How to Balance Meetings and Focus Time

Anyone else suffer from meeting overload? It’s a big deal. Simply put too many meetings means less time available for actual work, plus constantly attending meetings can be mentally draining, and often they simply are not required to accomplish the agenda items. At the same time sometimes it’s unavoidable. No matter where you are in your career, here are a few ways that I tackle this topic so that I can be my best and hold myself accountable to how my time is spent. I take 15 minutes every Friday to look at the week ahead and what is on my calendar. I follow these tips to ensure what is on the calendar should be and that I’m prepared. It ensures that I have a relevant and focused communications approach, and enables me to focus on optimizing productivity, outcomes and impact. 1. Review the meeting agenda. If there’s no agenda I send an email asking for one so you know exactly what you need to prepare for, and can ensure your time is correctly prioritized. You may discover you’re actually not the correct person to even attend. If it’s your meeting, set an agenda because accountability goes both ways. 2. Define desired outcomes. What do you want/need from the meeting to enable you to move forward? Be clear about it with participants so you can work collaboratively towards the goal in the time allotted. 3. Confirm you need the meeting. Meetings should be used for difficult or complex discussions, relationship building, and other topics that can get lost in text-based exchanges. A lot of times though we schedule meetings that we don’t actually require a meeting to accomplish the task at hand. Give ourselves and others back time and get the work done without that meeting. 4. Shorten the meeting duration. Can you cut 15 minutes off your meeting? How about 5? I cut 15 minutes off some of my recurring meetings a month ago. That’s 3 hours back in a week I now have to redirect to high impact work. While you’re at it, do you even need all those recurring meetings? It’s never too early for a calendar spring cleaning. 5. Use meetings for discussion topics, not FYIs. I save a lot of time here. We don’t need to speak to go through FYIs (!) 6. Send a pre-read. The best meetings are when we all prepare for a meaningful conversation. If the topic is a meaty one, send a pre-read so participants arrive with a common foundation on the topic and you can all jump straight into the discussion and objectives at hand. 7. Decline a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with declining. Perhaps you’re not the right person to attend, or there is already another team member participating, or you don’t have bandwidth to prepare. Whatever the reason, saying no is ok. What actions do you take to ensure the meetings on your calendar are where you should spend your time? It’s a big topic that we can all benefit from, please share your tips in the comments ⤵️ #careertips #productivity #futureofwork

My #1 productivity tip (For the record - it does not involve any 🍅) Switch from an open calendar to a closed calendar. What? By default your calendar is empty (open) for anyone to book. The tip is to block your calendar ahead of time and open specific slots where you want others to be able to book time with you. Why? ↳ Forces you to be intentional about where you spend your time: By actively choosing when to be available, you take control of your daily agenda rather than letting others shape it. ↳ Focus on priorities that matter to you and the organization: This approach ensures that your most important tasks get the attention they deserve, and limits adhoc meetings or requests. ↳ Enables you to align your energy levels with the type of work you are doing: Schedule high-focus tasks during your peak energy times and less demanding tasks when you typically experience a dip in energy. ↳ Reduces the stress of constant interruptions and the inefficiencies of multitasking ↳ Improves meeting quality: When time slots are limited, meetings tend to be more focused and productive, as participants are more aware of the need to use the time efficiently. Notes: 1. Yes, there will be times where you need to make exceptions but have a high bar about this (can it really not happen at any other time?) 2. Communicate the same with your manager for transparency, as your way of working. 3. Review, Reflect and Adapt Regularly: Periodically review your calendar setup. What’s working well? What isn’t? Adjust your blocked times as needed to reflect changes in your work habits or life circumstances. 4. In-line with point 1 above, keep some flexibility in the blocked slots to accommodate emerging demand for your time. PS: You might be reading this and thinking, "This can't possibly work for me; my circumstances are too different." I challenge you to test it out. Start with just one or two blocked hours in your week.

