CALENDAR HACKS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED IN PR IN 2020

I love reading about calendar hacks and this time of year, I load up on tips for the new year. Here are some of my tips that help me on a daily basis:

1. Themed Google calendars: Living in Las Vegas, being a sports fan is now inevitable. As such, since I now need to stay on top of when the Vegas Golden Knights and Las Vegas Raiders play, Google can add their game schedules to my calendar. As a result, I don’t need to add the games one by one. Once you start going down this rabbit hole, you’ll quickly see Google offers calendars for everything from TV shows to when the sun rises and sets. With all of these overlayed calendars, I find it useful to…
2. Color-code calendars: Once upon a time, every appointment I had was the same color. But after a while, I was becoming exhausted, feeling as though I was working from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Once I color-coded my personal appointments versus my professional ones, it made a difference in being able to process everything that needed to be done for the day.
3. Schedule drive time: Every day, our team drives from meeting to meeting. There was a time where I couldn’t get to where I needed to go without being late and I couldn’t understand why. I then read the tip on not only scheduling drive time but also adding 15-30 minutes for traffic. In a city like Las Vegas that is one long cone zone, this helps tremendously. Now, I arrive on time if not early.
4. Pace and space: I schedule everything. I mean, everything. But I also stay realistic with how much can be scheduled in one day. After all, who do I think I am? Beyonce? I once read top executives “pace and space” their days. That means they not only add time for getting from one place to another (see #3), but they’re also realistic about how long a meeting or appointment will take. When entering appointments into your schedule, really ask yourself if it’s going to take 60 minutes or longer.
5. Confirmation and call-in numbers: For me, I like to have information in one place. If I book a reservation, I include the confirmation number in the calendar appointment. If I have a conference call, I add the call-in number. It helps when it’s go time!

Here’s to a well-organized 2020!

~ Marina Nicola