Hey Time Dorks,
February was a really exciting month for us. We delivered a bunch of talks and workshops on Make Time, and we’ve got some other exciting things we’ll share with you soon.
In a workshop I was teaching last week, a participant who was struggling with an overloaded calendar asked what else she could do to make time for her Highlight.
This brought to mind a tactic I used to love experimenting with when I was at Google, and I thought it’d be the perfect subject of this week’s newsletter.
Let’s dive in.
Something to Try
Have you ever noticed that your calendar is a lot like a garden?
Even when you intentionally clear out all those unnecessary meetings, you find they slowly creep back on your calendar.
It’s like weeds in your garden.
Now, the gardener doesn’t get angry at the weeds. They simply make time to pull them.
I wish it was this simple when it comes to work. But of course, you’re not always the boss, and you don’t always have the ability to just cancel a pesky meeting.
If that’s you, you might benefit from trying to Bulldoze Your Calendar (#10).
Imagine a tiny bulldozer driving through your calendar, pushing events around (yes, it’s more fun if you include sound effects).
Watch as that little bulldozer compresses a 30-minute meeting into a quicker, 15-minute chat.
Look! It just moved a bunch of one-to-ones from your morning into your afternoon.
The bulldozer might even stack all your meetings on one or two days of the week.
What’s the result?
More freedom. More space. More time to focus on what matters.
Now, I’m realistic. I’m aware that many people do not have full control of their schedules. Just remember, there’s no harm in telling people that something came up and asking if they can meet a little earlier or later.
In fact, when meetings are shortened or disappear, most people are thrilled.
We all try to say yes to every meeting because it feels like the nice thing to do. It’s the default in almost every office culture we’ve worked in. But don’t assume that every meeting is already the perfect length, or it’s been scheduled at the perfect time.
Instead, take ownership of your calendar and clean things up.
Hopefully, your new friend the bulldozer can help.
Tech & Tools
While bulldozing your calendar is an effective tactic, it can be better to avoid having meetings scattered all over the day in the first place.
One tool that has helped me is Calendly. It allows me to pre-set the times I’m available for meetings, which means I can protect my Highlight time.
Some people are concerned about the politeness of asking someone to schedule time with them, so check out this handy blog post for a few tips on how to do it.
I use this line a lot: “Feel free to share some times you’re available, or you can pick from my Calendly if it’s easier.”
Timely Quotes
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Connor
