Where Does the Time Go?

Hi reader,

Time is our biggest asset as entrepreneurs, and there never seems to be enough of it. 

I talk about this a lot because I honestly believe this is what’s getting in the way for a lot of people: spending too much time on the wrong things.

How you manage your time directly impacts your profits. So today I’m sharing the approach I’ve found that works best for managing my time. 

Today’s advice

Time block every hour of your day in your calendar.

If you’re not familiar with “time-blocking”, it’s exactly what it sounds like: you break your day into blocks of time and assign each one a specific task. 

But what I’ve found to really make a difference is that you do this for EVERY task, both work and personal. And you need to account for every hour of the day.

Here’s what this looks like for me: I just use Google Calendar so that I can add events for each block of time. That way, I can use color-coding to organize by type (client work, admin, personal, etc.). 

Every day includes certain blocks that are non-negotiable. For example, every morning I have an hour dedicated to responding to emails. That’s fixed. Other recurring blocks might include things like client calls, time for internal strategy, lunch, family time, etc. Once it’s in the calendar, you treat it like any other appointment.

It might sound simple, but it’s the best way I’ve found to give every day structure—and that’s what will drive results.

Why this matters

You get more done by focusing on one thing at a time.

Most of us are constantly switching between tasks. You might check emails between meetings, jump from a client project to an invoice…it feels like you’re productive because you’re moving so fast. But you’re really just scattering your focus. 

Research shows that task switching can cut productivity by up to 40% (Source). That’s because your brain needs time to reset every time you jump between things. It drains your focus and your energy.

Time blocking forces you to do the opposite: You give one task your full attention for a set period of time.

And the more consistently you work this way, the faster and sharper you get.

You free up more mental energy.

Every time you stop to figure out what to do next, you’re using up mental bandwidth. When you do that dozens of times a day, that leads to decision fatigue. 

Soon enough, you might start procrastinating on hard things. You default to low-effort tasks, even if they’re not that important. By the end of the day, you’ve been busy, but you haven’t made real progress.

Time blocking helps prevent that. Everything’s already decided for you. That frees up your energy for higher-value thinking: creative work, solving problems, and calls with prospects.

The kind of work that actually needs your brain fully switched on.

Here’s how to start

Block out your calendar for next Monday.

Open up your calendar right now (it can be Google, Apple, or a physical planner—doesn’t matter) and take a look at next Monday.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Start with the recurring tasks.

Add blocks for the things you absolutely need to do every day.  Like your daily email time, client meetings, team check-ins, or your workout. 

2. Decide what other work is top-priority. 

Assign time blocks for specific work tasks that need to get done. Be as clear as possible: “Write client proposal,” “Follow up on leads,” “Prep presentation.” 

3. Estimate how long each task will take. Then round up.

If you think something will take 45 minutes, block an hour. Give yourself breathing room so you’re not scrambling or falling behind.

4. Add in your personal time.

Include meals, breaks, errands, family time, etc.. If it takes time, it goes on the calendar

5. Use color-coding if your tool allows it.

Group similar tasks by color (admin, client work, personal, creative, etc.). This gives you a quick visual overview of how your time is divided.

That’s it. One day, fully blocked. Once you try it, you’ll start to see where your time’s really going—and how much more control you actually have.

Best,

Jono