Sarah W.Sometimes, it’s best to schedule nothing. I don’t mean it’s good to have a work calendar devoid of appointments; that is actually about the opposite of what I’m saying. Your availability should be fully booked out, but you should have sections of that time dedicated to nothing. That means no distractions, no other obligations, and most importantly: no meetings. Simply mark it off as general unavailability.
This trend was started by Jeff Weiner on LinkedIn, who touted his habit of scheduling between 90-120 minutes of “gray buffers” each day, where no meetings including him can be scheduled. He typically breaks these up into half-hour or one-and-a-half hour blocks, and then uses that time to address his other work responsibilities. He did this because he found his schedule had become so jammed with meetings and gatherings that it was growing increasingly difficult to get any other work done.
If you are in a leadership position, then you probably know all too well how inconvenient this can be. But even if you are somehow who finds yourself wrapped up into too many meetings too often in another capacity, then this trick can be extremely helpful. Meetings have their purpose, but too many of them makes them a distraction from other necessary work duties. Here is what “nothing time” is, why it’s so important, and why you should schedule it too.
Nothing Time: Why It’s So Important
Having nothing scheduled does not mean you won’t be doing anything during this time — in actuality, you’ll be getting more done — but you will not have the opportunity, nor will you give that opportunity to others, to schedule meetings and gatherings with you as an attendee during those times. You will essentially be telling the world, “Hey, when I schedule nothing, that means I am unavailable to the world.” That doesn’t mean you will be spending that time staring blankly at a wall. You won’t be goofing off or catching up on your favorite TV shows. You will be working. This is why scheduling nothing is so important: it guarantees you will be more productive throughout your day, and will spend less time bogged down in endless meetings.
It is essentially a way to guarantee that you will have some breathing room, and be able to juggle your other work duties, such as coaching employees, managing workflow, and optimizing productivity. You know, all of the stuff that leaders are good at when they aren’t bogged down in endless meetings all day.
Keep Doing Nothing
When you schedule your “nothing time,” make sure you stick to it. You have to treat your blocks of unavailability with the same amount of importance as your meetings and other crucial responsibilities. If you do not, you won’t maintain the habit for long, and you will find yourself with the same problems you had before: endless meetings, no time to complete the rest of your duties, and the feeling that you are growingly out of touch with the day-to-day operations of your company. Your scheduled unavailability is important, as that is the time you are giving yourself to complete what needs to get done. Do not deviate from it. Do not cross it out with a sharpie. Let it become the norm, and you will profit from its presence.
Conclusion
There are a lot of quick productivity hacks out there. However, nothing can beat dedicating quality time to the tasks ahead. If you find yourself bogged down in infinite meetings, with little-to-no-time to actually get to what you need to get done, then it might be that it’s a scheduling issue. Instead of letting your work calendar fill to the brim with meetings and appointments, ensure you block off adequate time (perhaps 1.5-2 hours per day) to dedicate to other duties. Then, make sure that you do not allow others to schedule meetings involving you during these blocks. If you respect the blocks, so will they, and you will be able to take full advantage of your extra time to complete the mountain of responsibilities that have no doubt been piling up for you. If you would like to read more articles about productivity, lifestyle, wellness, or fitness, please make sure to check out our other blogs!
