Top 25 Calendar Experts You Should be Following The purpose of a calendar has always been to calculate past or future times. Centuries ago, this had life or death implications as it let our ancestor...
By John Hall
This story originally appeared on Calendar
The purpose of a calendar has always been to calculate past or future times. Centuries ago, this had life or death implications as it let our ancestors know when to plant and harvest crops. It then evolved to remind us when festivals or religious ceremonies were to be celebrated.
Today? We rely on our calendars to not only keep track of time. We rely on them to schedule events, prioritize, stay on task, and be more productive. Yeah. Calendars play a vital role in our daily lives.
As such, you should follow these 25 experts so that you're getting the most out of your calendar.
1. John Rampton
Named by Entrepreneur as the "Top Online Influencer in the World," John Rampton and his team have built an impressive four unicorns over the last decade. And, one of these companies happens to be Calendar, where he also serves as its Chief.
Calendar launched in 2018, intending to reinvent the online calendar for the modern person. As a scheduling software, it uses machine learning to make smart suggestions. For example, it analyzes past calendars to recommend when, where, and whom to invite for your next meeting.
Follow John on Twitter (@johnrampton) or connect with him on LinkedIn for the latest calendar, time management, and productivity tips.
Suggested reading: Best Online Calendar and Scheduling Apps
2. Jory MacKay
Jory MacKay is a freelance writer and editor. His work has been featured in publications like Fast Company, Inc., Business Insider, Lifehacker, The Next Web, and The Startup. But, this award-winning writer also shares timeless productivity tips over at the RescueTime blog.
For the uninitiated, RescueTime is a time-management tool that tracks how you spend your days. With this data, you can make the appropriate changes. For instance, identifying when you're most productive so that you can block this time out in your calendar. It's also handy if you want to block out distractions when you're trying to work.
Suggested reading: How to make a daily schedule that won't ruin your day
3. Laura Stack
Also known as the Productivity Pro, Laura Stack is a Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker and bestselling author who has been featured on CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. She's also written for the American Business Journal, Huffington Post, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Time Management, and Productive magazines.
While her work can help anyone improve their personal productivity, her main focus is assisting leaders in high-stress work environments to increase performance. She shares daily productivity tips on Twitter (@laurastack); she definitely gives her a follow.
Suggested reading: Protecting your calendar from others: managing availability
4. David Allen
David Allen is a productivity consultant and mastermind behind the time management method called "Getting Things Done." After first publishing Getting Things Done in 2001, this system has helped millions of people bring order to their chaotic lives. Today, it's expanded to courses, videos, podcasts, and blog posts to help you capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage.
As for your calendar, in GTD, Allen recommends that it shouldn't be cluttered with miscellanea. Rather, it should only contain time-specific actions, day-specific actions, and day-specific information.
Suggested reading: When to block your calendar
5. Leo Babauta
Piggybacking off Allen's advice, keeping your calendar simple and mindful can make you feel less overwhelmed. More importantly? It allows you to hone in on what's truly important.
That's exactly what Zen Habits is all about. It's a blog that was founded in 2007 by Leo Babauta. And, it covers how you can implement zen habits into your daily life..including your calendar. Also, follow Leo (@zen_habits) on Twitter for more minimalist and meaningful tips.
Suggested reading: Simplify Your Day Module Plan
6. Laura Vanderkam
One of my go-to experts when it comes to time management and productivity is Laura Vanderkam. After all, she's the author of books like 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think and Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done. What's more, she's the host of the Before Breakfast and has appeared on The Today Show and CBS This Morning.
As if that weren't enough, her work has also been featured in publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, City Journal, Fortune, and Fast Company. And, if you haven't done so yet, her TED Talk, "How to gain control of your free time," is a must-watch.
Suggested reading: The calendar meeting
7. Steven Griffith
Considered a leading authority on the connection between time, productivity, and performance, Steven Griffith is also the author of The Time Cleanse: A Proven System To Eliminate Wasted Time, Realize Your Full Potential, And Reinvest In What Matters Most. In it, he coins the "Timefulness" solution that "adds time to your life, and life to your time."
