🤸 Getting out of the weeds, makers vs. managers, & Swiss cheese

Hey — it’s Cristina & Jenni.

This week, we're exploring a strategy to structure your time as a leader so you can get out of the weeds, set better boundaries, and spend more time planning strategically for your team.

These days, many of us are faced with “do more with less,” and this approach should help give you some extra structure so you’re still able to tackle the most important items on your list.

We hope you enjoy, and if you have any feedback or ideas on topics we should cover, hit reply and let us know!

What we’re reflecting on this week

My exec coach told me a story earlier this week about what she calls “Studio Time.”

She had a client who felt that he was always moving a mile a minute, treading water just to stay afloat, and lacked time to get ahead of his more strategic priorities as a leader.

“Do you set aside time each week to do proactive planning?” she asked.

“I don’t feel like I have time. Wouldn’t that be cutting into my already packed agenda?” he replied.

She went on to propose that he block Studio Time each week for more creative, innovative, forward-looking planning… asking questions like:

• “What are my real priorities?”

• “What are the things I’m working on that are going well / not well?”

• “Will this matter in six months?”

He started experimenting with Studio Time every Friday afternoon starting at 3pm, and - years later - it’s still a staple on his weekly calendar.

It gives him time to breathe, think bigger, and plan ahead… which saves him time in the long run.

As busy leaders, we could probably all be a bit (or a lot) better about finding space for this type of strategic planning. Similar to the concept of maker vs. manager schedules (great article on this linked in our learnings below), half the battle is making sure our time is structured appropriately to allow space for both reactive and proactive tasks.

And it’s even MORE helpful if this is just one piece of a larger time management approach 🤓

Here's my philosophy:

One of the biggest game changers for me over the years has been getting on top of my calendar and creating a system that works for me so that I can operate at my best.

Your system might look different, but in the spirit of #LeadInPublic, why not share what’s been working for me? 😉

Let's break it down…

I use Google Calendar and have recurring blocks every weekday for:

• Morning routine ☕️

• Lunch 🍝

• Dinner & family time 💛

On top of that,

• I add in each high-priority item from my to-do list 📝

• And now, I’ll start blocking out Studio Time, as well 🎨

All of these items layer in with my meetings, and everything is color-coded by category to help me parse what I’m seeing at a quick glance.

This simple system accomplishes several things:

✅ Sets boundaries for my working hours

✅ Gives me more control over my day

✅ Carves out actual time for my to-dos (and proactive planning!)

💪 Bonus: Signals to my team and others that it's okay to set boundaries and that things like family time and meals are absolutely acceptable priorities.

→ Do you leave your calendar wide open or block your tasks? Have you experimented with anything similar to Studio Time?

What we’re learning this week

• 📝 Article: Maker vs. Manager – There’s a reason this article by Shane Parrish is subtitled “How Your Schedule Can Make or Break You.” This concept immediately resonated with us, and is useful to be aware of regardless of which department you’re in: GTM, technical, and everything in between.

• ✍️ LI post: This Stanford business school experiment will blow your mind – We won’t spoil the punchline on this one, but it’s an anecdote that’ll stick with you. Sahil Bloom does a great job of teeing up the story and exploring the key takeaways.

• 🎙️ Podcast: 4 surprising habits all high achievers have – Steven Bartlett sits down with bestselling author Ryan Holiday to discuss all things discipline. From defining personal success to the significance of honoring commitments to oneself, we enjoyed hearing Ryan’s perspective and the tales of Stoicism along the way.

What we’re enjoying this week

We thought this visual by Janis Ozolins paired well with our reflections this week aaand we also just love cheese (can you blame us?) 🐭

That’s it for this week — thanks for reading.

See you next Thursday! 🤸‍♀️