33 Benefits You'll Experience When You Hire A Holistic Time Coach
It's easy to lose sight of the value of our time amidst the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day.
We often find ourselves caught up in worries about the past or consumed by anxieties about the future, all while being pulled into tasks that don't truly align with our true priorities and goals.
But here's the thing: every single moment, day, week, and year we experience weave together to form the tapestry of our one and only life.
That's why it's crucial to do the inner and outer work to be in right relationship with time and spend it consciously.
That's where Holistic Time Coaching and Holistic Time Management come in.
As a Holistic Time Coach, my mission is to partner up with individuals who yearn for more from their time and their existence. Those who crave more presence, abundance, freedom, and aliveness.
In this blog, I'll share the incredible benefits that holistic time coaching can bring to your life—truly life-changing results that will elevate your business, relationships, health, finances, and more.
What is holistic life & time coaching?
Holistic life and time coaching is all about shaping your future and maximizing your present. Think of it as a dynamic partnership with a coach who guides you to unlock your full potential. The process is incredibly hands-on and tailored to your unique needs. It begins with identifying your values, dreams, and aspirations, helping you craft a roadmap for your life.
Together with your holistic life and time coach, you'll work on enhancing time management skills, reducing stress, and creating a balanced, fulfilling life. This approach is ideal for busy adults seeking to regain control over their schedules and achieve a harmonious lifestyle aligned with their loved ones. However, it might not be the best fit for individuals who are currently dealing with severe mental health issues that require immediate therapy or counseling. If you’re struggling with significant mental health issues, please seek out professional help immediately.
33 benefits of having a holistic time coach in your life
How we spend our time impacts everything; our work, relationships, environment, finances, and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It makes sense that holistic time coaching benefits… everything too.
Here are the biggest benefits that are accessible to you with a holistic time management coach:
Accomplish more, better
Time management and productivity get a bad rep in my world nowadays. But productivity itself isn’t the enemy. The real enemy? Capitalism, scarcity, greed, selfishness, and income inequality. They turn productivity toxic.
But at the end of the day, we all have things we need to get done at work, at home, and for ourselves. That’s why we look to time management to support us in doing so.
However, traditional time management burns people out because it emphasizes a one-size-fits-all approach to productivity. This can lead to an overly rigid schedule and unrealistic expectations.
Holistic Time Management takes into account your unique differences and needs which helps you accomplish what you want, in less time and without all the stress, anxiety, hurry, and urgency. This allows you to get more quality work done.
Enriched creativity
Time that is well-managed allows for space to noodle, think creatively, and make art. You’ll have more capacity for hobbies, whether that’s playing an instrument, drawing, writing, or something else that you love doing.
Advanced time estimation
You’ll be able to accurately estimate how long tasks will take, leading to more realistic planning and scheduling.
Alleviate stress & anxiety
Holistic time management reduces day-to-day and chronic stress, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, and helplessness. It also alleviates symptoms associated with those things such as headaches, exhaustion, burnout, and more.
More motivation
A coach will provide guidance and support to help you stay connected to your motivation throughout the day, week, and month.
Expands your capacity for joy
Holistic time coaching increases your joy and spontaneity. It helps you feel more alive, even as you’re checking things off your to-do list or when you’re at work throughout the week. You don’t have to wait until the weekend to be excited or have fun.
Effective visioning & goal setting
Ever set a goal and later realized it’s going to take a lot more time, energy, and focus to achieve? Yep! We’re so used to setting big lofty goals. But there’s a big difference between a vision and a goal.
A time coach will help you create a safe container for you to vision and dream without needing to know all the answers. Then they’ll support you in taking that vision and turning it into realistic and achievable goals.
This will help you stay motivated and on track, it’ll help you acknowledge and celebrate your progress, and achieve them much easier and quicker.
Healing self-sabotaging behavior
A holistic coach can help you deepen your understanding of and heal issues that impact how long you spend on tasks. Think common time issues such as procrastination, perfectionism, and overthinking
Self-accountability
Following through with the plans one makes is one of the most common struggles I hear from clients and students.
A holistic time coach is here to gently hold you accountable for the things you say you want to do and help you find ways to strengthen your own self-accountability muscle.
Boundary setting
You’ll be able to set clearer boundaries and say "no" to things you really don’t want to do.
Conscious prioritization & decision-making
You’ll learn how to prioritize tasks in a way that works for your brain and life, not just based on urgency. #EverythingIsUrgent
Also, you’ll gain clarity and find techniques to help you make easier and more effective decisions in all areas of your life, reducing overwhelm, analysis paralysis, and indecisiveness.
Guilt-free self-care & time off
Taking time off is not a piece of cake. Our minds are trained to constantly think about all the things we have to do. Many people feel guilty, lazy, and behind when they rest. And the reality is: we have responsibilities, bills, and people to take care of.
However, Holistic Time Management believes that when we are well, everything else is easier. That’s why I help my clients find a way to prioritize self-care and rest, no matter their responsibilities and circumstances.
As a Holistic Time Coach, I work with my clients to identify and let go of any of the inner guilt or narratives that prevent them from taking really good care of themselves. I also help folks find pockets of time off, make the best use of that time, and proactively plan ahead for more rest.