Stop managing time. Start mastering energy. After coaching over 200+ executives, I've learned that the high-performers prioritize their energy not their time. Here's what they've shared with me (save this): 1/ Decision Energy Optimization ↳ Map your peak alertness hours (track for 5 days) ↳ Schedule critical decisions before 2pm ↳ Create a "power hour" buffer before board meetings 2/ Strategic Recovery Design ↳ Implement the Navy SEAL 4x4 breath work (4 seconds in, 4 out) ↳ Book 20-min gaps between high-stakes meetings ↳ Use "walking meetings" for 1:1s (movement = energy) 3/ Cognitive Load Management ↳ Batch similar tasks in 90-min blocks ↳ Use "two-minute previews" before switching contexts ↳ Clear mental tabs with a daily brain dump (5 mins, end of day) 4/ Energy-First Calendar Defense ↳ Rate meetings from 1-3 (energy give vs. take) ↳ Front-load relationship building before 11am ↳ Create "untouchable Thursdays" for deep work 5/ High-Impact Recovery Protocols ↳ Master the 3-2-1 reset (3 deep breaths, 2 stretches, 1 intention) ↳ Schedule "micro-breaks" (7-12 mins) after lunch ↳ Use "energy gates" (10-min buffers) between major transitions 6/ Presence Activation Tactics ↳ Activate the 2-minute centering ritual before important meetings ↳ Use "power phrases" in private before presentations ↳ Practice selective unavailability (block "focus hours" daily) 7/ Environmental Energy Design ↳ Make their desk an "energy zone" ↳ Create a "recharge corner" in your office ↳ Mute the chaos (noise canceling earbuds) 8/ Relationship Energy Management ↳ Identify your top 5 energy amplifiers (schedule them weekly) ↳ List your energy vampires (limit exposure to 30 min) ↳ Build your "energy board of directors" (5 people who elevate you) 9/ Peak State Activation ↳ Create your "power playlist" (60-90 motivation seconds) ↳ Design your "pre-game ritual" (specific sequence before big events) ↳ Use "anchor phrases" for instant state transformation 10/ Sustainable Excellence Framework ↳ Track energy levels hourly for one week (use 1-10 scale) ↳ Implement "recovery days" after high-intensity weeks ↳ Create your "minimum viable recovery" protocol (3 non-negotiables) Reality check: Your energy capacity is your competitive advantage. Not your ability to outlast everyone else. Which tactic will you implement in the next 24 hours? ♻️ Share to help a leader thrive 🔖 Save this guide for your next energy audit 🎯 Follow me (Loren) for more high-performance tactics

Want my 15-minute rule for calendar management? I used this rule as a CPA to help manage my calendar like a pro during tax season. Here's how it transforms productivity: ➡️ Block Everything in 15-Minute Increments Your calendar isn't just for meetings. Block EVERYTHING - focus time, breaks, email checking. This creates a realistic view of your actual capacity. ➡️ Color-Code by Energy Level Green: High-focus tasks requiring creativity and problem-solving Yellow: Medium-focus tasks like client meetings Red: Low-energy tasks like administrative work Schedule according to your natural energy peaks. ➡️ Create Buffer Zones Always add 15-minute buffers between meetings. This prevents the domino effect of one delay destroying your entire day. ➡️ Protect Your "Power Blocks" Identify when you're most productive and defend those time blocks ruthlessly. For you, it might be as an example 10am-12pm. Nothing but high-value work happens then. ➡️ The "One Task, One Block" Rule Multi-tasking is a myth. Assign ONE clear deliverable to each time block. The specificity creates accountability. ➡️ Weekly Reality Check Every Sunday, review your upcoming week and ask: "Is this realistic?" Be honest about what you can actually accomplish. ➡️ Non-Negotiable Self-Care Schedule self-care blocks with the same importance as client meetings. Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. What's your biggest calendar management challenge? — Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Dr. Jackie Meyer, CPA for more. Want to transform your tax practice into a high-profit, lower-stress business? Join 18,000+ tax professionals in my newsletter at https://lnkd.in/guJeM_VH

