De-Prioritise Others

WELCOME

Let’s talk about a modern leadership epidemic, packed calendars. Too often, leaders equate a busy schedule with productivity, but is it truly a sign of effectiveness?

The reality is, when your calendar is crammed with back to back meetings, you leave little room for proactive thinking, creativity, or long-term strategic planning. Great leadership isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters.

So, let’s dive into this subject with inspiration, a balanced discussion, and practical takeaways to help you reclaim your time and lead with purpose.

QUOTES

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” Socrates

“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” Stephen R. Covey

“Don’t confuse activity with achievement.” John Wooden

“What gets scheduled gets done, but what gets prioritised changes everything.” Unknown

QUIBBLE

Common Belief: “Filling your calendar shows you’re in demand, active, and indispensable as a leader.”

For most the feeling will be...

• Packed schedules demonstrate commitment and accessibility.
• It creates a perception of high productivity and involvement.

The Reality is it...

• Leaves no time for strategic thinking or reflection.
• Can lead to burnout, inefficiency, and missed opportunities.
• Hinders the ability to adapt, pivot, or focus on emerging priorities.

While being active is important, true leadership lies in balancing action with thoughtful planning. A leader who schedules time for reflection and creativity becomes proactive rather than reactive, a crucial trait when building a high-performing environment.

Remember the art of strategy is to reduce what is on the plan to prioritise time, money and resource. Do the same with you calendar...thinking of yourself within those prioritise in mind.

As a leader you should be looking at what you do, evaluating whether the task has to be done, done by you, who could pick it up, what development opportunities there are for the team and creating a space so that the function or department can run by itself.

Some Actionable Tips

If your calendar is a wall to wall marathon, here are steps to reclaim your time and focus

Audit Your Calendar - Look for meetings or activities that don’t align with your key objectives. Delegate or eliminate where possible.

Schedule Thinking Time - Block out time each week for reflection, brainstorming, or strategic planning, and guard it fiercely.

Practice Saying No - Protect your priorities by setting boundaries around your time.

Batch Similar Tasks - Group meetings or tasks to create uninterrupted stretches for deep work.

Review and Refine Weekly - Revisit your schedule regularly to ensure it reflects your goals and values.

If at the end of the day you are being controlled by the needs others, rather than owning and being in control of your time, you have a problem that requires change.

QUESTION

"If you had two hours free planned in your diary today, how would you use it to make the biggest impact as a leader?"

THANKS

For reading this week’s newsletter.

If you have other subjects that you would like to hear about, drop me an email at [email protected]