This article is second in an "organizing for the actor" spring series of guest contributor topics by Kristine Oller, a Los Angeles-based change strategist. For information on the series featured here on OrganizingLA click here.
John's note: call them old-school, call them what you want. Paper planners will always be the calendar of choice for many people. While this article talks specifically about the paper version, the rules apply to digital devices too: use the capturing system you want, but be CONSISTENT.
In Los Angeles acting class, your "scene partner" asks if you’ll go to her stand-up gig on Saturday night. Checking the date in your portable planner, you see no notation indicating another commitment, so you promise to go. Later on, you realize that you just gave away your last free Saturday night of the month. Had you known that, you might have thought twice about attending the performance. Then, when you get home, you discover that, according to the calendar on the kitchen wall, you’ve already accepted an invitation to a wedding shower that very same Saturday night. What now?
An actor’s life (or really any creative or sales professional) is a constant whirlwind of scheduling and re-scheduling. People often assume actors and these people are “flakes” because the timing of auditions, bookings and meetings that require frequent last-minute cancellations and postponements. Add to those circumstances any personal disorganization – being late, losing information, forgetting things, double-scheduling – and you are not only reinforcing the stereotype but also impeding your professional progress.
Simply buying a planner and using it haphazardly isn’t enough. In order for a planner to become a helpful organizing tool, you must select one that best fits your style, use it consistently and maintain its accuracy.
Using a paper planner
A planner has two main purposes. The first is to store details about your activities so your brain doesn’t have to. Relying on your brain to remember and remind you about bits of info and multiple to-do’s generates stress. Is your brain constantly juggling everywhere you should be and worrying about everything you should be doing? If so, I doubt there is much peace or space available in there for you to relax, think and create. The more info you can get out of your head and into your planner, the freer you will feel.
“But once stuff is out of my brain and buried in my planner I will forget all about it!” That’s possible – unless you develop the habit of planning, recording and reviewing your activities on a regular basis.
The second purpose of a planner is to help you make and track decisions about how you use your time. To make a clear decision about how to use your free time, you have to have a clear idea of how much free time you actually have. When you get your planner for the new year, pencil in your existing commitments – your job schedule, your class schedule, your family’s schedule plus special occasions and holidays. Then, at the start of each week, sit with your planner and choose how to fit your professional and personal activities into the windows of time available during that particular week. As the week progresses, keep your planner accurate by recording changes to your schedule as they occur. Regularly review what is coming up the next day, the next week and the next month. Use your planner to remind yourself that you can drop off your dry cleaning tomorrow when you pass by on the way to your voice lesson.
Rather than forcing you to be rigid, your planner enables you to remain flexible and informed. Also, if you are ever audited by the IRS, your planner provides important documentation of your career.
Choosing a paper planner
The goal is to find a planner that best suits you, personally. Test drive a few until you find a good fit, but do not fall into the trap of jumping from one to another on a quest for the mythical yet non-existent “perfect planner.” Trust me — there is no paper or electronic planner that will, once and for all, Organize Your Life. Almost any planner can be of use if you actually use it.
You can have wall calendars to remind you of the date, but, to avoid mix-ups, I suggest you record all of your activities in only one place. Thus, make sure to synch your hand-held with your desktop daily. Plan for the time commitment necessary to become facile with anything electronic. Simple-to-use always trumps bells-and-whistles. Make sure the planner provides enough room to write comfortably and legibly. Should it have pockets or sections for additional materials? Does price or aesthetics matter to you?
Month-at-a-glance is a must-have feature. When you are considering adding something to your schedule, you naturally check to see if the actual time and day are available. Equally important is understanding how each event will impact the overall context of your month: although you are available to help your friend move on Sunday, doing so means giving up your first day off in two weeks. For paper planners, FranklinCovey and DayTimer are standard, but also check out PlannerPads.
Resist the temptation to ignore your planner when life is going smoothly then grab it as a crutch when things get hectic. Be proactive rather than reactive; start fresh in the new year by selecting a tool and crafting a routine that will, in time, help get you where you want to go.
Want to add to this story?
What do you think of paper planners? What elements or functions are important for your business? Do you have several calendars or just one? What are your favorite brands? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram.
Kristine's series is used with permission and originally appeared in Backstage Magazine.
images from freelanceswitch, Franklin Covey, See Jane Work
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