Operating Cadence FAQs and Ideas

I'll add to this over time as we learn how people work with the curriculum.

Set default calendar meeting times.

Several members suggested using default calendar meeting times to gain more control over your day. Rather than doing 30 minute, 60 minute, etc., do 25 / 50 / 80 minutes. This gives you time to get up, grab a snack, use the restroom, and set an intention for the next meeting.

Does Time Blocking Work?

This has come up several times. I've experimented with it myself numerous times, and (as of 2025) I use it a fair amount. Some considerations:

• Several folks have said they like it because it translates tasks into actual calendar commitments. It helps ensure proactive work on important tasks instead of just reacting.
• Others found time blocking frustrating. We talked during task management about how you implicitly "trust" your calendar. But if you fail to honor the blocks you put on your calendar, that trust starts to go away.
• The extent to which you use it partially depends on the amount of control you have over your work. If you're thebss or a solo practitioner, you can likely use it 100%. If you have a boss or other stakeholders who are peers and you don't have a culture of openness or candor, you might find colleagues failing to honor your time blocks - especially if they relate to personal stuff or "thinking / strategy" blocks.

Use Points-Based Estimation

One student suggested using a points-based estimation approach when doing your weekly review. By doing this, you can estimate how long something will take without being too precise with it. You can assign a task 1 point, 2 points, 5 points, etc. This is a common approach in lean startup or agile development circles.

It's also useful as a corrective over time, as you can audit what you thought something would take and what it actually took, as well as assess your "velocity" or throughput in a given week.

How to Do a Weekly Review With Your Spouse

Some suggestions on doing this process with your partner without killing each other:

• Start with why we're doing this: remind yourself at the beginning that the purpose of the weekly review is to allow you a a couple to attack the week with clarity and peace. And all of this is ultimately in service of building the life you want to live together.
• Weave grace into it. Again, this stuff is hard. If one or the other of you fall down, don't attack them. Be patient and kind and understanding. You likely are struggling in areas too. Celebrate the wins, be patient with the losses.
• Scoring the meeting. This is from the world of EOS. At the end of your meeting (during which you're taking notes...) ask how the meeting went on a scale of 1 to 10. Monitor trends over time.
• Are you getting what you need from me? You don't have to ask this every week. But periodically check in and see if there are things you should start (or stop) doing to make your partner's life better.

3 Phases to Your Day

One student, when talking about the rhythms of your life, referenced a podcast from Andrew Huberman. He argues your body has a daily cadence that it goes through. For the first 8 hours after waking, your body tends to be more focused. 9-15 hours after waking, your serotonin levels increase and adrenaline decreases. As such, this is a good time to tackle tasks that require less focused energy. And the last 8 hours are (hopefully) when you rest and recover.

Seasonality might impact your days too

One student talked about how they notice their ability to wake up early is heavily dependent on the seasons and the natural phases of light and dark. Rather than fighting this, they adjust their daily cadence to match this seasonality.

Memory Dividends

When talking about creating memorable scenes, one student brought up the book Die With Zero. It talks about "memory dividends", and how one thing we fail to consider is how you don't just benefit from experiences when they happen, but you get to experience some semblance of that joy again and again in the form of memories.

Involving your kids in your weekly review

One participant mentioned how they like to fold their kids into the weekly review process. It helps teach them about their own task management systems and get clear on their upcoming homework, events, etc. They said they believe it's helping them also develop their executive functioning skills.

They suggested keeping their involvement short, as they can get bored pretty quickly. Or rather, allow them to stay to watch the rest of it, but give them the freedom to leave if they choose.

How do you maintain boundaries and learn to say “no” without feeling guilty?

Learning to say no is a skill. A few suggestions:

First, simply having a clear vision should make this easier, because you now know whether things are getting you closer or further from your goals.

Second, providing a rationale when declining requests or scheduling can sometimes help others understand it’s not arbitrary (e.g., “I need deep work time to move these strategic projects forward”).

Recognize that while a small percentage of people may try to “power play” your calendar, most colleagues or clients adapt if you respectfully and consistently maintain boundaries.

Lastly, having slack, especially in your finances, is key. Desperation often leads to accepting bad-fit projects or overwhelming yourself.

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