Only the top 1% of applicants make it to the Athena Bootcamp – an acceptance rate more exclusive than Harvard University.
Most leaders treat their calendar like a storage unit — packing it full of commitments until no space remains. However, your calendar serves as the bridge between your goals and their execution.
When you open your calendar, you're designing how your energy will flow, which ideas will get oxygen to grow, and ultimately, which parts of your vision become real.
A poorly designed calendar creates a tax on everything you do: context switching drains your focus, reactive blocks kill deep work, and misaligned energy patterns cut your impact in half.
Consider this: The average leader spends 65% of their time in a reactive state, bouncing between meetings, emails, and "got a minute?" conversations. Their calendar often resembles Swiss cheese — full of holes just large enough to handle urgent tasks but too small for meaningful progress.
Start by creating a separate calendar view called "Typical Ideal Week." This isn't your actual schedule - it's a blueprint that helps your assistant understand your ideal flow when you're home and not traveling this quarter.
Your assistant will use this template as a north star to make scheduling decisions through your lens. It represents the default homeostasis you want to maintain.
If you frequently spend time in different cities, create additional ideal week views for each location. Start with your home base template first. You'll revisit and adjust these templates quarterly as your life evolves.
Create three distinct levels of meeting availability:
Level 1: High-priority access - reserve your best time blocks for these
Level 2: Standard meetings- schedule these during moderate energy periods
Level 3: Optional/flexible - schedule during commute times or end of day
Instead of accepting all meetings as they come, some other tactics to consider:
Protected time blocks
Energy management
Implement a weekly reset ritual:
The most successful leaders structure their time like elite athletes.
Dan Sullivan has a useful framework to consider: just as athletes don't train at maximum intensity every day, you shouldn't expect peak performance in every time block. Instead, design your week around three distinct types of days:
Small calendar adjustments can lead to significant improvements over time. Aligning important work with peak energy hours enhances decision-making and problem-solving, while regular planning becomes the driving force of progress. By creating systems that build on each other—morning prep fueling deep work, informing meetings, and inspiring strategic planning—you create a reinforcing cycle of effectiveness.
The perfect week doesn't exist, and chasing it will only lead to frustration. Instead, aim for what elite performers call "productive imperfection" — a sustainable rhythm that works with your natural energy patterns and life's inevitable uncertainties.
The most successful calendar systems have clear decision rules built in that make it easier to maintain your system when pressure hits. For example:
Mastering your calendar is an iterative process that unfolds over time. Start with your ideal template, but implement changes gradually. Pay attention to what works and what doesn't in the real world. Your needs will evolve as your role and circumstances change — let your calendar system evolve too.
Think of your calendar as an instrument for optimization rather than a prison of commitments.
The goal isn't to control every minute but to create conditions where your best work can emerge naturally and consistently. With thoughtful design and regular refinement, your calendar becomes a powerful tool for turning your potential into reality.