You’re well aware you need to manage your schedule weekly in your business.

But how are you supposed to make lasting changes when those weeks just seem to roll into one another without end?

The answer is incredibly simple: Use your weekly calendar to your advantage.

I regularly remind my time management coaching clients that time does not exist in a vacuum.

If you want to better manage your time in the present, then you must be aware of how you spent your time in the past.

This simple four-step time management review process will help you better prepare for current and future time management success on a weekly basis.

Review your work calendar

Open up your current work calendar or schedule. You can review a digital calendar, wall calendar, paper planner, timesheet, or daily work tracker.

Don’t have a calendar or planner handy? Locate business records that both capture and quantify time.

For instance, you can reference customer intake sheets, weekly client rosters, issued invoices, sent emails, or meeting agendas.

Evaluate last week’s schedule

This next step allows you to get a big-picture view of the previous week. This step can be quite eye-opening simply because you’ve lived through this segment of time.

Now it’s time for you to use those golden nuggets of experience.

Review last week’s schedule and ask yourself the following: What was my schedule status? Was it empty, partially, or fully booked? How many meetings were held?

Were these internal or external meetings? What client and customer work was completed, updated, or started? What issues, concerns, or challenges did you address?

Make note of three things that went well in your schedule. Likewise, make note of three things that didn’t go as well.

Finally, if you could rate this week on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being poor and 5 being well managed, how would you rank it?

Get a gauge on this week’s schedule

Now that you have last week’s time review in hand, you’re going to going to construct a bridge from the past to the present.

The idea here is to use your past weekly experiences to help you better manage your time this week.

If you’re at the beginning of the week: Quickly review your weekly schedule. Is it similar or different from the previous week?

Knowing what you know now, what immediate steps can you take to mitigate similar scheduling concerns as last week? Could you reschedule meetings, delegate tasks, or block out time in your calendar?

If you’re in the middle of the week: Do a brief schedule check. If your schedule is running smoothly, continue with what you’re doing.

If things are not going as planned, identify three steps you can take right now to prevent a repeat performance from last week. How about leaving earlier for meetings, setting a timer while you work, or shortening the length of work sessions?

If you’re at the end of the week: Compare last week’s schedule with this week’s. Which scheduling events are one-time errors or mistakes? Which events appear to be more chronic or systemic in nature?

Identify three key areas of concern for you to improve in the coming weeks. Keep these items top of mind when you review your schedule by jotting them on a sticky note or adding them to a note-taking app.

Plan for a successful future

Now that you’ve got some crucial information under your belt, it’s time to plan for the future. Take a moment to open and review next week’s schedule.

What do you see in terms of your bookings, meetings, and client work? Now, consider where can you make positive and lasting changes to your schedule.

For instance, where can you modify the length of meetings? Where can you time-block tasks into your calendar?

When can you adjust meeting types and the number of attendees? How can you adjust your mindset so you take a positive approach towards calendar management?

No matter what your current schedule looks like, you can take steps right now to create a more efficient and effective calendar for yourself and your business.

Learn how to manage your schedule

Time management is an important skill that everyone should learn and practice if they want to be successful at work.

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 at work and at home so you get things done and feel in control, then check out my time management coaching services.

How about you? Which of these review steps excite you the most? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

This article previously appeared on Inc.com.