Tips from a time management expert: Spring clean your calendar

Spring cleaning your calendar is rarely talked about but can provide incredible time saving benefits for you.

Posted 11:30 a.m. Mar 22, 2023 — Updated 11:30 a.m. Mar 22, 2023

Megan Sumrell

, time management expert

RALEIGH, N.C. — Spring cleaning. This time-honored tradition has been around for years. Advertisers even jump on it. Ads for cleaning products start ramping up as the last snow melts.

Apparently, spring clearing dates back to times of old when houses were heated by wood burning fireplaces and lanterns. Over the course of the winter months, soot built up on all of the surfaces in the home. So, when the warmer weather arrived, it was a chore to clean up the layers of soot and ash each spring.

I love a good spring cleaning. I love the chance to deep clean those neglected areas in my home and get rid of clutter that has accumulated. But my favorite spring cleaning task? Cleaning up my calendar!

Spring cleaning your calendar is rarely talked about but can provide incredible time saving benefits for you.

What exactly does this mean? Simply put, it is a great time to review how you spend your time to determine if there are things you need to get off your plate!

Here is how it works:

Gather your calendar from the last 12 months. This could be a paper planner, Google calendar, or combination of the two. Grab a piece of paper and create 3 columns. Label them as Keep, Toss, and Oursource. Then, flip through the last 12 months and look at where you spend your time. As you conduct this review, start making notes in your 3 column list.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the list and what goes where.

Keep: Write down the tasks and activities that you currently spend time on that you enjoy and want to continue doing.
Toss: Look for anything taking up time that you are ready to leave behind. Are there groups or activities that you were guilted into joining? Are there events on your calendar taking up time that you continue to do because you “have always done it?” Are things you do that are in service to others but don’t serve you at all? I recently realized it was time to end my membership in two groups that had served me well but were no longer a great use of my time.
Outsource: What takes up your time that needs to happen but doesn’t have to be done by you? Chores, errands, tasks around the house, etc. Before you rule out the possibility of outsourcing, it is important to understand that outsourcing doesn't always mean paying for help. In our house, outsourcing sometimes means other members of the family take over some tasks. You can also “trade” with friends and family for carpooling. And, if it is something you desire to pay for, now is the perfect time to create a plan on how to make that happen. For example, when we decided to outsource some clearing in our house, we agreed that as a family, it was worth cutting back on dinners out to pay for house cleaning.

I look forward to spring cleaning my calendar both at home and at work every year. In fact, I like to challenge myself each month to see if there is something I can move to my Toss or Outsource list.

There is something very satisfying about creating a to-do list and checking things off. But, I promise you this: removing something from your list once and for all is so much better!

Triangle mom Megan Sumrell is a former corporate techie turned entrepreneur. As a Time Management Expert for women seeking Work+Life Harmony, Megan teaches specific strategies to help women get on top of their time, calendar and goals while getting rid of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion. For free training on how to achieve Work+Life Harmony, visit https://www.megansumrell.com/freetraining.

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