*Getting out of meetings and into focused work* Do you ever open up your calendar in the morning and sadly realize that you’ll spend your whole day in back-to-back meetings, with zero time to create or think? This is one of my least favorite feelings — and if I feel it a few weeks in a row, it’s time to change something.    One key trick is to be extra intentional about what meetings I join. Sure, every meeting looks like just 30 minutes on a calendar. But the real costs are the preparation, context-switching, and Swiss-cheesing of my calendar so my dedicated thinking time has to wait until 5pm — or worse, after my kids’ bedtime. That takes a toll fast. How do I get myself out of constant meetings? 1. Remind myself that meetings aren’t work — they're a cost of getting work done. I always enjoy joining discussions with senior leaders and peers because they're interesting and make me feel important. But when I look at what I got done each week, “invited to strategy review” doesn't make the cut. “Shipped X” is much stronger. What meetings will make “shipped X” a reality? 2. Visualize alternatives. If I didn’t spend my day in meetings, I could do 3 deep analyses, or visit 2 customers, or write 2 complete strategy docs. Is sitting in a day of meetings truly more valuable for customers than that? This realization helps me push myself to change something when I’m stuck. 3. Create meeting slots for my goals. When I write my priorities every Monday, I hold time on my calendar for the specific goals I write down. That means I have to prioritize those blocks against what’s already there and let some meetings fall off. After a few weeks, those extra meetings magically disappear as I find other systems to solve those problems or hand off that work. 4. Empower others to lead meetings just like I would with projects. These lines come in handy: A. I see Alice is invited to this meeting and can represent for the whole team. Alice, sound right? B. Bharati, can I provide anything async to unblock the team rather than waiting for a meeting? C. Carmen, this is closest to your work. Are you up for joining this meeting in my place and leading this from now on? 4. Get social connection beyond meetings. Meetings are a great way to connect with all my amazing colleagues.  “Deep thinking work” just doesn’t replicate that. So I make sure that I'm connecting with colleagues a few times every week even if it’s just quick catchups in the microkitchen. I’m always worried that declining meetings might seem disrespectful, like I don’t think something is worth my time. It’s helped to share what I’m spending time on instead so people can see what I’m prioritizing, and check-in to make sure no one is waiting on me. And as I've tried these tactics, I've been able to create more space for what’s important – both inside and outside work. (This is part of an ongoing series about product, leadership, and scaling! For regular updates, subscribe to amivora.substack.com)

We've all been there—calendar packed, back-to-back meetings, and by the end of the day, you wonder: "Did I really get anything done today?" It's a modern-day dilemma that can sap the energy of even the most focused professionals. Here’s how I tackle it: ⚡ **Guard your prime time**: Block off your most productive hours each day for deep, uninterrupted work. Meetings can wait. 🛠️ **Create an 'Urgent vs. Important' matrix**: Before you accept a meeting, ask: Is this mission-critical, or could it be addressed another way? Prioritize time for high-value activities that align with your goals. 💬 **Shorten your meetings**: Instead of defaulting to an hour, aim for 15-30 minutes and stay laser-focused on the agenda. ⛔ **Say no (gracefully)**: You don’t have to be in every conversation. Set boundaries. If your presence isn’t crucial, politely decline. 💡 **Leverage async tools**: If a quick update suffices, use email, Teams, or a shared document. Not every discussion requires a live meeting. 📅 **Set specific meeting days**: Designate a couple of days for calls and free the rest for execution time. 📈 **Hold 'walking meetings'**: Got a catch-up or status update? Take it on the go. It’ll boost your energy and creativity. 👥 **Bundle similar meetings together**: Consolidate team meetings, 1:1s, and quick syncs into one focused block. 📝 **Have a clear agenda and outcome**: Every meeting should have a purpose. If not, reconsider whether it’s necessary. Keep your focus on where it really matters. Meetings shouldn’t prevent you from doing what you’re best at: making an impact! How do YOU ensure meetings don’t consume your day? #ProductivityHacks #MeetingManagement #FocusTime #TimeManagement #Efficiency #LeadershipTips #WorkSmarter #SalesSuccess #ProductiveMindset

