just fine!

Evaluate your appointments.

Which appointment should you keep, and which should you reschedule?

Sometimes it’s easy to figure out which appointment should be cancelled.

Perhaps one appointment isn’t as urgent or important as the other, or you can’t travel to the designated meeting location in time.

Then there are those times when meetings are equally important. How do you determine which meeting takes precedence? Asking yourself a series of pointed questions can help bring clarity to the situation.

Here’s a handful of questions that will help you determine which engagement to keep, and which to cancel:

• Is this a one-time appointment or part of a series of recurring appointments?
• How difficult was it to schedule the appointment? Is it likely I’ll be able to reschedule the appointment in the near future?
• Is this appointment time-sensitive? Ask yourself: is there a specific decision or activity that will be made or accomplished during the appointment that will dictate how I’ll work or live in the near future?
• What is my relationship to the people involved in the appointment? Is it a coworker, client, friend or family member?
• While all of my relationships are important, which relationship at this very moment must take precedence?
• Do I absolutely have to attend the appointment? Could someone else attend one of my appointments in my place or on my behalf?

Make a decision and communicate ASAP.

Lastly, as soon as you decide which appointment you’ll keep, it is imperative you immediately cancel and/or reschedule your other appointment.

Opt for the quickest and most direct route of communication with your contact, be it a phone call, text, or email. Don’t hesitate in the slightest way…contact them right away!

If your contact is unreachable, leave a message letting them know you need to postpone the meeting for a later date. Ask them to confirm the cancellation with you. Be sure to offer a couple of dates or times when you are next available.

It’s also a good idea to let your contact know you’ll try to reach them via another mode of communication. Try the next mode of communication as necessary and repeat your message.

Depending on your situation, you may want to do your best to reach your contact live so you know they received your message. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

I have a time management guide that could help you manage your time throughout the year. Click here to find out more.

If you want to schedule appointments without worrying about double-bookings, let’s talk. Click here to schedule a strategy session with me.

How about you? When was the last time you accidentally double booked an appointment or meeting? What steps did you take to correct the situation? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!