At 9a I found myself checking my Outlook calendar again because surely there was a mistake. Somehow I found myself without a single scheduled conference call or meeting or reminder on my calendar. When I had gone to sleep that hadn’t been the case. I’m certain I didn’t deserve it, I didn’t even try for it.
Going back to my calendar, this is the fourth time this year that I have had a surprise day with no meetings. Keep in mind that I’ve only been with this group for a year now so I didn’t have much in the way of standing meetings for most of the first half of the year.
Days that are wide open are gifts for you to cherish because they give you the single greatest opportunity you can ever have: a day to accomplish those tasks that require you to really think.
Many people try to book days like this intentionally. I have in the past as well. I’ve found it more frustrating to try for days with no calls to only end up failing than to cherish the times when they occur organically. Although, as the number of days like this continues toward zero I may have to try for them on purpose again but that’s for another day. For now, it’s just a pleasant memory.