Picture this: It’s a Tuesday morning, I’m staring at my calendar with three urgent requests in my inbox, a workshop to prepare, and my carefully planned schedule already falling apart. Sound familiar? This was me trying to stick to an impossibly rigid Commitment Inventory system. After returning from maternity leave and adjusting to a new work-life rhythm, I knew I needed a different approach.

A few years ago, I wrote about discovering the Commitment Inventory through a ToDoist productivity quiz. Since then, I’ve refined how I use this approach to manage my workload and time. With the changes I talked about in my last post about work boundaries, I want to update how I’m using the Commitment Inventory as well. Nothing like a new year for an overhaul…

What is the Commitment Inventory?

For those new to this concept, the Commitment Inventory is a way to map out all your commitments and the time you can commit e.g. based on your schedule, workload model or priorities. You then compare the need against the time you can commit, for example per week. It’s brutal but effective – especially if you’re someone who tends to say ‘yes’ to everything (guilty as charged!).

What Didn’t Work

Let me be honest about what didn’t work in my previous approach:

  • Trying to schedule every minute of my day (hello ADHD tax when plans changed!)
  • Not leaving buffer time for unexpected tasks
  • Being too rigid with time blocks
  • Forgetting that other people’s urgencies would impact my carefully laid plans
  • Not accounting for the energy different tasks require

What is Changing in My Approach

1. More Realistic Time Blocks

My initial attempt at implementing the Commitment Inventory was a bit too rigid. I tried to schedule every minute of my day, which honestly just set me up for failure. Now I follow a more flexible approach:

  • I block out regular focus time (normally first thing since that’s when I can focus best)
  • I use the online writing sessions I host for my project work (regular blocked time slots with added friendly peer-pressure)
  • I keep some time unscheduled for unexpected tasks (allowing for other people’s “urgencies”)

Here’s what this looks like in practice for a Tuesday (WFH day):

08:00-09:00: Focus time (e.g. Workshop prep)
09:00-09:30: Email check & quick tasks
11:00-12:30: Workshop delivery
12:30-13:00: Lunch & fresh air
13:00-14:30: Resource design
14:30-15:00: Buffer time
15:50-17:10: Power Hour of Writing (use for things that dropped off the To do list)
17:10-17:30: email

2. Themed Days Instead of Rigid Schedules

Rather than trying to fit everything into specific time slots, for 2025 I will try and assign themes to my days based on my working location. As a neurodivergent person, this helps reduce the mental load of context switching and makes it easier to batch similar tasks together.

My 2025 schedule looks like this:

Monday: Non-working day (Family time)

Tuesday: Workshop preparation, Workshop delivery, Resource design (WFH)

  • Perfect for focused work with minimal interruptions
  • Can use my best focus time effectively

Wednesday: Meetings, Catch-ups, non-focus work (On Campus)

  • Great for collaborative work
  • Easier to handle interruptions

Thursday: Workshop delivery, Catch-ups, focus work (On Campus)

  • Balance of structured and flexible time
  • Community building opportunities

Friday: Writing, reading and research (WFH)

This gives me more flexibility while still maintaining structure. It’s also easier to communicate to colleagues when I’m available for specific types of work.

3. Integration with Other Tools

I want to better integrate the Commitment Inventory with my other productivity tools:

What I Hope to Achieve

The Power of ‘No’

Understanding my actual capacity through the Commitment Inventory should make it easier to say ‘no’ to new projects. When someone asks me to take on something new, I can look at my commitments and make an informed decision rather than automatically saying yes. It should also help me predict the impact on other projects e.g. a change in timeline due to an added commitment.

Building in Buffer Time

One of my biggest lessons has been that I am not planning in a bubble and other people will ask for things. Unfortunately, these are often last minute and urgent requests and even though I would like to say “Don’t make your lack of planning my urgency” I can’t and have to deliver. In addition, things always take longer than we expect, and without buffer time, one delayed task can derail your entire schedule. For 2025 I will try and underbook myself leaving protected time for urgencies. If there aren’t any, I can use that time for my own work.

Regular Reviews are Essential

Before I went on maternity leave we did regular monthly reviews as a team and I want to add my commitments to this review process. This should help me spot potential issues before they become problems. I really enjoy the monthly review process and I look forward to picking this up again for 2025.

Flexibility is Key

While the Commitment Inventory is about mapping out time and projects, it needs to be flexible. Some weeks, your themed days might need to shift. That’s fine – the system should work for you, not the other way around. I can sometimes be rattled when plans have to change, especially last minute (thanks ADHD brain) but for 2025 I want to embrace flexibility more. I think having a proper project or commitment tracker will help with that. I just need to decide if I add this to my Bullet Journal or try it in Obsidian.

Tips for Getting Started

If you’re thinking about trying the Commitment Inventory approach, here are my top tips:

  1. Start small – maybe just map out your main work projects first
  2. Be honest about how much time you can allocate each week or month (this will determine how long things will take you)
  3. Don’t forget to include regular tasks like emails and meetings
  4. Build in time for learning and development
  5. Review and adjust regularly

The Reality Check

The Commitment Inventory isn’t about squeezing more into your day – it’s about understanding your actual capacity and making informed decisions about how you spend your time. It’s helped me become more realistic about what I can achieve and more intentional about what I take on. And for 2025, as I balance work with family life, I want to be more intentional with my time and use this tool more to my advantage.

If you’ve tried the Commitment Inventory or have other ways of managing your commitments, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

Want to learn more about my productivity journey? Check out my posts about my calm inbox approach and how I plan my week.