Calendar Clearing: How to create space for work that’s important to you

“Look at my week Marguerite!”

Daniel had indicated prior to our fortnightly coaching call that foremost on his mind were the endless meetings that cluttered his days. He was feeling overwhelmed, time-strapped and frustrated in not being able to devote the time necessary to close important deals for his company.

I asked him to share his calendar for that week on the ZOOM screen. “A picture paints a thousand words” was never more true. I immediately saw Daniel’s predicament – his days were chockfull of meetings, resulting in him working until 11.00 p.m. many nights. And STILL not being able to get his work done.

So we got to work on a Calendar Clearing exercise. Starting on Monday of the following week, we went through each meeting in his calendar, exploring a series of questions:

1. Do you have to attend this meeting?
2. Why is it important for you to be there?
3. Is this the best use of your time?
4. If you have to attend, do you have to attend it for the entire duration?
5. If you don’t have to be there for the entire duration, how much time you will devote to it? Advise the meeting host of your time commitment.
6. If you don’t have to attend the meeting at all, is there someone who could represent you? This could be an opportunity to develop a key member of your team by exposing them to broader opportunities and for them to expand their scope.
7. If you will not be attending the meeting, decline the invitation so that you get it out of your calendar.

By the end of the exercise, Daniel had one afternoon and a whole day void of meetings! He couldn’t believe it! But we didn’t stop there: I reminded him that “nature abhors a vacuum”. If he left the times blank, chances are the time would get filled with things that were not important and not the best use of his time. I invited him to block times for himself to do work that requires focus, concentration and deep thinking – like those deals that he was currently working on at 11.00 p.m.

A few days later, I guided Debbie through her Calendar Clearing. I brought to her attention that her meetings were packed so tightly that she rarely took a break for lunch. Her calendar now has 30 minutes blocked each afternoon for lunch.

Both Daniel and Debbie have committed to doing this exercise every Friday afternoon.

Your calendar is an invaluable tool for managing your time and productivity, but only if you use it proactively. A weekly calendar clearing will ensure that your calendar reflects your priorities. Over time, you will also send a message to others about the value you place on your time, and what’s important to you. They may even follow your example and manage their calendars more effectively, thus making for a team that is more productive and maybe even more joyful.

We each have 24 hours in a day – the only difference between us is how we use the hours. Guard your time zealously.