Time Management for System Administrators

Chapter 6. The Cycle System: Calendar Management

Chapter 5 was the closeup look at how to plan an individual day using a to do list as part of The Cycle System introduced in Chapter 4. In this chapter, we’ll see how effective calendar management keeps track of your routines and links individual days into a coherent whole.

Every organizer has a calendar section, sometimes called a datebook. The calendar is both a repository for information you need for a given day (appointments, deadlines, birthdays, milestones) and a wide-view tool for long-range planning (career advancement, long-term project completion, vacation planning).

Calendars let us see the big picture. Early in my career as a system administrator, I was constantly worried that I wasn’t seeing the big picture of what I was doing. I always seemed to be working hard just to stay in one place. What turned that around for me was thinking in terms of calendars. Sure, the daily to do list helps me think about what I’m doing today, but with a big calendar, I could see the big picture.

Figure 6-1. 

How to Use Your Calendar

The Cycle uses the calendar part of your organizer for three primary purposes. First, to block out time for events and meetings that are further in the future than today’s schedule. Second, to list any reminders or milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries. Finally, if you use a PAA, the calendar is where you ...