How to manage time like an executive, whether or not you are one

Managing your time matters at every level of work, but as your scope and your team grows, it becomes critical. In my current role, I have the gift of a trusted administrative assistant who takes the lead on optimizing my workday calendar. Over the last months, Carlos Sauma Madrigal has taught me many things about planning, pacing, and predicting that you can apply to your own time, whether or not you have a team, an executive title, or an assistant of your own.

At my company, we consistently work with global teams. That means not only lots of written questions and comments in email and Slack, but also lots of time talking through ideas and projects and results in live meetings with participants in just about every time zone you can imagine. Years ago, I once counted a day with 17 back-to-back (and concurrent) meetings.

I also learned from a manager I had once who would randomly skip 1:1s with me. No notice, no pattern, just me sitting staring at a video screen for 10 or so minutes until I gave up on him showing up. From that leader, I learned to treasure calendar integrity – it’s important to me that I not only use MY time wisely, but also don’t waste or disrupt the time of others.

Hold space for yourself

One of the lessons that stuck with me from executive training was the reminder to “do the work that only you can do” – which means both making sure you are earning your paycheck, but also fueling yourself to do your best work. I have always blocked some time on my calendar for thinking and planning, but Carlos leveled me up. He looks at my week and inserts breaks when he sees more than a few meetings in a row or when he sees a meeting for which he knows I like to do some prep work. This gives me time to breathe, to eat, to move, and to get some of the tasks done that are natural follow-ons from the meetings I’ve just been in. It also, importantly, gives me a moment to reset my emotional thermostat so that I’m not bringing challenging energy from one discussion into one that’s unrelated.

Looking at your day, where should you block some time to catch up? To prep? To breathe?

Look ahead

Carlos sets up time for us every Monday, where we look at the coming week and clear conflicts or block time for the work I need to get done. Then we look at the next two weeks to make sure we plan for what we know is coming. By looking further out than the next day (and I’ll admit to sometimes previously not even looking that far), we can plan for days off, holidays, and work travel, and carve out time for thoughtful work on larger projects.

How often do you look at your week – or your month – as a whole?

Are you letting your calendar drive your work patterns or are you applying your work patterns to your calendar?

Check how you’re spending your most precious resource

One of the first things Carlos did was to color-code the entries on my calendar into categories we defined together. I can now scan my weeks and see how the spectrum of strategic work, leadership, and mentoring is playing out. When my weeks lose balance, I know that I am unlikely to be doing my best work.

That balance isn’t just in work categories, of course. Because I need to let Carlos know when I have personal appointments that I need to hold time for – things like doctors and appliance deliveries and dinner plans -- we have a “personal” category. I’m reminded that making space for my outside life is also important.

At the end of your day or your week, did you spend your time on the right work? Did you make time for priorities of your own?

I’m grateful for Carlos’ help – I tell him often how much I appreciate the work he does to make sure I can do mine. While I know I won’t have his help forever (he’s midway through a degree program), I treasure the lessons he’s already taught me.