Show me a leader’s calendar, and I’ll be able to tell you a lot about them. Have them walk me through where, how, and why they spend their time and how that stacks against their goals, and I can predict the degree of success they'll have in achieving them. Most people are over-scheduled and wrongly-scheduled. Time and attention are your most valuable assets. Are you sure you're using them effectively? Through many painful years of trial and error, I’ve learned to be fiercely protective of my time. Every week, I look ahead to the next month and put each meeting and every event on trial for its life. Below is a real (blurred) example of an upcoming week for me. First thing I notice: Too booked. Not enough white. I love white in my calendar. That’s where magic occurs. That’s space to walk around the office, run into someone, and make a phone call. Clear my head, especially in advance of important meetings. What can I kill to get more white? Second: Do I have enough time for myself? Purple is ‘Me Time’ and orange is ‘Focus Time’ or ‘Thought Time’. That’s when I turn everything off and either focus on a top priority or just take time to… think. Really, just think. No agenda. No electronics. Just allow my mind to wonder. Third: I check my objectives for the year, the month, and the week, and look at my calendar again: how will I use Focus time? Do I have the right internal (dark green) or external (light green) meetings towards my objectives? What am I missing? What can I kill or delegate? Then I’ll ask myself for every time slot: Is this an energy up or down? No middle ground. 'Energy up' are people and meetings that energize me. I want more of those and less of the others. That doesn’t mean I kill or reshuffle everything, but I often do. I aim to spend 70%+ of my working hours on my objectives and in energy-up ways. Here’s how to get started: Take 100% responsibility for your calendar. Boss invited you to something? Ask if you are really needed. You can at least influence even if you can’t control everything. Cancel a meeting or two. How does that feel? What did you learn? Schedule meetings for 20 or 50 minutes, not 30 or 60. Use that time to clear your mind and set your intention before the next. Booked solid for weeks to come? Start fresh a month or two ahead. Start by blocking a few hours for focus and through time. Make it non-negotiable. My schedule will shift or fill up and I review daily for the week. If I get overbooked or take a low-energy meeting, so be it. Be kind to yourself. Be curious. You probably had a good reason at the time. Observe. Learn about yourself and your tendencies. Make your time and attention your top priority. If you don't, no one else will. And when you do, there may be a positive ripple effect in your company. – This post is Lesson 13 in my series: 𝟮𝟬 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗭𝗜𝗖𝗢. Follow along for insights from then, now, and in between

Time is limited, so spend it wisely. Leaders have to maintain a balancing act between being protective of time but also available for their team when inevitable things come up. I balance by scheduling “free” time and “me” time at work. I never want my team to think I’m too busy for them, so I put gaps in my day where I’m free for them to reach me if they need me. During this “free” time, I’m either sitting at my desk (which is out in the open – no door necessary) or walking around, so I’m easily accessible. During “me” time, I give 100% of my focus to doing the work I need to do that day. I’ve found that the biggest time waster for many leaders is meetings. If you’re going to be protective of your time, you have to choose the meetings you attend carefully. Here’s how I do it: – Avoid scheduling more than 2 meetings back-to-back. This gives time to soak in the content of the meeting, decompress, and show up as my best self the rest of the day. – Only attend meetings if I need to hear what’s being discussed or my input is needed. I want whoever is running the meeting to know that they have my full confidence and attention. I try to balance supporting leaders on my team while also giving them the space they need and want. It’s about creating trust and a safe space to lead and grow. – Avoid setting or attending meetings about things that can be discussed through email. I don’t call meetings just for the sake of meeting. Meetings aren’t action items. Their purpose is to provide information, gain alignment, and provide clarity for the actions that need to come from this new information. If something can be communicated through an email, that saves everyone time. How do you protect your time?

Our calendar reveals our true priorities. We unconsciously surrender control of our time, letting others dictate our schedule until productivity becomes impossible.  I’ve been there, so I know the struggle. Here is what helps me: - Block large chunks for deep work—no meetings, no Slack, no distractions - Set clear boundaries on your [Cal.com] events - Batch meetings together so you’re not constantly switching context When I finally started treating my time with this level of care, I went from being frustrated at constantly breaking focus to hop into meetings to having the space needed for meaningful progress on what actually matters. I was drowning in distractions. Now I protect my time religiously.