The Calendar: a habit loved by successful personalities

Did you know that people who are consistent in their use of a calendar and a
and a to-do list are three times more likely to become millionaires than those who do not adhere to a consistent routine schedule? At least that’s what Randall Bell, a socio-economist, tells us and it would appear he’s not wrong. After all, some of the greatest leaders and influential people in the world right now use calendars, not only to schedule their business appointments, but to plan their entire lives on a personal and a professional level. As a result, they maximize the balance of professional and personal life.

Michelle Obama is an advocate of the calendar and uses it meticulously in every aspect of her life. “I am ruthlessly efficient, but I have to be organized for myself,” said the former first lady of the United States. “I have to be as organized in my life as I am in my work.” She has said that she plans everything from her exercise times to when she will socialize with her friends. She believes that you have to work on being happy and schedule those beautiful moments with yourself and your loved ones as you would your work.

Similarly, Sir Richard Branson writes detailed lists of commitments which even include the times he will let his mind wander and “daydream”. Just as easily as you are inclined to accept or schedule a meeting, Branson says that you should “open your calendar and schedule time just to dream” because that way “you can see the bigger picture much more easily.”

In the same vein, LinkedIn’s CEO Jeff Weiner, plans every minute of his daily life with a calendar and dedicates 60 to 90 minutes a day to doing absolutely nothing so that he has time to think carefully and to deeply understand everything that’s happening.

Even the CEO of JPMorgan, Ms. Mary Callahan Erdoes, stresses the importance of a diary as she has stated that “managing the diary is the most important thing, especially when you are busy, and you have more responsibilities.”

Finally, the owner of Tesla, Twitter, and a few other important companies of the last decade, the “richest man in the world”, Elon Musk, is one of the biggest proponents of the calendar. In fact, he has stated that the only way he can schedule his 80+ hour workweek is to schedule it and stick to that schedule to the minute!