Chapter 52 Chapter 4 Your Work ★ 50 Don't be a slave to the calendar

When I was in the third grade of elementary school, I started making to-do schedules.A few years later, I upgraded from my small spiral-ring bound notebook to a black leather briefcase-style handbook that was several times larger.This manual is bound with three iron rings, and there is a daily planner that spreads out to two pages, and there are many other tabular work goal lists, priority lists, planning lists, decision lists, and newsletters. Forms, phone address entries, memos, expense summaries, personal details, daily (and weekly, monthly, and yearly) calendars, and a heap of damn forms to overwhelm.This is the personal management system manual that every competent office worker must be familiar with.

I really spent some time and money learning how to use this handy manual.I have to routinely spend 30 minutes a day to evaluate the work situation, like reviewing completed projects, and then transcribe some unfinished projects to tomorrow's calendar.The entire handbook weighs more than two kilograms, and it takes up a space of 60 centimeters square on the table. Moreover, once I suddenly think of a good idea on the road, or remember some memos to be recorded, I can’t Take it to the street. For some, this jack-of-all-trades can be a useful tool.I have a lot of calls to make every day, full appointments, and a lot of business proposals at hand at any time, and I have to track the development of these things from time to time.Like many busy office workers, I was too busy.

Fortunately, I stared at these schedules one day and realized: I don't have to make my life so complicated.This is what motivated me to start the Simplify Life movement. Gradually, over time, I not only simplified my home, personal, and work content, but also my management system.I replaced my huge handbook with a small calendar that fits in my pocket and takes up only a small corner on my desk.There are many inserts in this calendar, but I always only use a small number of them, and doing so is the way that best suits my simple life. If you've been controlled by your time management system or calendar, maybe now is the time to shake it off and let it take control.