Better organization
Our direct environment impacts our energy and productivity so much. A holistic time coach will help you figure out if you need to declutter your physical and digital spaces. And if so, support you in creating a sustainable plan resulting in better organization.
Improved clarity & focus
A Holistic Time Coach can help you get clear on what you want and need to get done and how to find and use pockets of focus time better. They’ll also support you in finding self-criticism-free, sustainable ways to avoid distractions like social media.
Greater sense of connection
As opposed to traditional time management, a holistic approach to time management actually works because it emphasizes connection. The connection between yourself and the world around you, your work, your relationships, your health.
You’ll feel more present and mindful throughout each day. You’ll be able to tap into a deeper, more profound level of fulfillment, richness, and meaning.
Increased effectiveness
Do you know how things seem to take longer than we think they ‘should’? Ever feel frustrated about how long things take to happen?
A time coach is here to help you find out why and create strategies and tools to streamline things. This frees up resources for other areas of your life that are important and valuable to you.
Of course, efficiency is important, but it’s not the end all be all either. We tend to lose some of our humanity in pursuit of efficiency. A holistic time coach is here to help you accomplish things without sacrificing your presence and joy.
Unique time-saving techniques
There are millions of different solutions that can save you hours and hours of your life. We just have to find what solutions work for you and your life.
A time coach can offer you various time-saving techniques and tools that have worked for others and help you come up with your own.
Improved communication skills
A time management coach helps you create more space for meaningful interactions and active listening. You’ll also be able to establish clearer expectations with yourself and the people in your life.
Increased self-awareness
One of the things that I realized when I was overworking myself was I wasn’t in tune with myself. I was so focused on getting sh*t done.
I didn’t know what I needed, how I felt, or what I really wanted from my life.
Holistic Time Management works so well because it emphasizes self-knowledge, mindfulness, compassion, trust, and intuition. It helps you gain a better understanding of your needs, rhythms, and strengths and helps you incorporate them into your schedule, routines, and life.
Effective delegation
A holistic time coach will help you delegate tasks and responsibilities in a way that works for your budget, energy, and circumstances. This will free up your focus for more important work and things that bring you joy.
Healing old stories & negative core beliefs
When I ask folks how they feel about time management, many people will say something along of lines of “I suck at it.” This is one example of an old story or negative core belief.
We aren’t actually taught how to manage our time in any sort of unique, healthy, and functional way. How would we know how to? It’s a skill that grows as you practice it. (Ps: You don’t suck).
More realistic planning
If planning has ever felt overwhelming, frustrating, or confusing… you’re not alone. With a time coach, you can clarify and simplify your unique planning process and learn how to plan for the future in a way that works for you.
Creating plans that are realistic, adaptable, and in alignment with your values will help lessen the stress of feeling behind and accomplish your goals without getting exhausted.
Healthier consistency
Consistency is a bit tricky to talk about here, but I had to include it. People often think consistency means doing the same thing every day. To me, it doesn’t.
We’re human beings, with ranging energy, motivation, drive, and capacity. So when I say healthier consistency, I really mean that you’re committed and consistent with one thing: You doing you. When you acknowledge what you need and give yourself that, that’s the most important habit out there.
Sustainable scheduling
Creating a schedule that’s easy to follow yet doesn’t feel like a prison for your freedom-loving soul?! How is that even possible?
A holistic time coach will help you make it happen. You’ll be able to create and maintain a schedule that promotes balance, well-being, and long-term effectiveness.
Stronger relationships
Managing your time holistically will enable you to nurture and support your personal relationships more. You’ll be able to call your friends, go on dates, or play with your kids (or fur baby) without worrying about your to-do list.
Time for personal growth
Things like therapy, non-monetized hobbies, and learning non-work related things aren’t often seen as high-value or productive activities. But holistic time management believes they are just as important.
A holistic time coach will help you create time for any of your interests just because you want to!
Enjoy your work more
By aligning work with your core values, improving focus and productivity, reducing overwhelm and burnout, and establishing boundaries, you’ll be able to enjoy your work more fully and experience a greater sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Heal urgency & hustle
Because holistic time management promotes mindful awareness, setting realistic expectations, creating space for reflection and evaluation, and emphasizing quality over quantity, you can gradually shift away from the harmful effects of urgency and hustle, fostering healing, well-being, and presence.
Stronger trust
Accomplishing the things you need and want to will strengthen your self-trust with yourself. It’ll also strengthen trust between you and the people you work with and love. And it’ll strengthen your trust in the universe (if you’re spiritual like I am).
Working with a holistic time coach will help you feel more reliable, capable, and confident.
More Money*
*If you want that.
As you’ve read in this list, managing your time holistically contributes to accomplishing things better, having more clarity and energy, and enjoying your work more. This often leads to higher earning potential and financial success. You’ll also be able to more easily prioritize and focus on tasks that directly contribute to your financial goals.
Work-life flow
Work-life flow acknowledges that work and personal life are interconnected and fluid. Holistic Time Management aims to create a more flexible and seamless experience between the two, often competing, areas of your life.
