Sorry, I don't have time......

What to do when your calendar is fully stacked.....

You have often heard me say you are ‘busy’ because of who you are- not what you do.

Let’s think about this in the context of your calendar. Your calendar reveals your motivation. Show me your diary, and I’ll show you your priorities.

One of my clients swore she had “no time” for networking or for reaching out and building relationships (and anyway, how important is this?). Translation: it wasn’t on her calendar, so it wasn’t happening. How many times have you heard that? In our coaching work, we had a good look at her schedule — we tore it down and restructured the working week.

Every meeting, every recurring call, every “urgent” task got interrogated:

Does this help deliver work?

Does this build relationships?

Does this align with what you value?

If the answer was no, it got cut, delegated, or downgraded. We stripped out the noise so there was room for the work and outcomes that actually mattered to her — and to the business. Relationship building wasn’t left to “when I have time.” It became non‑negotiable, weekly slots, blocked in her calendar and defended like her biggest client meetings (along with thinking time, journaling and wellbeing). No reschedules. No excuses.

The result? Feeling in control, more trust building time, better networking and living the leadership narrative that supported her vision of what it means to lead in her organisation. With a stronger network she can now create more impact as a leader. More importantly, she had stopped feeling like a passenger in her own career — and started driving it again. Your calendar is a mirror. It reflects what you really value — not what you say you value.

Stop saying “I don’t have time.” Start admitting “I didn’t make time.” Then block it, guard it, and treat it like oxygen — because without it, your career suffocates.