Make use of the form provided below entitled 'Weekly Planning Diary' and complete it following the instructions:
Fill in the information on the Month, Date, and Day of the Week.
Fill in any known engagements, appointments or meetings; also any known absence from the office. Do this for each day on the line as a time scale. Each appointment will appear as a bar with its start point and end at a position in corresponding to that time.
Allocate time for essential routine activities, such as dealing with post.
You will be left with a balance of time which has not yet been allocated. Only part of this remaning time is available to you for achieving your objectives.
The other part you will have to keep free for other people - customers, suppliers, your boss, subordinates, colleagues etc.
How much time will depend on the circumstances of your own job.
In some jobs, unplanned interruptions are minimal, in others they can dominate work.
Estimate how much of your remaining time is available for working on the achievement of objectives.
Plan out the use of your remaining time, using the information about durations, completion date and priorities from the "Results to be Achieved" form.
Remember that a single continuous stretch of time, is worth more than several short periods. Try to complete one task before going onto the next. Avoid being over-optimistic about what can be done in the available time - most tasks take longer than you think.