Time Management

Time Management

Structure the week so deep work, admin, and recovery each get real space. Protect capacity on purpose—every unplanned yes borrows from something that mattered.

When to Use

• The calendar is full but outcomes feel thin, or you keep underestimating how long work takes.
• You need a repeatable way to batch work and match effort to your energy.

Workflow

1. Time-blocking: assign calendar blocks to types of work (deep, meetings, admin), not just meetings.
2. Batching: group similar tasks (email, errands, shallow tickets) to cut switching cost.
3. Energy mapping: place the hardest thinking in your highest-energy hours; put shallow work in lows.
4. Parkinson's law: give tight, explicit time boxes so work does not expand without bound.
5. Buffer allocation: never schedule 100%—hold ~20% for surprises, slippage, and recovery.
6. Planning fallacy: pad estimates; assume important work runs long the first time.
7. Weekly over daily: one weekly pass (themes + big rocks) beats reactive daily triage alone.
8. Say no to protect yes: decline or defer what does not fit the plan; name the trade explicitly.

Examples

Example 1: You have three big deliverables—block deep work in morning peaks, batch Slack/email after lunch, leave Friday afternoon empty for overflow.

Example 2: A stakeholder adds a “quick” project—show the calendar blocks it displaces and negotiate scope or timing instead of stacking blindly.