How to Stop Overloading Your Diary: Finding the Right Balance in a Hybrid World
Welcome back to Dreaming of the Office following a hiatus over Christmas and the New Year…and my paternity leave! Yep, my partner and I were delighted to welcome a new daughter to our family. I’m just back at work and hence our weekly posts on all things time management and productivity in the hybrid working world are back on.
It’s probably a good time to think about this topic in general. If you’ve been on this road for a while, you probably remember the week you decided to “optimise” your schedule. You might have just started working in a hybrid setup—some days at home, some in the office—and determined to make every hour count. So you filled your diary with colourful blocks of time: half an hour for admin tasks, fifteen minutes to answer emails, a quick catch-up call here, another project meeting there. On paper (or screen!), it might have even looked like a textbook example of modern time management. But by the time Friday rolled around, you were either utterly drained or had failed miserably to follow the schedule, having endured endless distractions and got nothing of what you wanted to do actually finished. Instead of feeling accomplished, you felt exhausted.
The Trap of Over-Optimisation
It’s easy to stumble into this situation. With countless tools and techniques—time-blocking, productivity apps, goal-setting frameworks—it’s tempting to fill every free slot until we’ve crafted the “perfect” week. But trust me, if your entire diary is a patchwork of tiny task-blocks, you might well be setting yourself up for burnout, or simply failure. The key is remembering that effective time management should serve you, not wear you out.
Quality Over Quantity
One of the most important lessons I’ve learnt is that your diary should reflect what you genuinely care about. Ask yourself: are those hours of busywork truly propelling you towards your personal or professional goals? Or do you find yourself merely swatting away every incoming request like you’re playing whack-a-mole? Instead of trying to shoehorn in every minor chore, carve out bigger segments of time for the important work you really value. Maybe it’s a creative project that’s been sidelined for too long, or research that demands deep concentration. Block that time off and treat it like treasure. Let those hours be sacred, uninterrupted, and aligned with your deeper ambitions as much as possible in your role. You’ll find the satisfaction you get from working on something meaningful far outweighs the thrill of ticking off endless tiny tasks.
Using the Eisenhower Matrix as a Guide
We’ve covered the Eisenhower Matrix before, but as a reminder, this is a straightforward yet powerful tool for prioritising tasks. It divides your to-dos into four categories:
Important & Urgent: Must be done now (e.g. a critical work deadline or a pressing family matter).
Important & Not Urgent: Valuable work that contributes to long-term goals but doesn’t have to happen immediately (e.g. professional development, strategic thinking, relationship-building).
Not Important & Urgent: Tasks that feel urgent but don’t genuinely matter in the grand scheme of things (e.g. most “ASAP” emails or trivial errands).
Not Important & Not Urgent: Time-wasters that don’t serve your larger aims (e.g. endless social media scrolling or unquestioned busywork).
A truly balanced week should ideally include tasks from all four categories, with a stronger emphasis on the top two. For example, you might reserve a couple of hours each morning for “Important & Not Urgent” tasks—things that help you learn, grow, or innovate. Then, handle the “Important & Urgent” items as they arise—these can’t be ignored, after all. Let the “Not Important” tasks fall into smaller, more controlled windows or delegate them if possible. And try to weed out the truly wasteful tasks entirely.
Guarding Against Overload
Now, I know what you’re thinking: isn’t the whole point of time management to get more done? Yes and no. Productivity techniques aren’t meant to transform your life into a relentless production line. Instead, they should help you focus on what matters and make steady progress without leaving you feeling crushed under a mountain of to-dos.
As you plan your week, be strategic. Don’t forget to leave breathing space. Yes, actually schedule “do nothing” moments or breaks. Even block off some time in your diary for yourself—going for a short walk, enjoying a cup of tea, or simply sitting quietly to gather your thoughts. These pauses might seem unproductive, but they help recharge your mind and preserve your overall wellbeing.
Accepting Imperfection and Variability
Here’s another reality check as we get the year underway: not every week will be perfectly balanced. Some weeks will be packed with urgent deadlines or major family obligations. You might be launching a big project that demands intense focus and longer hours. That’s perfectly normal. Embracing busier periods is part of the natural ebb and flow of both work and life. The aim isn’t to maintain perfect equilibrium at all times, but to recognise when that balance starts to slip and make adjustments.
If you notice your diary has turned into a non-stop list of minor tasks and frantic dashing about, pause and reset. Ask yourself what’s genuinely important this week. Is there a way to shuffle or even eliminate less crucial tasks? Don’t hesitate to renegotiate deadlines, decline unnecessary meetings, or use your hybrid flexibility to find a quieter spot for concentration.
Long-Term Sustainability Over Short-Term Wins
Ultimately, the goal is sustainable productivity: a pattern of working and resting that you can keep up for the long haul. By focusing on meaningful work, using the Eisenhower Matrix as a guide, and accepting that some weeks will be more hectic than others, you’ll be far better placed to avoid the trap of over-optimisation.
At the end of the day, your diary should help you lead a meaningful, balanced life—not leave you feeling like a marathon runner who sprinted every step of the way. Your schedule should be a tool, not a tyrant. Once you learn to see it that way, you’ll find that sweet spot where time management truly supports, rather than sabotages, your wellbeing.
Here’s to new successes ahead in 2025, however you choose to structure your days. Dreaming of the Office will be here to help!