Beyond To-Do Lists: Time-Blocking for Productivity and Wellbeing

In line with our October theme of Work–Life Alignment on 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, let’s talk about something truly revolutionary:

I use… my calendar. I know. Groundbreaking.
(𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱’𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.)

But hear me out.

Once upon a time, I could "do it all"— I was able to meet every expectation placed upon me as a scientist, faculty member, clinical neuropsychologist, friend, partner, and colleague.

And then, almost simultaneously, two things happened:
1️⃣ I became a mother.
2️⃣ My career entered what a mentor once called the “career explosion phase.”

Suddenly, there were too many opportunities, too many expectations, and too many things I genuinely wanted to say “yes” to—along with the beautiful family time I didn’t want to miss.

Doing it all was no longer sustainable.

Enter: my calendar.
I live and die by it now—and it has completely transformed my wellbeing, my sense of alignment between work and life, and my ability not just to manage, but to thrive.

Here are some of the ways I use it to stay aligned:

🧠 𝟭. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.
I use Outlook’s Bookings app to automatically limit meetings to the afternoons and protect my mornings for writing, analysis, and other deep work. Bookings automates scheduling, so I am no longer wasting hours in email tag or Doodle polls.

💪 𝟮. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿.
Doctor’s appointments, my daily gym time, or taking my kids apple picking on a Monday to avoid the crowds—they all go on my calendar. And I treat them like any other meeting.

🎯 𝟯. 𝗜 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.
Each morning, I know exactly what I’m tackling during my deep work block.
I decide by working backwards from my top 5 priorities right now—what moves the needle most this week, this month, this season.

🔒 𝟰. 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀.
The Freedom app literally locks me out of my inbox during deep work time. It’s me vs. my brain’s dopamine addiction, and Freedom keeps me honest.

☕ 𝟱. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀 = 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻.
I reserve this time for collaboration, quick tasks, and communication. All my meetings are 30 or 50 minutes—not 60—to give everyone a chance to breathe, refill coffee, or (let’s be real) pee.

💡 𝟲. 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
"Doing it all" belongs to the 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘦.
Now, I think of my day as a menu, not a to-do list.
What’s most important? What do I 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 like working on?
The rest can wait (and often does).

These are the systems that have worked for me.
Some might work for you, and others won’t—and that’s okay.

👉 What would it look like if your calendar truly supported your work–life alignment rather than dictated "doing it all"?