Populate Your Google Calendar to Prevent Other People From Stealing Your Time
Ah, an empty calendar. All this free time and opportunity, all that you are going to do – that is, until your colleagues see this free time and fill it with meetings and commitments. Before this happens again, you need to get on the defensive.
You can be more strategic than stretching out a five hour “NOT SCHEDULE” all day long. Make Use Of has a good list of specific time slots to highlight to ensure a quieter, more productive work day:
- 30 minutes to start your day
- 15-30 minutes immediately after the meeting to discuss issues
- 2-hour blocks of “deep work” for concentration
- 1 hour per day to respond to unexpected, urgent requests
- 20-30 minutes at the end of each day to take stock and prepare for tomorrow.
Your calendar will appear full, but you will know that the blocked time is yours.