Over the last 25 years, Griffith also has an advisor and coached a wide range of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and athletes. You may have even seen it on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, or in publications like Forbes or Entrepreneur.
Suggested reading: How to Use Your Calendar Like GPS
8. Barnaby Lashbrooke
Want to free up blocks of time in your calendar? One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by delegating tasks to others. But, what if you're a solopreneur and don't have people to delegate to?
The answer to this quandary is through freelancers, such as virtual assistants. And, you can turn to the award-winning tool Time Etc to accomplish this. You should also follow its founder, Barnaby Lashbrooke, on platforms like Twitter (@blashbrooke), Forbes, or Entrepreneur for top-notch time management and productivity tips.
Suggested reading: How To Plan Your Work Week For Maximum Productivity In 2021
9. Elizabeth Grace Saunders
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E®, which is a time coaching and training company. She's also the author of The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress and writes for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc, and Lifehacker.
What sets her work apart from others is that it's all about empowerment so that you can stop feeling guilty and overwhelmed. And, with less stress, you'll feel more accomplished and confident.
Suggested reading: Respect Yourself and Take Back Control of Your Calendar
10. Michael Hyatt
Not only is he the founder of Michael Hyatt & Company, but Hyatt is also an author, podcaster, and speaker. While much of his work focuses on leadership, he's also provided solid goal setting and productivity tips.
I would also suggest that you follow him on Twitter (@MichaelHyatt). He's extremely active on the social channel, where he shares advice on breaking away from the cult of overwork.
Suggested viewing: How to Conquer a Chaotic Calendar
11. Chris Bailey
Another personal favorite writer of mine, Chris Bailey, is the author of Hyperfocus. It's a practical guide on how to manage your energy. Which, if you weren't aware, is more important than managing your time.
He's also written The Productivity Project. In it, Bailey lets us know that productivity is the product of managing your time, attention, and energy. He also discusses what biological prime time is and how to identify procrastination triggers.
For more useful advice and insights, head over to his website, A Life of Productivity.
Suggested reading: Feel overwhelmed by work? Try giving your days a theme.
12. Chloe Leibowitz
Chloe Leibowitz is a trained life coach with over a decade of experience. She primarily focuses on aiding you in forming new habits and boosting your productivity. In addition to one-on-one consultations, Chloe also has events and workshops like Bullet Journals.
If you visit her blog, you'll find articles involving self-care, goals, mindset, and daily habits. However, she's also shared her calendar hacks with Business Insider.
Suggested reading: Productivity experts break down how these 6 calendar hacks, from scheduling focused work to 'timeboxing,' help them work smarter
13. Craig Jarrow
Craig Jarrow is the author of Time Management Ninja. His main philosophy is teaching others the habits, skills, and tools needed to reclaim their time. He's also a speaker and coach and featured on Lifehacker, Huffington Post, and American Express OPEN.
Craig is also another expert that you should follow on Twitter (@TMNinja). He posts excellent nuggets of wisdom multiple times a day. And, it also wouldn't hurt to subscribe to TMN for even more tips and tools.
Suggested reading: Are You Making These 5 Calendar Mistakes?
14. Tope Awotona
Tope Awotona is the founder and CEO of Calendly. Founded in 2010, Calendly is a free online appointment scheduling software that eliminates those pesky back-and-forth emails. What's more, it users automation so that you can spend less time scheduling and more time doing what really matters.
Awotona also has an inspiring story that you should read. He braved war zones while building the tool in Ukraine. Today? The company is a unicorn.
He's definitely someone else you should follow on Twitter @TopeAwotona.
Suggested listening: Calendly: Tope Awotona : How I Built This with Guy Raz: NPR
15. Justin Pot
Justin Pot is currently a staff writer at Zapier. Previously, he's written for How-to Geek, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. As I'm sure you've noticed, these are all tech publications.
There's an excellent explanation. Justin is a tech writer who has the knack to explain it to us mere mortals easily. And, since calendars have gone digital, he's a reliable authority figure in this realm.
Follow Justin on Twitter (@jhpot) to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news.
