I was reading the book Deep Work by Cal Newport and was intrigued by one of his calendar scheduling tips.

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First, a quick synopsis of Cal’s book: He believes that most people have lost the ability to go deep, spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media. They often don’t even realize there’s a better way!

To make strides in our lives, businesses, work, we need to be able to think deeply.

Now, this isn’t a book review, though I do highly recommend you read his book if you are looking for concrete strategies to clear the space in your life to really think and focus.

What I most want to share is his calendar strategy.

  • Block out your day in half-hour blocks.
  • Add some “overflow” blocks if you want to give yourself a little room to be spontaneous.
  • When you get into the flow, or estimate low, or get interrupted (hello – LIFE!) and your plan is shot and your day has gone off the rails, rewrite the blocks!

Yep – groundbreaking!

Instead of trying to cram everything you have left to do in the time remaining (or worse yet, getting to the end of the day and wondering what happened), create a new plan for your day to get back on track.

Ask yourself, “What makes sense for me to do with the time remaining?” Then build your plan based on that answer.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to following your schedule each day? Comment below – I’d love to hear!