You’ll be able to find a rhythm and synergy between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being.
Overall well-being
When you’re well, everything else is honestly just easier.
That’s why a holistic time coach's main goal is to help you create time to care for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This will allow you to experience a greater sense of health, happiness, and satisfaction across your entire life.
I’ve had many clients say to me, “I’ve never felt healthier or more content in my entire life.”
Create an impact
When I talk about the ripple effect that happens when one person spends their time more effectively, I mean it.
Once you are clear on what you want to do and aren’t expending precious time and energy doing things you don’t want to do, you can make a bigger, more meaningful impact in the world. Whatever that means to you.
You can volunteer, be more present with your children, heal your own generational trauma, donate to organizations you care about, and so much more. And because you’re spending your time with integrity, you show others it’s possible for them too.
The opportunities are truly limitless.
Time is regenerative. When you’re more intentional with it, you get more of it. And by working on just this one thing, you’ll improve everything else.
A holistic life and time coach is one of the most impactful investments you can ever make. Want any or all of these benefits in your life?
Book a free, no-commitment exploration call today!
Why a holistic approach to time management is so powerful
Feel like you're constantly running on a hamster wheel, with time slipping away faster than you can catch up?
Are you struggling to juggle all of your responsibilities, while also trying to make time for the things that matter most to you?
If so, I hear you. And you’re not alone.
In our world which is full of distractions and pressures, being intentional with your time is more important than ever.
But traditional approaches to time management fall short.
A holistic approach to time management offers a powerful solution.
Rather than focusing solely on productivity and efficiency, a holistic approach considers all aspects of your life and creates a more sustainable and balanced approach to managing your time.
In this post, we'll explore what a holistic approach to time management is and why it actually works.
If you're ready to feel like yourself and live your life the way you want to, keep reading!
What is a holistic approach to time management?
A holistic approach to time management goes beyond simply organizing tasks and schedules.
This radical way of managing time explores the interconnectedness of all the areas of life such as work, relationships, environment, finances, and your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
It recognizes that time is a precious and limited resource. It aims to help you make conscious, intentional decisions about how you spend your time to experience a greater sense of purpose, satisfaction, and overall well-being.
At the core of holistic time management is you. Your values, your priorities, and long-term vision.
It believes that when you are well, everything else is easier. Much easier.
Because of this, a holistic approach to time management is inherently anti-capitalist.
When you spend your time in a way that prioritizes enoughness, fulfillment, and wellness, you are challenging the dominant, capitalist narratives around time and productivity.
Holistic time management helps you resist the societal pressure to work longer hours and prioritize work/doing/productivity above all else. It helps you reclaim your life and live the way you want to.
My application of holistic time management also acknowledges that time is not only an individual problem or solution, it’s a collective one. How we’re able to spend our time is directly connected to the systems we live in and the privileges and support we have.
What happens when you don’t use a holistic approach to time management
Time management was founded by a fellow engineer, Frederick Winslow Taylor (the author of The Principles of Scientific Management published in 1911).
The goal of traditional time management? Optimizing productivity and efficiency to complete as many tasks as possible in the shortest amount of time, with the hope that if you get everything done, you can rest and relax.
The problem with this thinking? Work and to-dos never end.
Traditional time management does not take into account individual rhythms and needs and ignores the beautiful, magical, intuitive, and unpredictable-ness of life.
Trying to manage our time in a capitalist and extractive way leaves us feeling shame, failure, isolation, guilt, unrealistic expectations, falling behind, stress, exhaustion, overwhelm, and burnout.
It’s no wonder we’re exhausted, we’re still using many of his (and other neurotypical, middle-class, white male) principles.
Time management with a holistic approach actually works
A holistic approach to time management actually works because it recognizes and honors the fact that you are a unique and whole, human being.
And it emphasizes self-knowledge, mindfulness, compassion, trust, and intuition.
If you have trauma, a chronic illness, are neurodivergent, or are simply a human who doesn’t want to live exhausted on autopilot, holistic time management is here for you.
It’s about more than just checking off tasks on a to-do list.
It's about identifying and crafting an easeful life around your values and priorities. It also acknowledges and addresses the societal factors and deeper beliefs that cause you to feel overwhelmed, stressed out, or short on time.
Holistic time management will give you the skills, mindsets, and tools you need to finally have time for everything that’s important to you, including space to rest, have fun, and enjoy your days.
A holistic approach to time management allows you to engage with a life beyond being a cog in the machine.
You get to accomplish your goals while experiencing a life full of peace and freedom.
You get to be the person you want to be.
To create the art and beauty you want to see in the world.
And to experience more ease and joy than you’ve ever felt.
What’s more important than that?
Hire me as your time coach to create time for everything that’s important to you, including space to rest, have fun, and enjoy your life!
How a weekly schedule template saved me 37 hours every quarter
Back in 2019, I was building my yoga coaching business, teaching yoga, hosting retreats and workshops, all while being an engineer in my 9-5 job.
I rarely sat still.
Resting felt pointless, and I never felt like I got enough done. I was constantly overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed out.
