Scheduling Calls/Meetings and Time Management

Keeping my day free to focus on the highest priority and most intellectually intense work has become of the utmost importance. Getting into a rhythm and intensely focusing, even while following some organizational plan such as a checklist or block scheduling, is a struggle for me. In the last year, I have used a few rules to manage my schedule to elevate my focus and emphasize flexibility. It allows me to recapture precious downtime in between items. I control my calendar, it does not control me. Here is what is working for me:

1. I answer nearly every call I receive. The majority of calls can be resolved in less than fifteen minutes. We may only have a couple of hours per day when we are at our peak performance - so it is important to not be distracted when in such a rhythm. Besides, everyone is using cell phones or call forwarding so people are constantly reachable. If unsure if when we can talk, send a text "are you free now?" Then neither of us is tethered to our desks and organizing our days and productivity around conference calls. There are big blocks of time that I control, so I frequently give a wide time range - e.g. anytime on Monday afternoon.
2. I try to be direct and limit calls to fifteen minutes with vendors, advice seekers, and investment opportunities. With a clear objective, fifteen minutes can give plenty of time. Or it serves as a quick filter before investing a substantial block for a meeting where lots of materials will be shared. People love to schedule calls and meetings and it gives a false sense of productivity and importance. You can spend more time scheduling the call and responding to emails back and forth than the actual phone call. And then once calls are scheduled, they might be running late, need to postpone/reschedule, which just wastes more time.
3. I try not to schedule anything beyond one week, besides conference type events. If it is important, we can find the time to jump on the phone or meet in person. I'm happy to schedule in-person meetings as long as we are in the same city, but let's get it on the calendar in the next seven days. I'm able to extend my workday if need be. I would rather be flexible and accommodating to make progress quickly rather than waiting until the following month.

In the one year or so since I began this, I've had one person be put off by it. And that's fine. It is a risk. But the cost is small compared to the time I've recaptured by not waiting by the phone, communicating over scheduling, or delaying answers and decisions by having discussions weeks (or longer) in the future.