Suggested reading: Why everyone needs to use Google Calendar's out of office feature
16. Anshul Kumar
Anshul Kumar is the founder and president of Nextgen Digital. The content he produces covers topics like personal growth, digital transformation, and productivity. He's also a YouTuber and top writer for the self-improvement publication Curious.
Suggested Reading: My Simple Hack for Calendar Blocking — Love It!
17. Caleb Moran
Caleb Moran is a business coach, minister, and father of five. He also just so happens to be the author of Calendar Hacking. In it, Moran shares his proven method that will help you "underwhelm your life and MAXIMIZE your days," such as;
- Giving up so that you can go up with the Mountain Climber method.
- The difference between being intentional and busy.
- The importance of boundaries.
- Why your daily routine is the secret to your future.
- How make your calendar a new boss you'll love.
Suggested listening: 5 Steps To A Productive Work Week
18. Maura Thomas
Maura Thomas is an award-winning speaker, trainer, and author of Attention Management and Personal Productivity Secrets. Her work has also been seen in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal.
Furthermore, her productivity blog is reaped with priceless productivity tips like organizing your life, organizing your emails, and gaining brainpower momentum.
Suggested reading: Should You Schedule Tasks on Your Calendar?
19. James Clear
James Clear is a photographer, entrepreneur, and author. His New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits, is one of my favorite books from the last couple of years. It's mainly because it's jam-packed with practical and realistic tips on breaking old habits and sticking to good ones.
Clear also has produced a Clear Habit Journal. And, he shares even more advice on his Twitter account (@JamesClear).
Suggested reading: The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits
20. Ellen Faye
Ellen is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and IAC Certified Productivity Leadership Coach. Since 2001, she has helped people work smarter and live better.
Her blog is another excellent resource if you're struggling with calendar management and productivity. Ellen also shares how you can set priorities, improve efficiency, and juggle multiple commitments.
Suggested reading: Make Space – See What's Possible.
21. Jill E. Duffy
Jill E. Duffy is a writer who covers mainly personal technology, productivity, and remote work. Since 2012, she's also been a columnist for PCMag.com, writing for a series called Get Organized. In this digital era, this series has been a priceless resource.
Jill has also written articles for the BBC, Fast Company, and Productivity Report. You can follow Jill (@jilleduffy) on Twitter as well.
Suggested reading: How to Turn Splinters of Time Into Blocks
22. Mike Vardy
Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and productivity strategist. Oh yeah. He's also the founder of a pretty cool website dubbed Productivityist. He's also the author of The Productivityist Playbook and TimeCrafting: A Better Way to Get the Right Things Done.
Definitely go ahead and give him a follow on Twitter (@mikevardy), listen to his podcast, or visit his blog for some stellar productivity tips.
Suggested reading: The One Thing I Started Scheduling On My Calendar
23. Julie Morgenstern
Julie Morgenstern is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who has been assisting people to become more organized to reach their goals. She's written columns for O Magazine, Redbook, and Wells Fargo. And, she's also shared her expertise on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, The Rachael Ray Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and NPR.
She's also the founder and CEO of Julie Morgenstern Enterprises. The company publishes original content on its blog and hosts workshops to help bring order to this chaotic world.
Suggested reading: Julie Morgenstern: "America's Organizing Queen" on how to organize your time (and your life)
24. Cal Newport
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University. He's also the author of seven best-selling books, including the influential Deep Work. His other work includes Digital Minimalism, A World Without Email, and The Time-Block Planner.
Somehow, Newport also has a podcast featured in USA Today, Good Morning America, and NPR.
Suggested reading: Feel frazzled? This time management strategy can help reduce stress.
25. Matt East
Matt East is a productivity coach and author of The Purposeful Planning Method: How to Plan Your Day, Beat Procrastination, and Regain Control of Your Time. He's also the host of not one but two podcasts — The Goal Achievement Podcast and the Better Humans Podcast.
Suggested reading: These 10 Questions Lead To Better Time Management, Says This Productivity Expert
Image credit: polina kovaleva; pexels; thank you!
The post Top 25 Calendar Experts You Should be Following appeared first on Calendar.
