Lately I’ve had multiple days where I have had back-to-back meetings for 5 or 6 hours, sometimes even more. Moreover my schedule this semester includes a 4.5-hour teaching block on Thursday evenings, which can be both the most draining and the most enlivening hours of my week.
So it’s Monday now and I am looking over my calendar and ensuring that I have a few “holes” of time where I can put my head down and work, rather than be leading a committee or teaching a class or a workshop. Because I fear that if I am simply running from meeting to meeting to class to training, then I’m likely missing the time I need to have a conversation with a colleague or to solve large problems. I am likely to simply be in list-making mode rather than in a space of productivity.
Thus, this quote from Jim Barnes (via Creative Mornings) resonated with me. Because it’s actually work to ensure that I have the free spot in my calendar, but I know that it’s an investment that is well worth the effort.