I never had enough time.
I know whenever I see someone say that everything changed from this one thing, I cringe. But I’m serious… using a weekly schedule template did that for me.
My calendar helped me heal toxic productivity, my tendency to over-commit, and my shiny object syndrome. Doing so allowed me to rest more, enjoy more, and focus more.
Four years later, I’m running a successful online coaching business and I currently work remotely 3-4 days a week while traveling around the world. (I’m in Cyprus as I write this)
I wouldn’t be where I am today without creating a weekly schedule template that felt good to ME.
In this blog, you’ll learn what a weekly schedule template is and how it saved me 37 hours, and $2500, a quarter. That’s 148 hours, or $10k a year!
What is a weekly schedule template?
A weekly schedule template is your average week pre-built into your digital calendar. It provides a “blank”, realistic, yet flexible structure and a clear framework for planning and organizing your week ahead.
I think of my weekly schedule template as a foundation for all the things I regularly need to do to maintain my life and well-being.
The biggest difference between a "‘weekly schedule’ and a ‘weekly schedule template’ is that you don’t intend to follow your weekly template perfectly, which is huge for a lot of people who struggle with perfectionism or all-or-nothing thinking.
You'd take your template and edit it at the beginning of each week to edit it to fit your real-life tasks, events, and responsibilities.
Once you have a weekly schedule template built, you will…
Feel more in control of your time, weeks, and schedule, and reduce any time-related stress.
Realistically see how much time, energy, and space you have available making it much easier to plan and say yes or no to things.
More easily keep track of everything because you have it all in one place preventing mental overwhelm.
See and celebrate what you’ve done and feel more fulfilled at the end of each day and week.
Increase your awareness of how long tasks really take and more realistically estimate how long things take.
How a weekly schedule template saved me 37 hours a quarter
I used to spend a lot of time planning, then re-planning, because my plans were rigid and unrealistic. I kept saying yes and overcommitting myself. I’d feel stressed out and behind on either everyday life stuff, or on my priorities and goals.
With a weekly schedule template, I saved 37 hours, and $2500, a quarter. That’s 148 hours, or $10k a year!
However, if you like math here it is:
Every quarter I used to spend about 5.5 hours each quarter planning it out. Then at the beginning of the week, I’d sit down and spend about 2.5 hours planning out my week. But since things changed so much, I’d spend another 45 mins each day writing out my to-do list. That’s 44.5 hours each quarter JUST planning.
At my hourly rate, that’s $3,115 spent planning.
With a weekly schedule template, I spend around 1.5 hours on quarterly planning, thinking through what I want to do. Then, I will spend ~30 mins a week editing and updating my weekly template to fit that week. That’s it. And I only spend 7.5 hours planning a quarter now.
At my hourly rate, that’s $525 spent planning.
Looking for your own weekly schedule template?
There’s a lot that goes into building a weekly schedule template that’ll feel good to you, be sustainable, and give you the results you want. You have to take into account your everyday life and responsibilities. Think self-care, kids (if you’re a parent), cleaning the house, commuting (if you do), work hours, date nights, etc.
Your vision, dreams, goals, intentions, or whatever word you use (I use intention!). For example, scaling your business, working 30 hours a week, or writing a book.
Then you need to match all of those with your unique rhythms, at best you can. And doing all of this without your tendency to overcommit or optimistic planner parts to take over!
Digital Calendars For Humans will help you do this in 30 minutes, or less.
Calendar Management: Why your intuition is more important than you think
What happens when we spend hours creating a plan and schedule that would work in an ideal world but doesn’t hold up with life’s unexpected twists and turns?
Many of my clients end up getting overwhelmed, sitting in indecision, and sometimes even giving up on planning altogether. This leads to lots of frustration, disappointment, and time wasted.
If this is you, I see you.
Many factors can throw off our carefully planned schedules, and it’s difficult to navigate these obstacles with confidence.
When it comes to creating adaptable and flexible plans (that don’t feel like a prison), your intuition is so important.
Your digital calendar is one of the best places to plan with and practice trusting your intuition.
In this post, I’ll guide you through how to identify your intuition, why it’s so hard to listen to, the benefits of using your intuition in your calendar management, and give you helpful tangible examples.
What is your intuition?
To me, my experience of intuition is simply a gut response to a decision, big or small, without necessarily having logical reasoning for it. Intuition can show up as a physical sensation, imagery, synchronicities, patterns, and more.
Curious about all the ways your intuition might be showing up? Check out Bustle’s 14 signs your intuition is speaking to you.
Also, personally, human design has also really helped me tap into my intuition. As a manifesting generator, I have a sacral (or gut) yes or no response to external stimuli and decisions.
However, at the end of the day, your experience of your intuition is what matters most.
What is YOUR experience of your intuition? How does it show up for you? Comment below and let me know!
Why is it so difficult to listen to your intuition?
For many reasons. The 3 biggest that I see are:
It’s almost impossible to tap into your intuition when you’re tired, overwhelmed, anxious, stressed out, in your head, or busy. If you’re often in these states… that’s your answer.
We confuse fear, critical, or “should” voice as intuition. (My intuition shows up as neutral, calm, and clear.)
