Uploaded February 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Many people will tell you how to take back control of your time for productivity, but I want to release you from that cult of productivity. This video contains several tips for making space—both in your head and in your day—by using defensive calendaring.
Your time is the fossil fuels of your life. You don't know how much is left and you're never getting it back. Make sure you're spending it wisely and on the work and people who deserve it.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Why making space is better than being productive
01:22 The problem with calendars
02:59 Mapping out your time budget and blocking time
07:57 Get rid of half of your meetings
09:10 Add buffers between meetings with a shadow calendar and AI
12:50 Book meetings of unusual durations to create buffers
13:29 Block out time for your most important thing
LINKS:
Website: polaine.com
Newsletter: pln.me/nws
Podcast: pln.me/p10
Courses: courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/apolaine
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
LINKS:
Your Time is a Non-Renewable Resource: polaine.com/2021/03/your-time-is-a-non-renewable-resource
Busywork is the Junk Food of Work: youtu.be/CqV52PQKIkc?si=KivM2H_a7_40Qdnc
Breaking the Gaslighting Cycle of People Pleasing & Overwork : youtube.com/live/8T65DAaU79I?si=3DlFudaSygk1My3s
Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky: amzn.to/4bxdTPd (affiliate link)
Reclaim.ai: go.reclaim.ai/f11c06lc3n9v (affiliate link)
Motion: usemotion.sjv.io/GmBQKV (affiliate link)
Nicole van der Hoeven's Reclaim.ai review: youtu.be/cBVjpFDltvQ?si=g2ug07xWFMs4Klka
Defrag image: Auslogics Software Pty Ltd, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14873154
Mike Monteiro's The Chokehold of Calendars: monteiro.medium.com/the-chokehold-of-calendars-f70bb9221b36
Reclaim vs Motion video by Reclaim.ai: youtube.com/watch?v=ofhsEkTf_7E
Many people will tell you how to take back control of your time for productivity, but I want to release you from that cult of productivity. This video contains several tips for making space—both in your head and in your day—by using defensive calendaring.
Your time is the fossil fuels of your life. You don't know how much is left and you're never getting it back. Make sure you're spending it wisely and on the work and people who deserve it.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Why making space is better than being productive
01:22 The problem with calendars
02:59 Mapping out your time budget and blocking time
07:57 Get rid of half of your meetings
09:10 Add buffers between meetings with a shadow calendar and AI
12:50 Book meetings of unusual durations to create buffers
13:29 Block out time for your most important thing
LINKS:
Website: polaine.com
Newsletter: pln.me/nws
Podcast: pln.me/p10
Courses: courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/apolaine
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
LINKS:
Your Time is a Non-Renewable Resource: polaine.com/2021/03/your-time-is-a-non-renewable-resource
Busywork is the Junk Food of Work: youtu.be/CqV52PQKIkc?si=KivM2H_a7_40Qdnc
Breaking the Gaslighting Cycle of People Pleasing & Overwork : youtube.com/live/8T65DAaU79I?si=3DlFudaSygk1My3s
Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky: amzn.to/4bxdTPd (affiliate link)
Reclaim.ai: go.reclaim.ai/f11c06lc3n9v (affiliate link)
Motion: usemotion.sjv.io/GmBQKV (affiliate link)
Nicole van der Hoeven's Reclaim.ai review: youtu.be/cBVjpFDltvQ?si=g2ug07xWFMs4Klka
Defrag image: Auslogics Software Pty Ltd, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14873154
Mike Monteiro's The Chokehold of Calendars: monteiro.medium.com/the-chokehold-of-calendars-f70bb9221b36
Reclaim vs Motion video by Reclaim.ai: youtube.com/watch?v=ofhsEkTf_7E
