When I first became a manager, I didn’t think twice about my calendar. Who does? there are a lot more important things to worry about, right?
It was just… there. Stuff showed up. I showed up.
By week two, I was in back-to-back meetings from 9 to 5, answering e-mails at lunch, and catching up on “real work” after dinner. The calendar looked full, so I assumed I was being useful.
Maybe I was, but not in any deliberate way.
I was reacting - bouncing from call to call, hoping something important would magically rise to the top.
Over time, I came to a painful but useful conclusion: My calendar is my strategy.
It’s the most brutally honest diagnostic I know.
Try to just look at your week.
It’ll show you exactly what you actually care about. Or what other people have decided you should.
“It’s Just Logistics”
Most of us treat their calendar like a shared document, or in other words, a thing that other people fill.
We accept almost every invite. Say yes to meetings because we “should be in the loop.” We let the week shape itself, then wonder why it feels like a blur.
We do the work around our calendar instead of designing our week to do the work.
Eventually, we become a professional attendee with no time to lead.
Your Calendar Is a Mirror
You don’t need a fancy strategy document. Just look at where your hours go.
That’s what you’re actually prioritizing.
Say you care about your team but don’t have regular 1:1s? The calendar disagrees.
Focused on hiring, but never blocked time to prep or debrief? The actions don’t match the goals.
Burned out, but leave zero room for rest or prioritizing what truly matters? You're building burnout into your week by design.
It’s not a time management issue.
It’s a decision-making one.
How to Take Control
You don’t need to overhaul your life. Start with a week.
1. Audit the Past Week
Pull up your calendar and ask:
What was worth it?
What drained me?
What did I avoid or rush?
What’s missing entirely?
2. Identify One Change
Maybe it’s cutting a meeting. Maybe it’s adding 30 min on Fridays to review the week.
Maybe it’s just blocking time to think before a decision.
Don’t try to fix everything. Just one thing.
3. Build Around Your Priorities - Not Others’ Requests
Before you respond to invites, block time for:
1:1s and team
Your own planning and recovery
Key decisions that need time to think
4. Use Labels or Color Codes (if you’re into that)
Make it visible. Am I spending time on:
People?
Projects?
Admin?
Noise?
The point isn’t perfection. It’s visibility.
The Bottom Line
If your week is chaos, your strategy is chaos.
Look at your calendar. Then start fixing the story it tells.
See you next time.