In my line a work I must have a schedule to get anything done. The demands on my time are huge and get bigger during tax season. Everyday is a due date for something.
Every Sunday night I plan out the following week at work. I leave space for the inevitable surprises and overruns. I write a list down the side of the page of things that need to be done, but not this moment. I slip as many of these in as time permits.
Sleeping at night is difficult when I don't make progress on my to-do list. At minimum, I want to make significant progress on a large project or complete it, plus scratch out several smaller things that needed completion.
My schedule has flexibility built into it. However, it is near impossible to plan for a crisis. Planning for one kind of crisis does no good when a different type of crisis strikes. I searched for a common thread in each crisis; the one thing I could plan for in any crisis. I determined 'time' was the one thing each crisis shares. Any crisis, large or small, will consume some, or a lot, of my time. This is where my flexible schedule comes in. Unless the crisis takes out a whole week, I have space built in to handle extra jobs or unforeseen events.
If you see me smile and laugh during tax season, I have not been drinking. I promise. My time management system is working well is all.
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