So alongside work, admin and a watching brief on StephРІР‚в„ўs calendars, IРІР‚в„ўm effectively monitoring six categories: Are you devoting enough time to your work, your partner, your kids, your health, your passion projects РІР‚В¦ ? If each element has its own color, itРІР‚в„ўs easy to flick through your calendar to see how the balance maps out. Why have color-coded calendars?Р”В¬olor-coded projects allow you to see at a glance how much time you are investing in the various aspects of your life. And thatРІР‚в„ўs where color-coded calendars can help. In other words, the first step to making something happen is to pay attention to it. There are no easy solutions to any of these issues, but thereРІР‚в„ўs an old business saying that РІР‚Вwhat gets measured, gets managed.РІР‚в„ў Anything from a new baby to a new home can be something that takes over your life. There was one point in my life when I was working really crazy hours for that reason.Р”Р‡amily, socialising, fun activities, hobbies and personal development can all lose out.Р”В«ut itРІР‚в„ўs not just work that can be all-consuming. With no steady income stream, itРІР‚в„ўs easy to feel that you canРІР‚в„ўt turn down any work offered to you. Going freelance, or starting a business, is a classic example. There are probably few people in the world who havenРІР‚в„ўt had a time in their lives when they seem to do nothing but work. But I also use them to help me maintain a balanced life РІР‚В¦ Many people use color-coding to distinguish work and social events, as well as things like family calendars. But making the switch from a Filofax to a grayscale PDA did mean giving up one thing I didnРІР‚в„ўt get back until years later: color-coded calendars.

It will surprise no-one to know that I was an early adopter of electronic calendars, starting with a Casio Digital Diary in the early 1990s, followed by a Psion 5mx in 1997.

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