Intuition isn’t often honored as an important business or time management skill/strategy in our culture. Even though 85% of CEOs in this one study confirmed that intuition was central to their decision-making process
We all have intuition, whether we realize it or not.
The more we understand it, the more we can apply it to better our lives.
The massive benefits of listening to your intuition
Honestly, the benefits of listening to yourself reach far and wide. But when it comes down to it, you get days that add up to a life more beautiful than you could ever imagine.
Listening to your intuition allows you to live a life true to you.
What’s better than that?
My clients, and I, often feel like we need proof to trust more. If you’re like us… I can confidently say you already have proof!
Ask yourself, “What’s happened in the past when I’ve listened to my gut?”
Ease, flow, peace, accomplishment, success, abundance. For me?
Changing my offerings in my business, then selling them out.
Choosing to become a digital nomad and experiencing more peace and freedom than ever before.
Being super tired, putting my work down, opening Netflix for a brain break, and watching an episode that gave me tons of ideas allowing me to return and accomplish what I was doing way faster and easier.
What’s happened in the past when you HAVEN’T?
Frustration, guilt, resentment, suffering, pain, delays, and spending loads of time and energy overthinking and NOT making a decision.
Some more personal examples:
Forcing myself to do a workshop with someone, spending a month marketing, and having to cancel it because of the low attention and excitement it received.
Attempting to be a morning person and work out first thing, always being miserable when I do it and when I don’t guilt-trip myself.
Not deciding what to do with my day so just go along with whatever comes up in my inbox, and ending the day feeling like I did nothing.
How do I use my intuition in my digital calendar?
Now you know what intuition is, how it shows up for you, and how important it is to listen to it.
Unfortunately, time management or calendar management advice rarely recommends you listen to your intuition.
The typical advice is to time block your whole day or week to the minute and perfectly stick to it. Then, if you can’t then something is wrong with you.
Good thing I’m not your average time management coach!
I know it’s nearly impossible to perfectly stick to your schedule every day, all day, AND be happy. I wouldn’t even want to anymore.
So, let’s start with what calendar management even is.
What even is calendar management?
Calendar management is the process of prioritizing your time and managing your life through the use of a calendar(1).
I use my digital calendar to organize and manage everything in my business and life. It’s basically my personal assistant, and it’s free!
Linking calendar management and your intuition
You can use your intuition when you’re creating a daily or weekly to-do list and/or schedule.
You can also flex your intuition throughout the day and week by moving time blocks around when you feel like doing the thing.
Tangible examples of intuitive calendar management
Asking yourself how your schedule feels to you.
Leaving gaps to move around tasks when you feel like doing them.
Dragging and moving time blocks/containers around without guilt.
Using language that feels good to you when naming events.
Putting tasks when you’re most energized, creative, and excited.
Scheduling time to work on goals and dreams that are deeply important to you in your calendar so they finally happen!
Ask yourself, “What it would look like to use my intuition more in my calendar?”
When you use your intuition in your calendar, you can…
Trust and listen to yourself more, leading to more peace and fulfillment.
Make decisions that will give you the freedom you want.
Have more energy, be more productive (in the good way), and be happy with yourself and how you spent your time.
Your intuition is the most important, yet underrated, time and life management skill out there.
Now you know how crucial it is…
Intuitive scheduling and time blocking? Yes, please!
Enroll in Digital Calendars For Humans now.
4 Mindsets to heal for a more supportive digital calendar experience
You’re done feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and unmotivated. You want to feel organized, clear, and like the badass that you are. Yep, I’ve said it… you’re a bad ass.
If you’ve been following along with the digital calendar for humans series, you know by now your digital calendar can be a magical tool to support you in creating the life you want.
The problem? Everything we’ve been taught about how to use our digital calendars. We’ve been told that we have to consistently follow it perfectly 100% of the time.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing why your mindset impacts your digital calendar and the four most common mindsets that need to be healed if you want to have a more supportive experience with it.
By healing these four harmful mindsets, you can use your digital calendar to work, and stress, less and live more.
So, take a deep breath and keep reading.
Why your digital calendar mindset matters, a lot
A mindset is a mental attitude or set of beliefs that impact how you think, feel, and behave. An individual’s mindset is formed by a variety of factors, such as personal experiences, cultural and social influences, and education.
How does your mindset impact your digital calendar? It can be the thing that makes or break it.
For example, if you believe your digital calendar is an amazing, magical tool that can change your life, you’re most likely going to use it. The opposite is also true. If you don’t think it’ll work for you or how important it is, you’re not going to use it nor will you get the benefits.
If you’re committed to using your digital calendar in a flexible, open, and experimental way, it’s going to help you achieve the level of freedom you want. Yep, the opposite is true here too. If you’re committed to using it the same way you’ve been taught (aka rigidity and perfectionism), you’re likely to say it feels like a prison and you won’t use it.
The good news is, mindsets are not fixed and can be changed or developed over time through intentional effort and practice. By cultivating a supportive mindset you can improve how you spend your time, your well-being, your relationships, and your success.
