Do you find overcommitment in your schedule to be a major problem at work and home?

Does it seem like your calendar or schedule at the breaking point?

In this post, you’ll find a few tips to help you avoid overcommitment and get your time back in your control.

Put yourself first.

You have work, school, and other pressing personal commitments.

But here’s a question for you: when’s the last time you put a priority on putting your personal affairs in order?

I’m talking about all the unglamorous stuff of daily life: paying bills, going food shopping, doing laundry, and cleaning house.

If you’re always scrambling to find time to do these tasks, put yourself first.

Block out a couple of hours each week in your calendar so you can complete tasks.

At the very least, you’ll have crossed off a few items from your list.

Your affairs will be in more order than when you started.

And remember, if you try to squeeze something into your schedule that cuts into any of your basic living essentials, you’ll only end up setting yourself back.

Do yourself a favor and put yourself, and your time, first.

Consult your calendar In Advance.

Saying yes to a social function or meeting because you think you might have time available is a recipe for a scheduling disaster.

Stop offering your time blindly without confirming whether or not you’ve already got something scheduled!

It literally takes a few seconds to glance at your schedule.

Yes, that means even if you’re 85% sure you don’t have something scheduled on Thursday at 7pm.

Don’t have your calendar on hand?

Tell the parties in question you’ll check your calendar and get back to them as soon as possible via email, text or a phone call.

And if you’re still not 100% sure whether you can make a function or not, drop in a hold in your calendar.

This way, you have the appointment in your calendar and it can be easily referenced.

Stop viewing time as an emergency.

Time isn’t an emergency, it just keeps ticking on…no matter what.

A schedule doesn’t always have to be filled if it is empty or at less than full capacity.

You don’t have to accept a last-minute invitation because it was offered to you.

Honestly and truly, it’s not the end of the world if you can’t attend something.

Just because something didn’t work out this time around in your schedule doesn’t mean you can’t plan for the future.

Why not take some time now to rethink how you might you approach booking your time in future?

Learn how to manage your time at work

Practical time management skills can help you manage your schedule in your business.

My time management guide can help you learn how to prioritize tasks, manage time in meetings, and arrive on time to appointments.

If you want me to help you manage your time in your business so you get things done, then check out my time management coaching services. Book a strategy session with me today!

How about you? Which of the above tips resonated most with you? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!