{"id":24507,"date":"2020-08-19T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T08:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=24507"},"modified":"2021-05-12T15:14:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T14:14:33","slug":"value-of-calendar-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/value-of-calendar-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Take back your time: How to unlock the hidden value in your calendar"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most finite resources we have is time.<\/p>\n

And as an Executive Assistant, one of my top priorities is to ensure my leaders not only have enough time in the day, but are able to be effective, efficient, and productive.<\/p>\n

Helping them accomplish this isn\u2019t an easy task, but it\u2019s fundamental to their success. Allow too many meetings to pile on to their calendar, and they face some serious hydration and bladder issues. And missing the right meetings on the calendar can overlook important collaborative time.<\/p>\n

So how are Executive Assistants able to find time like magicians who pull fuzzy white bunnies from their black hats? While we\u2019re unable to create time, there is a bit of magic to how we manage the time we\u2019re given. I like to think of calendar management in terms of budgeting time \u2013 it’s a finite, invaluable resource, after all, so deserves to be carefully accounted for. In this way, calendar management becomes equivalent to allocating value to different priorities, identifying areas that need more investment, and reducing wasteful costs.<\/p>\n

Taking insights from my work with product and design leaders at Intercom, I\u2019ll share five tips that will help you renovate your own calendar and rethink how you manage your own time.<\/p>\n

1. Not all time is created equal<\/h2>\n

The value of time varies drastically based on how you split it. We each have 8 hours in a working day, but there are endless meetings and distractions that decide how that time is distributed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo 30-minute time blocks divided by a meeting are usually not as productive as a solid hour of heads-down time\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Two 30-minute time blocks divided by a meeting are usually not as productive as a solid hour of heads-down time. If you consider the amount of time it takes to decompress after a meeting, along with the amount of time it takes to get started on deep focus time<\/a>, one solid hour will always yield higher levels of productivity.<\/p>\n

Returning to the concept of budgeting your time, let\u2019s think about time in terms of money, where hours and minutes are dollars and cents. Your end goal is to make each hour buy as much productivity as possible. If given the choice of 15 minutes or an hour to make progress on a project, the choice is always clear \u2013 the hour is equivalent to $100 where the 15 minutes may as well be pennies.<\/p>\n

In a traditional structure of 8 am – 5 pm, it\u2019s important to scaffold your calendar in a way that makes it work for you. This is so crucial to protecting your time first, versus leaving it open for others to decide your day for you. When you leave your calendar open to all, you become susceptible to everyone else\u2019s agenda overriding your own and risk ending up with with mere scraps to allocate your time budget.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of a less-than-ideal day that\u2019s been overtaken by meetings scheduled at less-than-ideal times:<\/p>\n

\"This

This calendar is not so ideal because it breaks apart meetings with focus time versus chunking focus time together.<\/p><\/div>\n

When building the optimal scaffolding for your calendar<\/a>, there are two key ingredients to consider. You need to understand and identify the rhythm of both the company and your team, and equally as important, when you\u2019re most productive.<\/p>\n

\"An

This is an example of what an ideal day could look like. Notice that there\u2019s 10 minutes between meetings for you to grab water or a snack. And, you\u2019ve got focus time at each end of the day to answer emails or dive into deep work on a project.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the above example, this person is most productive in the afternoons. Therefore, blocking a large chunk of focus time in the later part of the day aligns with their needs. You can begin to build out hour-long (ideally hours-long) chunks of time for yourself where you can really dive into tactical work after meetings.<\/p>\n

Once you decide on your rhythm and perfect your calendar scaffolding, leave it in place every week. That repetitive structure is key to managing your calendar \u2013 it\u2019ll allow you to anticipate what time you\u2019ll have every day, and allows your team to predict when you\u2019ll be available each week.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvaluate where you have gaps of dead space that offer minimal to no value\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then, evaluate where you have gaps of dead space that offer minimal to no value, what meetings can be shifted around to work best for you, and where in your day you can chunk meetings and focus times into separate clusters.<\/p>\n

Think of your one-hour (or more) chunks of time like $100 bills. The more you can collect, the wealthier you\u2019ll be with your focus time. Collecting 15 pennies doesn\u2019t make you wealthy, but collecting 15 $100 bills could certainly take you on a solid shopping spree!<\/p>\n

2. Challenge what you agree to<\/h2>\n

We have all encountered those situations where someone urged us to accomplish something yesterday because they didn\u2019t manage their own time effectively. A priority that is first on their list could be last on ours \u2013 our sense of urgency and prioritization shouldn\u2019t be dictated by everyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u201d is one of the most important words to have as part of your calendar vocabulary. When you hear the question \u201cCan I book time during this slot?\u201d, get used to answering “No,” especially if you\u2019re breaking up a valuable $100 chunk of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest question you should answer for yourself is: does this meeting align with the goals and business objectives my team must accomplish this week?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Booking time on the calendar for my execs is always a negotiation. Even if someone requests 30 minutes during an available time, if there\u2019s a way to optimize that meeting further, I opt to do that instead. When I can say yes right away, I do, because that also saves everyone time. But 80% of the time, I offer alternatives before I freely give away the first option.<\/p>\n

Presenting alternatives can seem daunting. However, a big priority for Executive Assistants is to make sure leaders are at the right place at the right time, for the right amount of time, and during the most optimal time. You can use that same thought process when you get meeting invites.<\/p>\n

When presenting alternatives, here are some powerful questions:<\/p>\n