Four digital calendar mindsets to consider healing
“It didn’t work for me in the past”
If you’ve been saying this, it’s most likely because you’ve tried to use your digital calendar before and it didn’t help you in the way you wanted it to. You still felt overwhelmed or scattered. It felt rigid and controlling. You have a completely valid point, it didn’t work for you with the skills and tools you knew at the time.
However, there are many, many different ways to use your digital calendar and settings to help customize it for your brain, life, and priorities. Maybe you didn’t know how to best use it for you at the time, but I know there is a way to make your digital calendar work and feel good to you.
An alternative mindset to integrate moving forward: “I can find a way to make my digital calendar work for me. Healing overwhelm, overworking, and exhaustion (for real) is worth it.”
“I suck at it*”
*Your digital calendar, time management, and/or organization.
My friend, no you don’t. This belief commonly stems from how we’re taught to use our digital calendar in a certain way. One that is all about hyper-optimization efficiency and is rigid and inflexible. But if you’re here at The Holistic Time Coach, it’s because traditional time management has burned you in some way in the past.
So, I want to validate you. Yes, the way you’ve been taught to use your digital calendar sucks. Not you. Time management and organization are challenging.
I wanted a slow, intentional, spontaneous, flexible, and freedom-focused life. And I’ve found a way to use my digital calendar to create that kind of life for myself. This goes for you if you’re neurodivergent, rebellious, creative, or an overwhelmed entrepreneur and/or parent too. You can find a way to make your digital calendar NOT suck.
An alternative mindset to integrate moving forward: “I have beautiful skills and talents, and can integrate them into my digital calendar.”
“I have to follow it perfectly”
Ok, this is the most common misunderstanding when it comes to digital calendars. Many people come in with huge expectations for themselves and spend hours planning their entire day, or week, in their digital calendars with said expectations as the foundation. Then, when life inevitably comes up and derails their plan, they throw the entire thing out the window.
The point of your digital calendar isn’t to follow it perfectly. To me, the point is being proactive and intentional with my time and my digital calendar helps me stay focused and flexible as I work towards my goals.
Striving to create a plan that doesn’t move or change, or not creating one at all, is what sets us up for failure. When you’re committed to using your digital calendar in an intuitive way, it’s going to help you plan more realistically and execute your plans with much more ease and peace.
An alternative mindset to integrate moving forward: “I am committed to my fluidity, imperfect humanity, and what’s most important to me.”
“It’s just a digital calendar”
Nope, it’s not just a digital calendar! Well, I guess it is but it’s so much more than what we think it is. You can do anything you want to do by being intentional with and protecting your time, energy, and focus using your digital calendar.
You can heal “never enough time" with your calendar. You can start celebrating yourself. You can make more time for yourself and your dreams. You can work less and have more time for the things you love. It can help you be more mentally and physically well. You can make more money. You can divest from hustle culture. You can rest more. For a lack of a better phrase, your digital calendar can literally change your life.
When you believe your digital calendar is a magical tool, you’re most likely going to use it which is when you’ll get all of the amazing benefits.
An alternative mindset to integrate moving forward: “My digital calendar is a supportive, loving tool to help me do the things I want to do and be the person I want to be.”
Your digital calendar CAN work for you.
I’ll prove it to you in the Digital Calendars For Humans Course.
7 Magical Google Calendar Settings For Intentional Planning
Planning and living intentionally is about understanding what is most important to you and living it out. It's about making conscious, deliberate choices and taking purposeful action to create the life you want.
As a tool designed to support your daily life and help you stay organized, Google Calendar can play a significant role in helping you plan and live more intentionally.
With its advanced settings and features, you can easily create a flexible schedule, set reminders and appointments, and stay on top of your daily tasks.
By leaning into Google Calendar's many settings, you can help make this process a bit easier, giving yourself the support and structure you need to stay focused on what matters most.
If you're hoping to get things done with less stress, simplify your life, or simply live a more fulfilling existence, consider taking some time to learn the many settings that Google Calendar can offer you.
With a thoughtful and intentional approach, you can use this FREE tool to help you plan and realize the beautiful life you want.
7 magical Google Calendar settings & features
There are so many things you can do with a digital calendar. However, if not all, of my clients (yes, even my fellow Type-A organizers!!) don’t realize just how many settings and features Google Calendar has to offer.
After identifying and customizing the settings and features that would help them manage their time, they were able to dramatically simplify their planning process and witness focus-motivation-clarity-and-energy magic unfold before their eyes.
The same is available to you if you put in the upfront resources to set it up properly!
1. Time Zones
As a digital nomad, managing time zones is key. I have clients from California all the way to Singapore, and I host and attend workshops across the globe.
But you don’t have to be traveling around the world to need to manage time zones. With remote work, online classes, and more, time zones are non-negotiable to manage.
Using the time zone settings in your calendar will help you more easily manage and guarantee that your plans are accurate and consistent across different locations.
Say goodbye to confusion, missed appointments, and other scheduling errors, Google Calendar is here to help!
Note: Google Calendar has three different places to customize time zone settings, so you’ll want to make sure to enable the right ones for you, your event, and your business or workplace.
