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Scheduling More Than Meetings
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Jodith Allen | Administrative Arts
Jodith Allen has worked in the administrative support field for over 20 years. Her experience includes being an Accounting Clerk, Receptionist, Secretary, Administrative Assistant, and finally Executive Assistant. Her blog, Administrative Arts (http://administrativearts.com), is a resource for persons working at all levels of the administrative support field, from beginners to those with years of experience. On Administrative Arts, Jodith talks about making travel arrangements, provides tips and tricks for Word, Excel, and Access, and gives advice to help you be the best Administrative Assistant possible. She recently released her new e-book, Receptionist Arts, to help those just starting in the field.
Jodith currently lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband, three dachshunds, and two cats. She enjoys reading, blogging, gardening, video games, needlework, and walking with her husband and dogs.
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In my last post, I talked about using discretion in scheduling meetings. Today, we’ll go into other ways to manage your boss’s calendar to increase his productivity.
Keep the Calendar More Full Than It Looks
Let’s face it. If there’s a blank spot on your boss’s calendar, someone’s going to want to schedule a meeting there. The higher up in the company your boss goes, the more true that will become. This is where you come in.
Like I said in my last post, your boss can’t be ultimately productive if all he does is attend meetings. So to keep people from trying to schedule meetings for every moment of her day, you’ll need to tie up some of her calendar.
Scheduling Work Time
Sometimes, the only way you’ll be able to set aside work (that is, non-meeting) time, is to actually schedule time for it on your boss’s calendar. I like to schedule two hours of work time every day on my boss’s calendar. The time I schedule is going to depend on your boss. Some prefer work time early in the day; some prefer it later in the day. Some prefer one longer amount of time scheduled; some prefer two shorter time periods to be scheduled.
Whatever your boss’s preferences, be sure to set aside some time every day for work time. Now, that doesn’t mean that you won’t sometimes have to schedule over the work time. Sometimes meetings will take priority. But when that happens, always try to move the work time to later in the day or week.
Using Recurring Meetings
Generally, I use the recurring meeting function in MS Outlook to put work time into the calendar. It’s quick and easy to set up the time, and then you can change just the individual occurences if they need to be moved. Just open a blank meeting and click the “Recurrence” button on the toolbar to set up a recurring meeting.
Other Calendar Tips
- Always leave 15 minutes or so between meetings. This gives your boss time to return urgent calls, make notes from the previous meeting, or review his files before the next meeting.
- If the meeting isn’t in the office, give at least 30 minutes before and after the meeting for travel time, longer if the drive time is longer.
- Remember, your boss needs to eat, too. It’s true, regardless of what office gossip may hold, he’s human just like us. So, always remember to schedule time for him to have lunch. Trust me, she’ll thank you for it.
Share Your Calendar Management Tips
What are your tips for managing your boss’s calendar? Leave a comment and let us know how you manage things.
