How to Use Your Calendar to Make Every Day Your Ideal Day

It’s all about creating the perfect template, then using it the right way

Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

Sometimes I fantasize about an empty calendar. No meetings. No obligations. Nothing but time for my work, myself, and the people I care about.

Then I remember: I’ve already lived that dream, more than once. I had an empty calendar in 2015, while writing my book, Sprint. I had it when my wife and I were traveling in Central America and our only commitments were to each other. When we first moved to Milwaukee, there it was again — an empty calendar. Nothing but possibility.

And then I remember something else: The reality of an empty calendar does not live up to the dream.

When time becomes abundant

Time is a finite resource, and normally, it’s in short supply — something I learned firsthand during my time at Google Ventures, where I helped create the design sprint process. In a way, that makes it easier to use it well. When you only have a limited number of hours to spend how you’d like, you make the most of them.