When I was working full time, I would always say “yes” when someone wanted to see me. I had a wonderful secretary who did a great job managing my calendar… until I’d started saying ‘yes’ without checking with her. With a paper calendar in my pocket, or when smartphones came along, I could always check my calendar before saying ‘yes’; unfortunately, I rarely said “no”. And that’s how people get overbooked and stressed out about time. Now, when people ask for time management advice, my first answer is to be careful what you say ‘yes’ to. The best strategy is to make a plan every day – what you need to do first, and then what you’d like to do after that: stick to that and you’ll find that that time becomes more manageable. And when someone asks for something, check that schedule and be realistic as to whether the interruptions are really needed and what impact they’ll have on everything else. Schedule breaks and travel time and leave time when you could add the ASAPs that always seem to occur. And lastly, schedule time for you - to think and follow up on the things that arise during all the other events on your calendar. You’ll find that most people are very understanding when you honestly tell them what you can and cannot do. You’ll be proud of yourself when you say yes to yourself today.
Paulo Coelho (born 1947): Brazilian poet, lyricist, novelist (The Alchemist), and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
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