Unlock Creativity By Clustering Meetings

Clustering meetings in your calendar can boost creativity and output.

A third to half of my week is booked before the week starts; in meetings. Sometimes more than half.

Some people like to have some slack around their meetings so they have time to prepare or follow up after each. I find that to be less productive. Here's why.

Having half an hour here and half an hour there of free time doesn't allow for doing anything of substance. Half an hour is useful for firing off a few emails, making a phone call or clearing your inbox - but that's about it.

Unblock creativity with smart scheduling

If I have a 2-3 hour block at my desk I can start to think about doing something constructive - and it's these constructive, proactive tasks that make a difference in the long term.

When scheduling my calendar I prefer to block meetings into 2 to 3 hour windows leaving the rest of the day for desk work. That way I can focus and concentrate on something and produce something of long term value. Switching away from a thinking task whilst half way through it ends up taking twice as long.

Equally, if I am doing quickfire reactive tasks (such as inbox clearance), I'll do those tasks together in short bursts.

You can shape creativity by shaping the environment in which you create. A key part of that environment is your schedule.

It's on one of the reasons I prefer to manage my own calendar.