Life is not a dress rehearsal. – Rose Tremain

There are a lot of ways to create more structure and organization as you plot a course for all you’ll accomplish in 2022.

None of them will be as powerful or hold you as accountable as a well-used planning calendar.

In such a calendar you can, of course, manage your appointments and meetings.

More importantly, however, you can easily map out your upcoming goals while keeping a weekly or monthly inventory of your achievements. Used properly, it keeps you on track, supremely organized and unflinchingly honest with yourself.

Nothing is a more powerful testament of your ambitions, accomplishments and successes than a calendar that is as ambitious as it is well utilized.

Here are 5 other things to consider.

If you don’t write it down, it’s not going to happen

Whether it’s an idea about a new type of cereal or RNA gene splicing, writing it down is your best hope of potentially seeing it come to life.

Otherwise, these will assuredly fall into a sad dust bin of half -formed and forgotten ideas that never, ever see the light of day.

For example, how many times have you had a brilliant idea in the shower or on a drive only to lose the thread of it an hour later, once distracted by the day. Jot it down, even if only on a scrap of paper, until you can transcribe it to a calendar, journal or laptop.

Try using the voice recorder on your phone for the same purpose.

You’ll soon find just how many great ideas and plans you now have in your arsenal.

The value of self-imposed pressure

A calendar now means you can keep track of both important and not so important deadlines. Important deadlines would be for clients or team projects.

But if you treat soft deadlines for yourself as equally important, you begin to feel pressure to get even these things done. It may be just a trick of the mind, but it works wonders. It also allows for concrete self-improvement.

For example, just imagine if restaurants did not treat soft opens like real opens. Nothing would really be ironed out or discovered with regards to weak areas or blind spots in their staffing, management, or menu.

Creating self-imposed deadlines is a way we can consistently probe for any of our own weak areas or test for any blind spots.

Why two planners is always one too many

All you need is one calendar or planner that you use diligently and consistently.

If you try to use more than one in the name of increased organization, it can often become counterproductive.

It muddies the waters and can become increasingly confusing to know which calendar should take precedence.

It just adds an unnecessary accessory to your ensemble.

Creating a system saves time

Systems save time, just as plans save time. This is, of course, stating the obvious.

Just imagine your day without either.

But what is of paramount importance is to recognize that better systems and better plans save more time, a lot more time.

Time is precious. It’s always in your best interest always to create the best system possible, no matter what the task.

The importance of having direction

Spontaneity, random impulses or harsh words have their place, but they are usually not very helpful in executing a plan or winning an argument.

They are more often what is done instinctively when a poor plan or argument begins to fall apart.

Establishing direction is however an important part of any successful plan.

It allows you to research, consider and engage accordingly, within the context of where you are heading, whether on a map or in a heated debate.

Final thoughts

Deadlines and calendars help you plan. They help you navigate your life more effectively and efficiently.

No one wants to sail a jagged coastline without a compass, charts, or maps.

It may take time and planning to create or obtain those charts but once you possess them you will certainly be in much better shape and confident in your navigation.

The trick in this life often boils down to mindful navigation using the best possible compass and charts you can find.