A calendar is not just a reminder device for keeping track of external events.
Used right, a calendar can be a full-fledged tool for thought.
Conversation
Ooh, I'd love to trade calendar-nerd methods with you next time we hang! I record every 15-minute block each day, mostly tracking "ways of being" (creative action, execution, quality time with loved ones, duty, etc). It's been a useful diagnostic + reflective tool.
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Wow. I’m so curious what insights this has given you.
I did a similar exercise for a few weeks years ago, and was surprised to find that, consistently, I felt good while socializing with my kids and after eating, and bad mostly from worrying about money.
Simple human.
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* "I'm spending too much time on 'duty'"
* "When I do any tasks before creative work, my mornings end up fragmented"
* "I feel bad when execution time consistently overtakes creative time"
* "I ended up distracted a lot when doing X… maybe I just don't care about it?"
etc
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Uncannily familiar.
I’ve been reading “Design the Life You Love” and reaching similar conclusions re: creation vs execution.
Distractability is hard to interpret; IME it can be b/c some tasks are intrinsically more vulnerable to interruption and b/c there are too many of those.
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Fragmented time usually suggests I need to make a change, like:
* ditching or reframing the project
* restructuring my time (e.g. now I take no meetings in morning, usually none before 3)
* take a nap or just bail for the day
External interruptions aren't a real issue for me.
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In related news, in case you're not familiar with anything by Cal Newport, I especially recommend his book "Deep Work" wrt this
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You’ve got a handle on things!
“No meetings in morning” — this I should try.
My experience now is in the a.m. my mind is a limpid brook with birds singing and then hour by hour old boots, paint, shopping carts get dumped in it and by end of day it’s a superfund cleanup site.
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