But what I could miss is that I was scheduled to be at my daughter’s ballet performance on the evening of the 10^th, and that the following week, I am to make two major presentations.  Not to mention, this all comes after three very full weeks of meetings. 

The old me would have made a commitment to that date without assessing how it would impact me and those around me during that larger period of time.  Outlook was not good enough.

The solution was to go back to a paper tool. 

About 12 years ago, I found the Franklin Covey Yearly Fold Out Calendar.  This tool allows you to put all of the major events for the year onto one sheet of paper.  You can see your vacations, business trips, important meetings, birthdays, anniversaries, project due dates and any other key commitments that you are to make.  You can use your Life Plan and your Business Plan to help you fill it in.

The calendar can then be color-coded to show you at a glance how you are spending your days.  For example, on my calendar we use yellow for coaching days, pink for business travel, blue for ON-Time, orange for business development, and green for vacation time.  This helps me to make better decisions as I can see how I am investing my time over longer periods.

When you see the whole picture — the weeks before and after the date in question — you are better equipped to count the cost and make an informed decision. 

A few years back, I was coaching my friend Mike Hyatt through this tool.  As Mike will often do, he took a great idea and made it even better.  He created an Excel Yearly Calendar, an electronic version which we now use here at Building Champions.  Mike and I gave it away to our Experience attendees earlier this year and we want to offer it to you now.

Send us an email if you’d like a copy of the calendar.

I hope this helps you to make better decisions in the year ahead!