Maker vs. Meeting Time

👤 Authored by Lashmi Bai Ravindrapandian
📅 Published on Apr 13, 2025

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A few months ago, I had a week packed with 15 meetings. Not a single one was unnecessary, and many of them were quite productive. 

That’s when I realized I had fallen into a trap. I was living on a meeting-time schedule. At the same time, I was trying to do maker-time work.

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Defining the Two Modes of Work

The difference between maker time and meeting time was first highlighted by Paul Graham. For the sake of clarity in this post, I’ll refer to manager time as “meeting time.”

• Meeting Time is structured around short, scheduled interactions: typically 30 or 60-minute blocks. This approach works well for managers who need to coordinate, communicate, and make decisions throughout the day.
• Maker Time, on the other hand, requires long, uninterrupted blocks of time. It’s the time needed for deep, focused work, whether that’s writing, coding, designing, or brainstorming. In these blocks, distractions and interruptions must be kept to a minimum in order to maintain momentum and creativity.

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The Cost of One Meeting

I’ve learned the hard way that a single meeting doesn’t just take the scheduled 30 minutes. It fragments the day and disrupts flow. A quick meeting in the morning might seem like a small interruption, but the ripple effect is much larger:

• It can take up to 30 minutes to get back into a focused state after a disruption.
• Even a brief meeting will often result in losing a chunk of valuable time surrounding it, whether that’s the morning or afternoon.

Through conversations with senior managers and peers, I’ve realized that context switching is a hidden productivity killer.

Every time we shift from one task to another, whether it’s jumping into a meeting or switching between different kinds of work, the brain has to “reboot” and regain focus.

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Four Key Strategies I Learned to Protect My Maker Time

I realized that meetings were eating up too much of my time. I started to experiment with ways to carve out uninterrupted time for deep work. These strategies aren’t groundbreaking, but they have made a significant difference in how I manage my day.

Much of my learning came from observing senior managers. They seemed to always get things done without falling into the same traps.

1. Block Maker Mornings

The first advice I received from senior leaders was about time management. They suggested blocking off time in the morning for focused work. I now reserve 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day as my “Maker Time” block. This is sacred time: no meetings, no Slack, no email.

I learned this by observing how successful leaders structure their days. Most of them spend the morning on tasks requiring the most focus. It’s clear why: The brain is sharpest in the morning. By protecting that time, they achieve more than in fragmented hours.

2. Batch Meetings Together

Another lesson I picked up from senior managers was how they batch their meetings into specific time windows.

Rather than sprinkling them throughout the day, they’d schedule all their meetings in the afternoon or a certain block of time. This allowed them to keep their mornings free for deep work.

I now do the same. If I must have meetings, I schedule them in clusters, typically after lunch, so I’m not constantly interrupted. It helps me stay in “maker mode” during my most productive hours.

3. Prioritize Asynchronous Communication

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from senior managers is the power of asynchronous communication. Before agreeing to a meeting, I now ask myself: “Can this be handled in an email, a shared document, or a Slack thread?”

In many cases, the answer is yes. Instead of live meetings, I rely on OneNote for project management, and MS Teams threads for team discussions. This saves a significant amount of time and allows me to focus on the work that really matters.

4. Daily Review and Planning

One of the best practices I’ve picked up is the daily review. At the end of each day, I spend a few minutes reflecting on what I accomplished. I consider whether I spent my time on the right tasks. I ask myself:

• What did I actually create today?
• Did I spend more time in meetings or focused work?
• What can I improve tomorrow?

This simple habit has been invaluable in helping me maintain alignment with my goals and adjust when necessary. It was a key piece of advice from a senior manager who told me that success isn’t just about what you do during the day, it’s about consistently evaluating and adjusting how you spend your time.

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Building a Culture That Supports Both Maker and Meeting Time

When you work on a team with both makers and managers, it’s essential to find a balance between focused work and collaborative time. Senior leaders I’ve spoken to emphasize the need for clear boundaries. They stress the importance of setting expectations to make sure everyone’s work time is respected.

Here are a few cultural changes that I’ve seen work well on teams:

• Implement “No Meeting” Mornings: This could be a company-wide policy or simply a shared agreement among the team. Blocking out specific hours or even certain days (e.g., no meetings before 1 p.m.) can help makers get into their flow state without constant interruptions.
• Label Your Calendar Blocks: Make it clear on your calendar for different times. Specify when you’re in Maker Time and when you’re in Meeting Time. This helps set expectations with your team and makes it easier to protect focus time.
• Embrace Asynchronous Communication: Encourage the team to use tools like Loom, Notion, or Slack for updates and collaboration. Avoid defaulting to live meetings. This gives everyone more flexibility and fewer disruptions.
• Empower Team Members to Say “No” to Meetings: A senior manager I admire once shared valuable advice with me. He said, “If you’re going to say ‘yes’ to every meeting, you’ll end up saying ‘no’ to your own priorities.”

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Final Thoughts: Your Calendar Reflects Your Priorities

I’ve learned from my own experience and from observing successful senior managers. Productivity isn’t about simply cramming more into your day. It’s about protecting time for what matters most.

The key takeaway? If you don’t protect your maker time, no one else will.

Take a look at your calendar. Where’s your time for focused work? How often do you actually get into a state of deep focus? If your day is filled with meetings, it might be time to reassess. Make space for the work that requires creativity and uninterrupted thought.

In the end, quality work doesn’t happen in fragmented moments. It happens when you intentionally create space for it.