This article written  by LJ Earnest

Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." – Peter F. Drucker

"Time is the scarcest resource of the manager; If it is not managed, nothing else can be managed." Ibid.

Have you ever had one of those days where the list of tasks to be done seems taller than the Eiffel Tower, and more keeps being added? We wedge our tasks in between our appointments and skip from task to task, desperately trying to make some headway. Yet when the day is over, we look back and see that very little was accomplished.

These are the days when our time has run away; our working has slipped from planned into panicked.

The basis for effective time management is very simple, yet most people don't do it well. It all lies in knowing our commitments. Once we manage our commitments, we can plan effectively and take on the mountain of tasks.

And the simplest way to do that is with a piece of paper and a few lines.

The Calendar: Visual Manager

Most people have two or three calendars within sight. We have them on our phones, in our homes, on our computers. Yet these simple grids are not often recognized for what they truly are: visual representations of our commitments.

Used properly, a calendar can show you at a glance what you have promised to do, and if you can fit more in. It is recognizing these blocks of time that allow us to determine what can be done, based on the time available.

Avoiding Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law states, "Work expands to fill time available." It's a modern statement of something Thoreau noted: that life is frittered away by detail. When we plan our blocks of work, and know what we must accomplish, we are less likely to waste time.

Getting the Big Rocks In

Have you ever had a day where you had big important things to do, but ended up doing lots of other little tasks instead? When the day was over, there was no time left for the big important things.

Effective planning can stop this in the tracks. Just as you can get large stones in a jar only if it is not already filled with sand and pebbles, you must plan to get those large tasks done and then fill in the rest.

The Calendar Challenge

I'm sure you must have a calendar that you use. Most people can't be without one. But for today, I want to challenge you to use your calendar in a different way.

Print out a daily calendar form, or pull out a piece of paper, and draw a box on it. Draw enough lines in that box to represent the hours (or half hours) of your waking day.

Next, color in blocks of time where you are allocated. If you see an empty block and you have the feeling it should be filled, it probably is filled with tasks that involve living: this could mean appointments, sleeping, eating, helping children with homework or transit time.

Really look at this calendar. What do you see? Are there blocks on that day where you can work on things? Choose some meaningful tasks and work on them during this time. Are you completely blocked? Then either free up your schedule, or accept you will get nothing else done.

As you go through the day, refer back to your calendar. Are you on track? Has something else come up? Adjust your plan accordingly.

At the end of the day, I believe you will have accomplished a great deal, and will feel good about your day.

LJ Earnest is the author of SimpleProductivityBlog, where finding a productive life doesn't have to be complicated.