Virtual Whisperer 12 — Time Block

One of the things I like about working virtually is the freedom to manage my own day. I’ve never been the type to multitask — running the laundry during office hours or starting to prep the evening meal. But I do like that I can walk the dog mid-day or end my day whenever I want.

I’ve written that Outsell was pretty much born virtually at a time when “high-speed” meant dial-up and no one could see anyone on the phone because there was no such thing as video. I loved that people couldn’t barge into my office and that I didn’t have to hang anything on my home office door saying “writing in progress” with the door shut to tell people not to disturb me.

I’ve long felt that working from home can be more productive. What’s lost is those serendipitous moments or those times when you can call a quick brain-jam to solve a problem or have a creative burst of energy from the alchemy of working with colleagues. For me, the benefits of having a team working from home have far outweighed the costs of people commuting, sitting at cubicles, only to rinse and repeat day after day. There’s more to life than office life, and in my book, I write about canceling commutes and eliminating the unnecessary waste of time that comes with sitting in traffic.

That said, one thing that comes up for folks about virtual work is not being able to turn it off. Working from home tests our mettle about setting boundaries. Putting the phone on the other side of the room at night or turning the laptop off after hours is really important. So is making sure that video doesn’t run us in this age of Zoom-everything. One CEO I spoke with recently talked about the burnout of back-to-back Zoom meetings. Frankly, back-to-back meetings in any setting can be exhausting, with people craving time to actually “get work done.”

So here’s my method for meeting planning — it’s a little extreme, but it’s always worked for me. I designate days that are for specific purposes.

Monday is admin day, including a weekly exec team meeting, any one-on-ones, and what I call “open office hours” when anyone can reach me for critical issues on their minds.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are client-facing. I meet with clients. I focus on product execution, scoping complex custom engagements, or meeting with the CEOs of our most important accounts.

Fridays are catch-up. Things I couldn’t get to or things that require follow-up before the week ends to provide a sense of completion. I tend to do my writing on the weekend as it’s white space-time but often will also do it in the afternoons.

I also time block not only what I do on any given day but also how I organize the day. I review email early in the morning and then go about my morning for an hour or two, enjoying breakfast, going for a swim, walking the dog, or just taking a long shower after journaling. After I start my day, my meetings are morning time — 9 am to 1 pm and with a half-hour between each. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s a lifesaver. It gives me time to stretch, take a bio break, send emails to follow up on meetings, and to do action items. If I have to call the hairdresser to make an appointment, I can squeeze that in too.

After lunch — which used to be spent with clients — I’d keep the afternoon relatively clear to do project work and to do my best thinking or writing. So interaction and appointments in the morning and project time in the afternoon. I have been doing this for at least 10 years, and it works wonders. I try not to let things bleed in outside my normal times. But I also have white space so that if an emergency client appointment comes up requiring an afternoon, I can handle it. This week, a client asked for a two-hour project debrief between 3 and 5 pm. I rarely do that, but it was important to the client, and the time was free. So why not?

This kind of structure is enormously freeing. Folks know mid-week is not the time to call and ask about administrative items. Others know they can reach me in the afternoons because I’m not booked, and if I’m heads down in a project, Slack is off. If I’m around doing thought work that’s interruptible, then Slack is on, and they can come on in. This gives me free time to anticipate the unexpected, because the unexpected comes up in my role, just as it does for any officer or team member.

So, give yourself a break and time block. It’s liberating. And it gives you time to take care of yourself so you’re not running from meeting to meeting and Zoom to Zoom!