THE LEVEL UP LETTER

Hi All!
Here is your weekly Level Up Letter. This week we’re attempting to un-F*ck your calendar by understanding the two types of schedules. Makers & Managers. If you’ve felt like you’ve been constantly busy but don’t feel like you’re getting anything done, this one is for you. We hope you enjoy!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

MAKERS vs MANAGERS

In 2009 Paul Graham wrote an incredible blog post about Maker’s Schedule and Manager’s Schedule. We highly suggest you read the entire letter but we’ll dive into the main points here.

MANAGERS
Managers thrive in small time blocks. They pack their calendars with 15 or 30 minute meetings and digest rapid updates to communicate up, down and across the organization quickly and effectively. Their high-level focus is trying to put all the pieces together or to close deals.

MAKERS
Makers need uninterrupted time for project work. They’re building the product and that type of work takes large time blocks with deep focus. Makers might get 2 maybe 3 time blocks per day for deep work.

THE PROBLEMS
Each system is fine on its own. The problems occur when the two schedules collide with one another or when you try and do both. (at least without a proper system)

Managers don’t understand why Makers can’t hop on a quick call. “It’s just 5 minutes. What’s the big deal?” What they fail to grasp is that it’s not just 5 minutes to the Maker. It blows up their entire working block by pulling them out of deep focus. (more on this in a minute)

If you’re a small business, solopreneur or even the CEO of a company that needs you to be heavily involved in the “Making” of the product you end up being both a MAKER and a MANAGER. Most people in this situation have chaos calendars and end up feeling “stuck”.

TASK SWITCHING & SWITCH COST

We’re designed to be able to switch our attention. We survived as a species by being able to move our focus to the most important priority. (Food, shelter, safety) But that ability comes with a downside. Switch Cost.

When measuring performance there’s a noticeable decrease when you switch between Task 1 and Task 2. Versus a repetitive focus on Task 1. This gap is known as Switch Cost. The switch cost remains even when there is ample warning of an upcoming switch. So yes, that one meeting during your working block will cost you.

HOW TO UN-F*CK YOUR CALENDAR

So how can you overcome this? Here are a few strategies to help.

1. Know Your Role: Understand which category you fall into and which category those around you fall into and be mindful of their schedules.

2. Designate Days: If you’re a Manager working with a team of Makers, designate a meeting day with them and leave their working blocks alone. If you’re a Maker try and set boundaries for your schedule but build in meeting blocks. If you have to be in both roles, try and plan your week accordingly. (i.e. Mon & Friday for deep work, Tues-Thurs for meetings)

3. No Comms: Some orgs will have a no meeting, no slack, no email day once per week. This allows everyone to focus without interruption. You could also limit this to just the Makers in your org while the Managers meet cross-functionally or with clients on those days.

4. Communicate: Don’t put off hard conversations. Talk to your team about roles and schedules. Find out what’s important for each person and for the company.

READY TO LEVEL UP?

Looking to Level Up your life or your business? Find out more about how we can help through our Coaching, Mastermind Groups or Consulting services.