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Your Calendar Is Lying to You: 5 Steps to Take Back Your Time as a Business Owner
If you’re running a $1M–$6M business, there’s a good chance your calendar isn’t helping you—it’s hurting you.
I see it all the time: business owners stuck in back‑to‑back meetings, putting out fires that aren’t theirs to fight, and solving everyone else’s emergencies because they haven’t built the processes or guardrails to step back.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you’re always available, your team will let you keep solving their problems. But when you step away and create the right guardrails, you’ll find something surprising—the company doesn’t burn down.
It’s time to take back control. Here are five proven steps I’ve used for nearly a decade to help business owners reclaim their time and lead with clarity.
If you’re running a $1M–$6M business, there’s a good chance your calendar isn’t helping you—it’s hurting you.
I see it all the time: business owners stuck in back‑to‑back meetings, putting out fires that aren’t theirs to fight, and solving everyone else’s emergencies because they haven’t built the processes or guardrails to step back.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you’re always available, your team will let you keep solving their problems. But when you step away and create the right guardrails, you’ll find something surprising—the company doesn’t burn down.
It’s time to take back control. Here are five proven steps I’ve used for nearly a decade to help business owners reclaim their time and lead with clarity.
1. Turn Off Your Notifications
This may sound small, but it’s the most powerful first step.
Stop letting your phone and inbox control your attention. Turn off email notifications. Turn off social media pings. In fact, I haven’t had work email on my phone for nearly 10 years—and nothing has burned down.
Emergencies? Real ones get a phone call or a text. Everything else can wait until you’re ready to deal with it.
2. Audit Your Week
Pull up last week’s calendar and be brutally honest.
Which meetings actually needed you there?
Which ones could someone else have handled?
Which ones were simply a waste of time?
If a meeting has more than 15 people in it, you almost certainly don’t need to be there. And if it has more than four? Question it.
3. Block the Non‑Negotiables
Before you let your calendar fill with other people’s priorities, schedule your non-negotiables first.
Time for creative work
In‑person connection with your team
Personal priorities (family, health, thinking time)
This creates the foundation for a workweek where you lead proactively instead of just reacting to whatever hits your inbox.
4. Set Guardrails
Decide what your workday looks like—and stick to it.
I have two kids (with a third on the way), so when I close my laptop at the end of the day, I’m done. Unless it’s a true revenue‑impacting emergency, work stays at work.
Set boundaries for when you start, when you end, and how you engage. Your business will adapt—and your team will rise to the challenge.
5. Institute “Kill Zones”
This is one of my favorite tactics: identify the meetings and tasks that simply don’t need to exist—and kill them.
Sometimes you’ll need to temporarily over‑deliver (for example, running daily updates for 30 days after a key resignation) but then phase those things out.
The more you eliminate unnecessary noise, the more space you create for real leadership.
The Unexpected Truth
The more meetings you decline, the more gets done.
When you take your hands off every small problem, you create space for your team to figure it out—and they often rise to the occasion in ways you didn’t expect.
Try It
If you’re ready to reclaim your time, step out of the chaos, and lead with clarity, my 4‑week Leadership Reset program was built for you.
It’s designed to help business owners like you reset your calendar, restructure your schedule, and lead your company (and your life) with intention.
5 Myths About One-on-Ones That Are Hurting Your Business (And How to Fix Them)
Here’s an unpopular truth: there’s one meeting you can’t afford to skip—your one-on-ones with your direct reports.
I work with business owners from $1M to $6M in revenue (and have led teams in organizations up to $700M). No matter the size, I see the same pattern: owners either avoid one-on-ones altogether or run them in a way that does more harm than good.
If that’s you, you’re not alone. But the good news? One-on-ones don’t have to be awkward, draining, or pointless. Done right, they are one of the most powerful tools you have for building alignment, surfacing unseen friction, and growing your team.
Let’s break down the 5 biggest myths I see around one-on-ones—and how to fix them.
Here’s an unpopular truth: there’s one meeting you can’t afford to skip—your one-on-ones with your direct reports.
I work with business owners from $1M to $6M in revenue (and have led teams in organizations up to $700M). No matter the size, I see the same pattern: owners either avoid one-on-ones altogether or run them in a way that does more harm than good.
If that’s you, you’re not alone. But the good news? One-on-ones don’t have to be awkward, draining, or pointless. Done right, they are one of the most powerful tools you have for building alignment, surfacing unseen friction, and growing your team.
Let’s break down the 5 biggest myths I see around one-on-ones—and how to fix them.
Myth #1: One-on-Ones Are Just for Troubleshooting Problems
Many owners treat one-on-ones as a disciplinary meeting. If every one-on-one feels like a “course correction,” your direct reports will dread them—and eventually shut down.
The truth: One-on-ones are about more than fixing problems. They’re a safe space for employees to share ideas, voice frustrations, and align on the bigger mission. Your goal isn’t to lecture—it’s to listen, coach, and build trust.
Myth #2: They Take Away From “Real Work”
I hear this a lot: “I don’t have time for one-on-ones. I need to focus on the business.”
Here’s the problem: one-on-ones are working on the business.
Think of them like sharpening the axe before chopping wood. You can swing harder all day, but unless you take the time to sharpen your tools—your people—you’ll burn out and stall progress.
Even a short, structured one-on-one re-centers your team and reduces costly misalignments.
Myth #3: You Don’t Need Them If You Talk to Your Team Daily
Owners of small teams often think, “I see my people every day. Why schedule another meeting?”
But casual check-ins aren’t the same as intentional conversations.
When you’re in the daily grind, you only talk about what’s urgent. One-on-ones create space for what’s important—career development, feedback, and solving long-term issues.
Myth #4: They’re Just for Status Updates
If your one-on-ones feel like a glorified “report out,” you’re doing them wrong.
Your job isn’t to get updates—it’s to unblock your people.
Ask better questions. Shift from “What are you working on?” to:
“Where are you stuck?”
“What’s working well for you?”
“How’s your team doing?”
This turns your one-on-ones into coaching sessions that drive real change.
Myth #5: They’re Too Formal for Small Teams
Some owners think structured one-on-ones are only for big corporations. That’s false.
Even if you lead a team of two, these conversations matter.
I’ve done them with global directors, local managers, and even contractors overseas. Why? Because everyone—no matter their role—has stakeholders, challenges, and growth goals worth discussing.
The Bonus Myth: “I Don’t Need a Structure”
Unstructured one-on-ones often turn into awkward small talk—or worse, gripe sessions.
Structure creates clarity. I use a simple framework with three questions:
What’s been working well for you this week?
Are there any pain points or blocks I can help you remove?
How’s your team doing?
That’s it. Three questions. Simple, repeatable, and transformative.
The Bottom Line
When done right, one-on-ones sharpen your team, uncover hidden problems, and boost alignment. They’re not optional—they’re a non-negotiable part of leading well.
Want help mastering one-on-ones and leading with clarity?
My Leadership Reset program is designed for founders and executives who feel stuck in the day-to-day grind. Together, we’ll create the structure, rhythm, and focus you need to scale without burning out.