Hey Reader,
There’s one strategy I’ve been using for the past two months that has completely changed how I manage my time.
It’s saved me hours in my 9-5.
It’s helped me stay on track while building my business on weekends.
And today, I’m going to show you exactly how you can use it to:
- Maximise your focus time
- Boost your productivity (or your team’s)
- Finish your workday feeling more accomplished
Introducing: the Maker-Manager Schedule.
THE BACKSTORY
There’s something fundamentally wrong with the way 90% of teams, businesses and individuals operate.
From small businesses to Big 4 consulting firms - even building my own business - I’ve experienced it everywhere.
We live in a management-centered working world.
- A day of meetings, phone calls, interruptions and quick tasks? Completely normal.
- Four uninterrupted hours to actually get work done? Your expectations are way too high.
This thinking comes from a disconnect between the people that run companies, and the people that do the work at those companies.
Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, was the first to outline this problem back in 2009. He described two types of schedules:
- The Maker schedule
- The Manager schedule
Understanding the difference between them is the key to creating better results in less time.
Maker time is where you create value
- Writing
- Strategic planning
- Designing a solution to a tricky problem.
If you’ve been here a while, you would know this as ‘deep work’—the type of work that needs complete focus.
Manager time is where you coordinate
- Meetings
- Emails and phone calls
- Interviews, talks and podcasts
This is ‘shallow work’ that doesn’t require a huge mental effort, and can be squeezed into 15-30 minute time slots.
But here’s the problem: Most workplaces try to mix these two schedules.
And because decision-makers (bosses, clients, CEOs) operate on manager time, they pull everyone else into this rhythm.
What happens? Meetings creep into your deep work time, and that one 30-minute call can throw your entire day off course.
This means that we’re never able to reach our full potential.
We spend 8 hours on something that should take 3, or produce results that are only 50% as good as they could be.
So, how do you fix this? By creating your own Maker-Manager schedule.
THE BREAKDOWN
Step 1: Find your maker-manager ratio
Most of us need both maker and manager time. But, the ratios are different for everyone.
For example:
- A designer or writer might spend 80% in maker mode.
- A sales rep or CEO might spend 80% in manager mode.
Take a moment to look back at your past week (or track your time this week) and calculate:
- How many hours did you spend in ‘maker’ mode?
- How many hours did you spend in ‘manager’ mode?
Now, find your ratio:
- Add your total maker and manager hours together (e.g., 30 maker hours + 12 manager hours = 42 hours total)
- Divide your maker hours by your total hours (30 / 42 = 71% maker)
This would mean you spend about 70% of your time in maker mode, and 30% of your time in manager mode.
Before you move onto the next step, there is one extremely important question to ask yourself:
Does this ratio help me get the most out of my time?
If 80% of your results depend on deep work (like creating content), but you’re only spending 60% of your time in maker mode, you’re missing out on potential clients, promotions or revenue!
If you are in this boat, write down a second ratio: your ideal maker-manager ratio.
Your aim is to gradually adjust how you allocate your time so you can achieve this ratio.
Step 2: Schedule your maker and manager time
Now that you know your ratio, it’s time to translate it into your calendar.
There are two options for scheduling your maker and manager time.
Most people will automatically have a preference for one or the other.
If you don’t, try them both out and see what works best for you.
1. Maker and manager days
Dedicate whole days to ‘maker’ work and others to ‘manager’ work. For example:
- Monday and Wednesday: manager day (meetings, calls, emails)
- Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: maker days (deep work projects)
I’ve found that this can be challenging to achieve when you work with others, so there’s a second option.
2. Maker and manager time blocks
Divide your day into maker and manager time periods. For example:
- 9am-2pm: maker time
- 2pm-5pm: manager time
Even better: request that people schedule meetings as late in the day as possible. That way, your maker time could extend until 4pm (instead of having a mid-afternoon interruption).
Choose a system that fits your role and share this with your team or clients to reduce interruptions.
Step 3: Match your tasks with your schedule
Now that you’ve blocked out time, let’s make the most of it.
The key here is to set specific tasks for each session to reduce procrastination and avoid distraction.
My favourite way to do this is time blocking (learn how here), so I know exactly what I will work on when.
Let’s say you’re a business owner who chose to work in maker-manager time blocks. A ‘content’ day for could look like:
- 9am - 10am: plan the week’s content (maker)
- 10.15am - 12.45pm: write social media posts (maker)
- 1pm - 2.30pm: team 1:1’s (manager)
- 2.30pm - 3.00pm: read and respond to emails (manager)
- 3.15pm - 4.30pm: record podcast (manager)
- 4.30pm - 5.00pm: shutdown routine (manager)
This is without a doubt the best method I have found to stop jumping between tasks or facing the ‘what should I work on?’ dilemma.
And start focusing on getting the work done.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s important to remember: we live in a connected world. We’re constantly working, collaborating and communicating with others.
So it’s not enough to simply create your own maker-manager schedule, cross your fingers and hope the world will work in your favour.
My biggest tip to successfully implementing a maker-manager schedule is to communicate!
The people you work with - clients, coworkers, employees, employers - they must be aware of your schedule.
More importantly, let them know why you are doing it.
Here’s a quick message you can use:
Template for Communicating Your Schedule
Hi [First Name],
To optimise my focus and productivity, I’m trying out a new schedule. I’ve blocked out dedicated hours for ‘maker’ work (deep focus time) and ‘manager’ work (meetings, calls, and emails).
Here’s how it will look:
- Maker hours: 9am-1pm (Monday-Thursday)
- Manager hours: 1pm-3pm (Monday-Thursday)
This will help me produce higher-quality work and make sure we get the best results.
If you need to reach me, feel free to book time during my manager hours or send me a message, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Best,
[Your Name]
If you have the ability, I would highly encourage you to create (or suggest to your leaders to create) guidelines to support company-wide maker and manager times.
Simply encouraging meetings in the afternoon only, or on Monday only can go a long way for the productivity of your entire company.
(Feel free to share this newsletter with them to help explain the concept!)
I hope you find this guide useful! Let me know how you go if you decide to implement the Maker-Manager Schedule in your week or business.
Here's to another week becoming the best version of you.
Tayla
Looking for more resources?
You'll find all my Notion templates, courses and other free resources here.
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