SCHEDULING YOUR TIME
BY LAUREN CASTLE

   It’s got to be there somewhere– your mental or physical list of New Year’s resolutions relating to better time management. Those of you who are already organized think you can do even better. And those of you who are not already organized spend much of your time trying to figure out if you are capable of better organizational skills, planning better and sticking to a schedule. You know your families, coworkers, and friends would respect and appreciate you more if you could master the organizational skills that others seem to implement so effortlessly.

There are umpteen time-management software packages on the market: BlackBerries, Palm Pilots, and scheduling systems that synchronize with our phones, our watches, and our automotive and personal GPS systems. There is software dedicated to specific facets of our busy lives. There’s even software that reminds you to purchase the software! There are plans available to remind us about important dates, anniversaries, birthdays, Little League games, and community meetings. Because of all of our activities, paper calendars are abundant. They cater to every hobby and interest imaginable: pets, artwork, tropical islands, racecars, Disney characters, and cartoons. Some are the more conventional: thought of the day, joke of the day, or word of the day. Stores and kiosks devoted to calendars and scheduling devices are abundant in the month of December and continue for a week or two into January (for the procrastinators and the thrifty who know that the cost reduces by 50-75 percent once the new year begins).

DayTimers and Franklin Covey are two of the largest suppliers in the United States of appointment calendars, planners, and organizing systems. They are in the business of helping their customers set schedules and priorities. They have dedicated a lot of time attempting to understand how others plan theirs. Naturally, these companies hope to sell products to help customers plan even better and more efficiently. Looking at all these options, it is clear there are many different ways to plan and schedule. How detail oriented do you see yourself? Are you a month-at-a-glance type of person? A week-at-a-glance? Do you prefer to see each day on an individual page? Do you like lots of lines or lots of boxes to fill in?

You may find some of the following research surprising.
• One third of American workers (32 percent) never plan their daily work schedule.
• While 45 percent make a daily plan at least once a week, only 9 percent accomplish everything they set out to do.
• The higher the income, the more likely the worker is to make a written schedule and prioritize tasks.
• The majority of the workforce (78 percent) lists getting more exercise as a goal, while two thirds (65 percent) would like to spend more time with family, and 59 percent would like to eat more healthfully.
• Only 3 percent of American workers make New Year’s resolutions, and about two thirds of that number achieve them.
• 37 percent have written financial goals, 33 percent have written career goals, and 73 percent always or frequently know what they want to accomplish.
• More than half of workers (52 percent) use calendars to keep track of their schedules, while 29 percent use organizers. Women are more likely than men to use these tools.

Lauren Castle is the owner of Impress Express, a professional image firm, focusing on career development, résumé preparation, presentation skills, etiquette, and interview coaching. They are members of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers. For help with your image, posting your résumé, or preparing your Internet-friendly résumé, contact Lauren directly at (858) 459- 7400. Please forward your image and career-related questions to info@impress-express.com for further information.