Your Schedule, 2.0

I’ve spent years of my professional life drifting from meeting to meeting. Propelled by an unseen force, I’d spend my days focused on trivial or distracting tasks. Often, I’d spend my evenings and early mornings diving into important work, allowing little time for my family or personal life. In retrospect, the unseen force controlling my drift was a lack of preparation and alignment. To counter the drift, I created a tool called the Weekly Schedule Template. This tool allows me to properly align my activities with my energy levels, making the most out of my day and truly contributing to my goals and important projects. Today, I will tell you how to put this tool into action and walk you through an example.

I fill out the template once every few quarters, usually when there’s a major adjustment to my schedule. Once complete, it becomes a reference document. Download a copy here:

Weekly Schedule Template.pdf

Download PDF • 30KB

Here are the steps to complete your own Weekly Schedule Template:

1. Define your energy levels. The first step is to define your energy levels, a subjective assessment of how you usually feel at any time of day. Use a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest possible energy level. I am a morning person. In fact, I am typing this at 5:27 AM on a Sunday as I sip on a lovely cup of black coffee. I assess myself as an 8 at 5 AM, then increase to a 10 around 8 AM. I peak energy level from around 8 AM to around 11 AM, then I begin to decline. At 10 or 11 AM I drop back down to a 7, a likely byproduct of being switched on all morning. I maintain this energy level through lunch, then drop to a low of 5 around 1 PM. My energy level remains in this rut until around 3 PM, when I usually hit my second wind. I’m back up to a 7 energy score from 3 PM to 5 PM. I’m back up to an 8 from 6 PM to 8 PM, a third wind which usually includes a beer… I’d describe myself as functionally useless after 8 PM with an energy score around 4. There’s no right way to complete this portion of the template. Later, you will use the energy assessment to align the types of activities you will schedule. Here's my example:

2. Block sleep – aim for 8 hours. This is a simple step but one many professionals struggle to execute. You should aim for a consistent 8 hours of sleep each and every day. On your template, write “bed” when you plan to get in bed each evening, then hash out the remaining time blocks until “rise.” A good night’s sleep helps you focus, impacts your mood, and contributes to long-term health. Here’s my example:

3. Add “must do." The difference between "must," "should," and "want" to do is nuanced and can be personalized. I define "must do" items as those which apply to my overarching life design and formative goals. Further, "must do" items must occur at a specific time. Great examples include an exercise class or time with your family. My "must do" items include dinner with my family, a weekly family adventure, and lunch on Friday with my wife.

4. Add “should do.” The "should do" category includes essential items, though they may not directly correlate with a goal. Again, "should do" items will occur at a specific time. These are likely reoccurring work commitments, those which require your personal attention and commitment. "Should do" events are those you should not delegate. On my template, I’ve defined a handful of meetings I can’t miss: a daily team sync, a twice-weekly sync with my boss (the director), a sync across the enterprise (captured as c.sync), and an operations sync.

5. Add “want to do.” The “want to do” category includes lower-priority items with a known time of execution. For me, this includes dropping off and picking up my kids on most days which I’ve captured on my template as “bus.” Additionally, I’d like to get to the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu class in town, captured on Wednesdays at noon. Here’s a view of my current build:

6. Define remaining time blocks. I describe this step as the “secret sauce” to building a more effective week. As you look at your template or the one I shared in step 5, you should natural gaps between what you must, should, and want to do. Next, consider the types of work requiring the highest levels of energy. Focus is the kind of work that requires your absolute best, like working on your dissertation (I’m talking to you, Brian). Easy is the kind of work you can do on autopilot, like sifting through your email. Admin is the type of work that requires little attention. Errands is the type of work that requires little focus but must be completed on the go. Feel free to add or adjust these categories. Now, look back over to the energy levels you captured. Begin to block off time and assign a type of work to accomplish in this block. For example, I identified a natural gap each Monday morning after my 9 AM sync. I am at a high energy level in the morning, so I blocked this time off for focused work. On Tuesdays, I found a big block after the sync with my boss, but I am usually at a far lower energy level at that time. I blocked this time off for either easy tasks or meetings. Here’s what my template looks like now:

The Follow Through.

So now you have this awesome template, but what exactly do you do with it? First, use it as a guide to plan your week and allocate time to your goals and important projects. Look through the work you need to accomplish and schedule focus time by adding it to your calendar. Next, block off time on your digital calendar to prevent or reduce overscheduling. As an example, I have a BLOCK on my calendar each Friday to prevent scheduling during that time period. I also have reoccurring BLOCK entries for each of my focus periods. Finally, Use your template when dynamically scheduling or adding events. Instead of taking the first available dentist appointment, find a time that corresponds with an easy, admin, or errand block.

If you’re an analog person, keep the template in your notebook and reference it as needed. If you’re digital, like me, consider this advanced meth Create a new calendar and include all of the items you created on paper. Ensure each entry is reoccurring in perpetuity. Toggle this calendar on when scheduling, either on your phone or computer.

This simple tool has changed how I approach my life, allowing me to focus time and energy on my priorities. At the beginning of the article, I described an unseen force that undermined productivity. Before, that unforeseen force was a lack of preparation. Now, preparation and alignment drive my day-to-day schedule. There are still hiccups and last-minute adjustments, but the majority of things I schedule feel deliberate and are aligned. I challenge you to incorporate this tool and see how it changes your approach to the calendar and scheduling over the next year.