Finding Time for Strategy

The higher you climb, the more your calendar seems to run you instead of the other way around. Between nonstop meetings, texts, and Slack pings, it’s easy to get caught in the churn of execution while starving the work that really matters: thinking strategically.

But here’s the truth - creating space to be strategic isn’t indulgent. It is leadership. It’s where you create clarity, direction, and alignment. The challenge is making that space real in the middle of the noise.

A few practices that can help:

1. Scale your calendar for strategy.
Don’t leave it to chance. Block regular time for reflection, planning, and long-term thinking. Defend it like a board meeting. Maybe it's an hour a week. Maybe it's the first half of a Friday morning. Figure out what works for you and honor it.

2. Chunk your commitments.
Group similar activities so they're in consecutive "chunks". Some leaders schedule all 1:1s on Tuesday afternoons. Others leave all interviews for Thursday. Whatever you choose to do, do it mindfully so the rest of the week has more breathing room.

3. Audit ruthlessly.
Do a calendar inventory: What do you really need to attend? Where can you delegate? Which meetings can be dropped altogether?

4. Insist on purpose.
For every meeting, ask for a purpose and an agenda. No clarity? No meeting.

5. Shorten and simplify.
Default to 45-minute hours or 20-minute check-ins. Push for async updates where possible.

6. Partner up.
Your EA or chief of staff can be a gatekeeper and a guardrail to protect your time from drift.

7. Redefine productivity.
Strategic thinking is not “bonus time.” It’s the most valuable work you do. Treat white space on your calendar as sacred.

None of these steps are complicated. The hard part is the discipline: saying no, letting go, and remembering that as a leader, your greatest impact comes not from being busy, but from being intentional.

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