I’m kind of tired of hearing people tell me how busy they are.
I’m sure they are busy, but I often wonder if it’s the right kind of busy?
I happen to think that if you’re a recruiting leader, you should be busy. Your calendar should be full.
But the contents of your calendar shouldn’t be chaotic or out of control.
Your schedule of meetings should be deliberate. They should be aligned with your strategy. And I even think they should be a little boring and predictable.
If you plan your week, your month, and your year correctly, you will crush your goals and get more done than you ever thought possible.
5 Tips To Controlling Your Calendar
Most people believe the solution to achieving your goals is having fewer meetings.
However, the real issue isn't the quantity of meetings – it’s the type and cadence of meetings you have.
The key is to inject strategy and purpose into your calendar, transforming your meetings into powerful drivers of progress.
Here are some ways I’ve learned over the years to pack my calendar with high-value meetings but stay efficient at the same time:
1. Establish an Annual Team Calendar
An annual calendar provides a clear roadmap for your year and creates a predictable rhythm for your team to dance to. It might include…
Key Business Dates (board meetings, operational deadlines, holidays, etc)
Peak Hiring Cycles (Intern season, hiring events, seasonal hiring)
Contract Renewals (software, RPO, subscriptions)
Actionable Tip: Create a shared calendar in your favorite calendar or project management tool. I use SmartSheet.
2. Layer In “Momentum Meetings”
Once your annual calendar is set, layer in purposeful, recurring meetings designed to create forward momentum in your recruiting function. Consider incorporating meetings like these…
Mid-Year Talent & Strategy Review (Full Day, TA Leadership Team)
E/O Month All TA Team Meeting (1 hour, All of TA)
Monthly Strategic Action Plan Review (1 hour, TA Project Leaders)
Biweekly TA Leadership Team Meeting (1 hour, TA Leadership Team)
Weekly/BiWeekly 1-on-1s (30-60 mins, Leaders & their Direct Reports)
Actionable Tip: Figure out the right timing for these meetings and get them on the calendar before the year starts. These meetings help you deliver your strategy.
3. Eliminate Agendas
For most meetings, I prefer to have meeting frameworks instead of agendas. A meeting framework is a consistent structure you can use to lead a conversation without all the upfront work that goes into building detailed agendas. It saves time and works just as well.
Actionable Tip: Instead of putting “Agenda TBD” in the body of recurring invites, put the framework instead. It might say something like “(1) Personal Check-In (2) Updates (3) Hot Topics (4) Odds & Ends (5) Next Steps”.
4. Cut Meetings In Half
When someone schedules a meeting for an hour on a topic you know is probably not worth an hour, kindly ask them if you can trim it down to 30 minutes. You’ll be surprised how many topics can be covered effectively in half the time.
Actionable Tip: Look for 60 and 30 minute meetings on your calendar. Identify two or three of them that you can try cutting down to 30 and 15 minute meetings. Give it a try!
5. Block Time
Author Cal Newport has a book titled “Deep Work”. If you haven’t read it, I’ll summarize it in one sentence – The key to getting important work done is blocking focused time to get it done. If you’re not doing this every week, you should. It works.
Actionable Tip: Pick a week and a window. Say…Monday morning from 8am - 10am. Block it. In the body of the meeting write - “I use this time to get important work done. If you need the time, email me first before booking.” It rarely ever gets booked over.
Pause and Restructure
If you’re super busy right now or you’re behind on your goals, it’s really hard to pause and take a look at your calendar. But the small investment in time will almost certainly reduce the chaos and overwhelm you feel as you go about your day.
By restructuring your approach to meetings and establishing a predictable cadence, you’ll gain more control over your calendar and accelerate progress on all of your most important goals and projects. You might even get some “you time” back in your life!
What are some calendar or meeting tips you have to crush your goals?