Protect Your Time

The holiday season is a whirlwind of activity, filled with family traditions, work deadlines, and gatherings that pull us in many directions. This special time of year presents both challenges and opportunities for maintaining a balance between professional demands and personal commitments. Yet, the strategies that help us navigate the holiday rush are not just seasonal solutions — they serve as a guide for year-round balance and fulfillment.

I’ve learned that protecting our time isn’t just a productivity strategy; it’s a commitment to living a balanced and meaningful life. As the end of the year approaches, I’d like to share a few intentional practices that make all the difference in protecting our time and preserving the moments that matter most.

Anchoring Time with the Calendar

Over the years, I’ve come to rely on my Outlook calendar as a cornerstone for setting intentions and safeguarding my priorities. It’s not my inbox, or backlog, or OKRs that are the true bottom line for what my daily life is like: it’s my calendar.  If it matters to me, it’s on the calendar. Every day, I wake up at 5:00 AM, and take my dogs for a walk. Then I sit down with a fresh cup of coffee and read updates, newsletters, and articles that interest me. This hour of solitude before anyone else in my family is awake is my peaceful alone time, doing one of my favorite things in the world: reading. I read from a variety of “daily” sources that keep my content varied and interesting. My 6:00 AM workout (online, with friends!) serves as a personal ritual — a non-negotiable block of time dedicated to my energy and strength. This routine has been a cornerstone of my life, especially since becoming a parent. The early start has always been worth it for the balance, energy, and clarity it brings to the rest of my day. By anchoring these moments in my calendar, I ensure they remain priorities no matter how full my schedule becomes. This means that by 7am when my family is getting going, I show up happy, connected, and ready for the day.

Proactive Planning for Key Moments

Planning ahead is essential for minimizing conflicts and maximizing presence. At the start of each school year, I enter all important events—recitals, parent-teacher meetings, you name it — into my calendar. Similarly, I dedicate time to planning key moments at work, scheduling regular meetings with my direct reports, mentors or mentees. I do the same thing for community engagement that is important to me, conferences, and other commitments to my network. By proactively protecting space for these moments, I reduce conflicts and increase my presence where it truly counts. This means that I have time blocked off a year or sometimes more in advance. If a conflict arises with something that I’m protecting time for, it’s a one-time exception for which I consider the tradeoff – versus having to decide every single week between a personal commitment and a work commitment, or a community event and a deadline. Depending on your current priorities, you might be protecting family time, or creative time, sporting time, travel time – whatever matters to you right now.

Designing a "Perfect Week" Template

For me, a structured week doesn’t mean rigidity; it means intentionality. I create recurring slots in my schedule for key priorities: brainstorming sessions, deep-focus work, networking and building connections, or simply downtime. The advantage of doing this is that I am fully present during each type of activity or meeting rather than trying to multi-task. The real challenge? Defending this time from creeping demands. It takes discipline, but the payoff is immense. For example, right now I have “lunch and outside walk” as a time block on Wednesdays. This is something I look forward to every week. Sometimes I cancel it in favor of something else, but that’s an exception vs the fresh air and time outside being the exception. Everyone can do this, if you start far enough in the future. Your calendar might be overwhelming this week, this month, this quarter – but if you craft a “perfect week” starting a couple of months from now, you are much more likely to benefit from the priorities you set than if you have to try to create time every week.

Defend Boundaries with Grace

Blocking time on a calendar is a powerful act—but defending that time is where the real work begins. I’ve taught myself how to be discerning about where my time and energy go. It’s perfectly okay to decline invitations or opportunities that don’t align with my goals or that detract from my well-being. Upholding my boundaries with grace allows me to focus on what truly matters without feeling overextended.

Building and Leaning on "Time Allies"

As our work and life responsibilities scale, managing time can no longer be a solo mission. It’s important to collaborate with those who can help safeguard my priorities— I am deeply grateful for the support of my Executive Administrative partner and Chief of Staff—my “time allies.” This concept does not require this type of work position though. I had a similar approach with my sisters, friends, and community. Lean on your “time allies” when necessary. Whether that means professional guidance on time prioritization, getting help with childcare, negotiating work commitments, or simply having a friend remind you to pause and breathe, connection makes balance more achievable.

When we protect our time, we show respect for ourselves and for the moments and people that deserve our best. Remember, it's not just about blocking time but safeguarding it to maintain a healthy balance between personal and professional responsibilities, while at the same time caring for our physical and mental health. Be present where it counts. And, most importantly, remember that your time is worth protecting—throughout the holiday season and beyond. As we look ahead, take a moment: How will you protect your time in 2025?