Time management advice usually makes me cringe. It’s full of rigid systems and unrealistic expectations that ignore how we actually work.
After years of experimenting (and plenty of failures), I’ve developed some unconventional views on what really works.
Fair warning: you might disagree with some of these – but that’s exactly the point.
A few controversial things I believe about time management:
1) Work-life balance is a destructive myth
I’m not saying you shouldn’t have time for both work and personal life. I’m just saying viewing work as something that needs to be “balanced” against life creates unnecessary tension.
Work is part of life, just like sleeping, eating, spending time with family, doing activities that bring you joy (for me, that’s reading, grabbing coffee with friends, and beekeeping 🐝)
Structure your day around your values and priorities, not the other way around. For example:
If family dinner is non-negotiable, schedule your last client call at 4:30 PM. If exercise keeps you sane, block 9-10 AM for movement before opening your inbox (like I do). If you do your best creative work at night, stop forcing yourself into morning writing sessions. If you need quiet time to think strategically, schedule meetings only in the afternoon.
2) Starting your workday later can make you more productive
The traditional 9-5 schedule isn’t inherently better or worse.
Your peak performance hours are unique to you. I thrive starting at 10:30 AM after movement. What matters is aligning your work schedule with your natural rhythm. Force-fitting yourself into someone else’s schedule is a recipe for frustration and stress.
3) Traditional time blocking fails most people
“Most people” do what “most people” do. Which leads to…
- Rigid schedules that crack under pressure
- Guilt when blocks get interrupted (or completely blown up)
- Decision fatigue from constantly having to replan
What “most people do” may not work for you. So do what does.
4) Letting others control your calendar is productivity suicide
99% of the time, this is a giant mistake.
Instead, David Buck’s framework helped me create a system that actually works for me:
- I mapped my day into main blocks: family time (early mornings and evenings), movement (mornings), deep work (late morning), meetings (afternoons), and admin (end of day).
- I set my calendar to only accept meetings during my designated “meeting block”
- I use hourly check-ins to maintain focus and adjust course when needed
- These changes reduced my attention-switching by 70% and doubled my deep work time.
5) Maximizing every minute is counterproductive
Pursuing perfect time utilization is a silly goal. Because it ignores the reality of how humans actually function – and the real-life demands we face as solos.
Strategic inefficiency – intentionally building slack into your schedule – is a better pursuit in life.
- It creates “white space” for processing and creativity. Just like your body needs rest between workouts, your brain needs gaps between focused work
- It allows for unexpected opportunities or challenges without throwing off your entire day. When everything is scheduled to the minute, a single delay cascades into chaos
- It maintains sustainable energy levels. Working at 80% capacity consistently beats alternating between 100% and burnout
- It improves decision-making by giving your brain time to shift between different types of thinking
I’ve found that treating time as a flexible framework rather than a rigid master has transformed my productivity. By aligning my calendar with my natural rhythms and priorities, I’ve created a sustainable system that works with me, not against me.
Time management isn’t about following someone else’s blueprint – it’s about building a system that works for you. Start by picking just one idea from above that resonates most. Try it for a week. Adjust it. Make it yours. Your future self will thank you for starting today.