These are all my subcalendars, that change as my goals change!
2. Sub-calendars
Sub-calendars are individual calendars within your main Google Calendar account. They’re beneficial for intentional planning because they help you keep different aspects of your life organized and separate from each other.
Separate calendars for each of the hats you wear will allow you to more easily color-code events with the option to toggle them on and off, helping you get a clearer view of each area of your life and prioritize your tasks, time, and attention accordingly.
Also, sub-calendars can be shared with others, which can be particularly useful for intentional planning in a collaborative setting.
Your goals, responsibilities, and lifestyle determine how many sub-calendars are best for you. As a time coach, I help you figure out if you want to use sub-calendars and if so, how many are right for you.
3. Integrating with other tools
Google Calendar can be integrated with many apps, including Google Tasks, Google Keep, and Gmail helping you to keep track of your appointments, deadlines, and to-do lists, all in one place. If you’re tech-savvy, you can even automate certain tasks and streamline your workflow.
Don’t forget you can also sync and access your digital calendar with your phone, tablet, and computer so you can use it on the go! Personally, I have my calendar synced between my computer and phone and integrated with my Notion (where I manage my projects and tasks) and Gmail.
Reading about settings is one thing.
In Digital Calendars For Humans I show you all of these settings… and more!
Calendar-wide notifications
4. Custom notifications
Google Calendar notifications are important for intentional planning because they help keep you on track and focused.
You can use reminders lovingly remind you about upcoming important events or appointments, helping you prepare and show up ready and present.
You can also avoid getting sidetracked by less important tasks and focus your attention on what's most important to you using notification settings.
If you struggle with procrastinating or being on time, calendar-wide or event-specific notifications are here to support you. If you already know you’ll need help implementing the right calendar settings to streamline your schedule, book a free, no-commitment exploration call with me today!
5. Shared Calendars
As a business owner and coach, I’m constantly on Zoom calls with clients and collaborators. Something that always frustrated my husband was I forget to tell him I had to be on a call (aka when he needed to go away and be quiet), so I shared a digital calendar with him so he’d know when I was taking a call.
Also, I’m a digital nomad so I constantly move countries and have to manage travel. My husband and I have a collaborative travel calendar that helps you keep track of our planes, trains, BnB’s, and reservations.
Shared calendars have been an amazing tool for intentional planning and living and for better communication and connection with my husband.
6. Description boxes
The description box in Google Calendar is a feature I see being under-utilized all the time. If you love to plan but love flexibility and freedom, the description box is an amazing feature.
The description box is here to help you keep track of any important notes that go with an event or task.
On top of the description box being a feature that helps you to stay organized, you can add here reminders, affirmations, sub-tasks, or any other important notes to stay intentional and give yourself more freedom and choices.
A Google Calendar is one of the best planning tools I’ve found to help my creative and rebellious peeps be flexible and organized!
Check out Dr. Caroline Addigton’s story of how our work together helped her realize time management doesn’t have to be rigid.
7. Customizing your visual settings
I’m a big visual learner, my brain doesn’t process something well unless I can see it, read it, or touch it. That goes for time too, hence why my google calendar is key to living intentionally.
Personalizing the way your calendar looks makes it easier to use, more effective as a time management tool, and more motivating to stay on track with your goals
Lucky for you there are a lot of settings to help you make your calendar more visually appealing. Some favorites are:
You can choose custom colors for the events and background, making it easier to quickly identify and distinguish different types of events.
You can also choose the display options that work best for you, such as the type of view (day, week, month, or agenda) and the start time of your day.
You can tell it to start your week on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday (my weeks start on a Monday!) If you love that feeling of checking a to-do off their list, Google Calendar has a “reduce the brightness of past events” setting for you.
Determining which settings are helpful for your brain is what I help my clients do!
Don’t let tech hold you back
from making the most of your time.
Buy Digital Calendars For Human now.
10 Best calendar apps that make time blocking a breeze
The art of time blocking has the potential to transform your life, both at work and within.
Whether you're a freelancer, entrepreneur, or work in an office, intentionally scheduling your day can make all the difference to living the life you want to live.
Fortunately (and sometimes unfortunately), technology offers us plenty of tools that can simplify time blocking.
I’ve carefully selected these tools and apps for their unique features and functionalities, each with the potential to approach time blocking holistically.
If you’re looking to streamline your workday so you have more time for the things you love, I hope you will find the perfect calendar app that meets your unique needs and is easy to integrate into your life.
10 Best calendar apps for time blocking
So you ditched the paper planner and decided you’re ready to get more organized and intentional with your time, using time blocking. Now you get to choose the best place for you to schedule your time. Or if you’re already using one that isn’t meeting your needs, here you can discover a better place for you to time block.
As a caution, there are lots of options out there but I’m here to make it the least overwhelming possible. Below you’ll find my favorite calendar management apps you can use to time block.
Free calendar apps attached to your email
If you didn’t know the email you’re currently using has a free calendar attached to it, now you do! And they’re all extremely customizable allowing you to time block with your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs in mind.
