Next week, I am teaching a class on time management. It's sort of funny to teach on topics that I regularly need to work on in my own life. But that's a good thing because as I learn, I can share.

I thought I'd take the next few blog posts and talk about some practical things I am discovering about time management and reducing stress in this area. Today, let's look at "bookending."

When we make plans for the day, and set appointments with ourselves and others, we may tend to forget to add the needed "cushions" on the front and back end of the appointment--I call these "bookends." Let me give you an example. It takes me about 35 minutes on average to travel between home and my part-time work at a church. Depending on weather, traffic, etc. it can take less time, or more. What amount of time should I allow as a bookend to my commute so that I can travel without rushing or feelings under the gun? I probably should allow at least a 5-10 minute bookend on each side of my commute (because once I get to work, there's a few minutes need for "settling in" as well.) So, if I want start working at 8:30 I need to leave at what time? That's right, 7:45 or so.

Let's apply the bookending concept to a meeting. All too often, we can forget the important "personal debriefing" that should occur after a meeting. This may mean writing a thank you note, making notes, adding tasks to our to-do list, etc. You should always include your debriefing as part of your meeting plans or you run the risk of never proactively dealing with what you talked about in the meeting. Therefore, you should bookend at least 10 minutes for debriefing.

Thus, if I am meeting with Mr. Smith at 10:00 to discuss an upcoming event, and the meeting is expected to last about 45 minutes, I should plan for at least an hour. Then, I should use the last 10 minutes or so to transfer my notes to my to-do list, add the agreed-upon follow up meeting to my calendar, and send an email thanking him for his time, etc. Then, I can consider the meeting complete. If I don't bookend my time, I run the risk of always running from thing to thing and leaving details undone (or unplanned) and can drop the ball.

What if you have back-to-back appointments or errands? Schedule a longer bookend at the end of the cluster, and do your debriefing then.

Bottom line, when making plans, always add bookends to the front and/or back of your appointments. You'll be glad for those extra moments to absorb unexpected delays, or to simply take a breath! Print This