How to Take Control of Your Calendar
Too Busy? You’re not alone.
If you constantly feel rushed, stretched too thin, or unable to keep up with your schedule, you’re not alone. Modern life is busy, and our culture often glorifies that busyness. Productivity tools and planners promise to help us squeeze more out of every day—but living at a relentless pace means we often hurry past the moments that bring real joy.
Some seasons of life are naturally demanding. When my children were young, life was busy simply because raising kids is a 24/7 commitment. There are no holidays from parenting!
But no matter your season, you can take control of your time. With a few intentional steps, you can simplify your calendar, create breathing room, and build a week that reflects your values—not your obligations.
Below are practical, real-life strategies to help you reclaim your time and stop feeling overwhelmed.
How to Take Control of Your Calendar: A Quick Overview
Identify what matters most
Understand how long things actually take
Create an ideal weekly schedule
Use shortcuts to streamline routine tasks
Protect your time with healthy boundaries
Let’s look at each step in more detail.
1. Identify Your Priorities Before Planning Your Week
Before you can organise your calendar, you need to be clear about what truly matters to you. Often we respond to whoever yells the loudest instead of honouring our real values. Many of us sacrifice precious time with our families when there is an ‘emergency’ at work. We put off nourishing hobbies because someone else needed something urgently.
Make a list of everything that is important to you:
People you love
Work responsibilities
Hobbies you love
Passions that light you up
Commitments that are important to you
Then, rewrite the list in order of prioroty.
Ask yourself: If I had only a short time left, what would I choose to spend it on?
This gives you a clear foundation for planning your calendar.
2. Be Realistic About How Long Life Actually Takes
We often underestimate the time it takes for the basic tasks that keep life running smoothly. A clean home, food in the fridge, clean clothes in the wardrobe and fuel in the car… all these things take time. And life is more enjoyable when we are not constantly running behind.
For the next week, notice how long your household tasks take. Keep note in your journal or a note on the fridge or in an app. This information becomes the foundation for setting up a realistic schedule for your week.
3. Build Your Ideal Weekly Schedule
Now it’s time to bring your values and responsibilities together into an ideal week.
On paper or in a digital planner, list the days of the week and the hours you’re awake.
Block your non-negotiables:
morning/evening routines, work hours, commute, church, school runs, and regular appointments.Add essential life tasks:
cleaning, laundry, meal prep, exercise, household admin, and shopping.Add your highest priorities:
a date night with your spouse, time with your kids or parents, volunteering, gardening, reading, hobbies—whatever fills you with joy.
I know, your ‘Ideal Week’ doesn’t exist in real life. Life is unpredictable.
But aiming toward a thoughtful plan will get you much closer to the life you want.
Once you create it, ask:
If my week happened like this, would I love it? Is it full of things that matter to me?
If not, adjust.
By now, your week is probably looking pretty full. It’s time to explore some shortcuts to give you some buffer time.
4. Use Time-Saving Shortcuts to Simplify Your Calendar
Your week is probably looking full. This is where shortcuts become your best friend.
Over the years, I’ve used time-saving strategies like:
Car-pooling with local families for school runs and activities
A simple cleaning schedule broken into daily/weekly/monthly tasks
Hiring a cleaner for a few hours each fortnight
A rotating three-week meal plan with matching grocery lists
Occasional ready-made meals (YouFoodz was a favourite)
A simple “work uniform” to remove morning decision fatigue
Teaching my kids to do their own laundry once they hit high school
Your shortcuts will look different depending on your season of life.
They take a little effort to set up—but they pay off in freedom and breathing room.
(For more ideas, see my blog post on additional time-saving hacks.)
5. Protect Your Time With Healthy Calendar Boundaries
Now that you have a plan, use your calendar to defend your priorities.
When someone asks you to do something that isn’t aligned with your values or schedule, you can simply say:
“Sorry, I’m already booked at that time. How about next Tuesday?”
They don’t need to know that your “appointment” is playing Lego with your kids or finally getting into your garden. Your calendar becomes an alibi for the life you want to live.
Final Thoughts
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a little time to work through these steps. Create a calendar that reflects what you value most and supports your best life. Your days can feel spacious again. Your week can include more joy than stress.
And you can take back control of your time, one intentional choice at a time.
