A calendar filled with back-to-back meetings may look productive, but it may not account for the energy required to sustain it.
Most high-achievers don’t need reminders. They need time to restore their energy.
They know what needs prioritizing, but demanding schedules and fixed commitments leave little room to fit in activities or hobbies that support well-being.
I don’t know about you, but if I put something on my calendar, it usually gets done.
Week after week, meetings, deadlines, and responsibilities fill our days. And we expect to find time around these critical to-dos for the smaller actions that support our long-term well-being. If we do not intentionally make room for them, they can easily become deprioritized, pushed aside, or disappear entirely.
As I recently shared on LinkedIn, our energy and performance can vary throughout the day, influenced in part by circadian rhythms. We do not operate at the same intensity every hour of every day.
AI cannot add more hours to an already full day. But one thing I’ve learned is that it can help identify where our calendars may be working against us and suggest minor adjustments that create room for what matters: activities we may view as non-negotiable, such as restorative sleep, nurturing relationships, spirituality, time outside, moving our bodies, and self-care.
Over the past few months, I have been more intentional about including these restorative practices on my calendar.
As my business continued to grow, reserving the time and space for restorative practices became less consistent, which inspired me to develop this tool.
I utilized AI to create a repeatable skill that examines my calendar through the perspectives of four specialists. Their areas of expertise include circadian rhythm, executive performance, organizational psychology, and intentional recovery.
Below is the exact text I used to create the skill.
The Energy Restoration Calendar Audit
Please establish an Executive Council to serve as my calendar advisors. Each specialist will bring expertise to evaluate my schedule in the following areas:
Circadian rhythm: exposure to natural light, sleep patterns, and reported energy patterns
Executive performance: task priorities, competing commitments, flexibility
Organizational psychology: time management, schedule efficiency, work-life balance
Intentional recovery: consistency, social connections, hobbies and entertainment
When reviewing my schedule, please retain the exact order outlined above so that the insights from the prior area can be used to inform the subsequent area.
[Paste your calendar or attach a screenshot along with these instructions. Provide your top “must complete” priorities, your usual sleeping hours, periods during the day when energy is at its highest and lowest, any fixed commitments, and any unplanned events that could narrow your margin. Please label fixed commitments. Remove any confidential information and/or redact any personal information.]
Summarize the findings according to these outputs: determine the highest source of energy depletion, recommend two immediate adjustments, highlight one opportunity for energy restoration, establish one boundary for rest, and determine the most important action to take now.
Respect fixed commitments, validate assumptions, and do not diagnose health conditions. If required information is missing, request the necessary input.
You do not need to redesign your entire life today, but you can make a few strategic choices to increase your margin.
What the Calendar Audit Revealed About My Schedule
I ran this skill using my own calendar and here is what it revealed:
My greatest source of energy depletion was not simply having a full calendar. It was operating on five to six hours of sleep, leaving little margin for unplanned events, and allowing multiple priorities to compete for the block of time when my energy is at its highest.
Seeing these results made me realize that my calendar should emphasize protecting the energy I need to accomplish all of my goals, in addition to the tasks needed to complete them.
The Made of Meaning™ Edit helps high-achievers create lives as meaningful as they are accomplished through reflections and complimentary tools centered on advocacy, wellness, intentional living, and rediscovery.
If you are ready to guard your energy, focus on your well-being, and create a habit of evaluating what deserves your attention, I invite you to subscribe.