A lot of people have been pushed to their limits and breaking point. The past 1,5 years can be called a rollercoaster. Several studies found that workers feel burned out, emotionally exhausted, tired, empty, and unproductive. In a poll by jobs site Monster.com (US), done in June 2021, 95% of the surveyed said they were considering quitting their jobs, with many citing burnout as the main reason. Achieving a good and normal work-life balance is getting more important. So, how could you change your working calendar to a schedule that keeps you away from burnout? Read here about the calendar magic that will help you to shake things up and avoid burnout.
The 5 tips of Calendar Magic
The 5 Pieces of Calendar Magic can help you avoid being overwhelmed and avoid a 12-hour workday. The goal is to work smarter and not harder! Try to be efficient with your time. Skipping a meeting is nothing to apologize for. Sometimes it’s hard, but remember that you can inspire your colleagues.
1) Skip the unnecessary meetings
One of the best ways to create more time in your calendar is to skip meetings that aren’t effective. Can you skip more than 50%, probably not. But maybe you be able to avoid some meetings and retain valuable time. Ask yourself if it is possible to resolve some meetings you have by calling or emailing or some other way. Any alternative is probably more efficient. Furthermore, ask yourself if you really have to be at that meeting? Many times too many people are at meetings. If you don’t have to be there, skip it.
2) Meeting Prepping
If you can’t skip the meeting, you might want to make sure it’s going to be as productive as possible. Too often people come unprepared to meetings or the outcome of the meetings is unclear. Make the goal of the meeting clear in advance to prevent this. Communicate this through emails or a slack message and make sure everyone receives this on time to prepare.
3) Shaking up
Most people don’t like change. Sometimes, though, it’s better to shake things up and see if there are other ways to achieve the same goals. Does it need to be a zoom meeting? Would it be possible to do the meeting during a walk or a phone call? Can you change the meeting time from 45 minutes to 25 minutes? Do you really need that meeting every week?
4) Travel time
Build-in 5 minutes travel to your next meeting where you can go to the bathroom, do a quick stretch or fill up your water glass. It’s important to take a micro-break between back-to-back meetings to create more movement into your working day. Be sure to plan your travel time before your day starts. If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t happen.
5) Batching tasks
Plan your day at the beginning of the week or even the week before. This helps you build in that travel time or even batch your work. To increase your productivity, time batching is your best friend. This will help you focus on a group of similar tasks at a specific time. Batch your emails, your projects, and your meetings. You will discover that you are far happier and more productive at the end of the week.
How can Fit for Work help?
To learn more about setting up or managing an ergonomics program that supports staff working from home or in the office or support with staying legally compliant, you can reach out to Fit for Work. For more information on our Ergonomics Self-Assessment and Education Tool, contact us.
