October 25

No-Fly Zone

Having predictable time on your calendar for important priorities is crit- ical to making progress on creative work. Without knowing that you’ll have the time you need to do the work, you are prone to stress and anxi- ety, which can consume your world and choke your creative energy.

One strategy that was implemented by a client of mine was called “no-fly zone” time. The policy stated that between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, there were to be no meet- ings, no phone calls, and no expectations of returned emails. Everyone in the organization had that predictable two hours every single day to do their deep creative work. What this did for the organization was provide steady, predictable windows for people to do their work, regardless of how many meetings they had to sit through outside it. They knew that at least ten hours a week would go to the work they were accountable for.

How can you implement the same strategy in your life? Is there a window you can block off as “no-fly zone” time? Maybe it’s 7:00 to 9:00 each morning, as you ease into your day. Maybe it’s 3:00 to 5:00 each afternoon so that you can leave on a high note, having tackled important priorities.

Block some time each week, preferably each day, for doing your most important creative work.

QUESTION

When will you schedule “no­fly zone” time?