The calendar linked to your email is by far the easiest place to try out or uplevel your time-blocking skills. And because your email calendar is something you’re already familiar with, it’ll be easier to use and sustainably stick with.
Google Calendar - Free
A classic! This is what I use and recommend to all of my clients who already have a Google (Gmail) account. It’s a free and user-friendly calendar app that integrates well with Google and many other apps and tools. It offers a variety of features and settings for customization and has a clean and simple interface.
Apple Calendar - Free
The calendar app that comes pre-installed on Apple devices is a great choice if you are an Apple user. You can time block directly into your Apple calendar on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and the rest of your devices will sync up.
Microsoft Outlook Calendar - Free
If you’re a Microsoft Outlook user, you can time block using their built-in calendar app. I haven’t used an Outlook calendar since working for a company that used it. I currently work with two clients who use Outlook, but they work the same.
Task/project management apps with time blocking
As of writing this, Trello and Asana, two crowd favorites for task/project management do not have a built-in time blocking feature. You’d have to integrate some additional tech or manual labor to time block tasks into your calendar. However, there are two well-known task management apps that can seamlessly schedule your tasks.
Todoist - Free with paid option
Todoist is a task management app that includes a calendar view. With Todoist, you’d create tasks with due dates and times, then the calendar view provides you with your schedule, allowing you to see the big picture and stay on top of your deadlines.
ClickUp - Free with paid option
ClickUp is a comprehensive project management platform for businesses that offers time blocking. You can enter your projects, tasks, and then attach them to your workday helping you stay focused and get the important things done. Beware, ClickUp has lots of features so I would only recommend ClickUp if you’re tech-savvy and have team members to help you manage it. Learn more about time blocking in ClickUp.
Specific time-blocking apps
There are many time-blocking apps out there, all with similar features to one another. I’ve provided a list of apps that have different and unique benefits from the digital calendar that comes with your email.
Fantastical - Paid
This is an Apple-user-specific calendar app that's designed specifically for time blocking. The unique feature? Relationships are key to our time. Fantastical comes with the ability to easily schedule meetings with your clients, teammates, or friends.
DigiCal - Free with paid option
Calling my Android users! DigiCal is a great time-blocking app that shows you a monthly view and the week/day view on the same screen. This is a helpful feature to see a macro and micro view of your time so you can be realistic and effective with your planning.
Sunsuma - Paid
Sunsama is a gorgeous app that is easy to get the hang of. You’ll create a task list, assign a date and time, and then that gets automatically put into a time block. They also have a feature called ‘contexts’ that help organize tasks based on the related area of life, for example self-care, work, home, etc. Holistic time blocking is all about looking at the interconnectedness of all the parts of our life.
Reclaimai (affiliate link) - Free with paid option
If you’re a business owner that manages a team and loves tech and AI, Reclaim is a great time-blocking tool to use. It’s a smart calendar that’s designed to help you optimize your schedule depending on what you deem is flexible or not. You’ll also be able to manage your team member’s calendars and easily find time to meet.
TimeBloc - Free
TimeBloc is an app for both Apple and Android users. Not only does it help you time block without getting overwhelmed, but this app also has a routine feature. You can use TimeBloc to learn how to integrate routines, like a morning or evening routine, into your schedule that help you list the specific tasks that you’d like to do in each routine. This will help you identify what really needs to happen to feel healthy and fulfilled.
Which one to pick?
As you can see there are many calendar apps that are great for time blocking, but the best one for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences. Pausing and figuring out what your unique needs and preferences are is so important to leveraging time blocking.
My honest preferences and recommendations for choosing:
Identify what you’re already using, grow your time-blocking skills there, then branch out to more tech-intense apps if you feel the need to.
When you pick an app, decide to make it your home base to keep track of all your appointments, tasks, and habits for work and personal. Many people use 2-3 calendars, multiple places for to-do’s, and maybe a project management software. That’s so much to juggle, and the point is to get less overwhelmed and more organized!
Choose an app that looks right and feels good to your brain. You won’t want to use an app that doesn’t, you won’t stick with it!
As a small business owner with a lean business model, I typically choose free software unless there’s a good reason for it. If you wanted detailed reports on how you spent your time or to manage a team, it makes sense to get a paid time-blocking app. Of course, know your budget first before investing the time and money into an app that you might not want to pay for later.
Personally, I don’t need a time blocking app to time block when I can just do everything I need in my google calendar. Simple is best for me!
Determine where you’ll use the app (phone, tablet, computer) and find what works best for the tech that you have – apple, android, or web.
After reviewing the top calendar apps here, which one should you choose? Let me know in the comments below!
You’ve got the app. Now what?
Start using it! Digital Calendars For Humans is here to help with that.
Is a digital calendar really right for me?
Ever experimented with time blocking and then thought it wasn’t for you?
It’s possible it isn’t for you.
It’s also very likely that you were taught traditional time blocking. A process that tries to take the beautiful parts of being human out, making it incredibly difficult to use and benefit from.
Attaching a task to when we think it “should” be done isn’t all that effective. Neither is forcing ourselves to follow unrealistic plans.
There are many different ways to implement time blocking. It all depends on who you are (mind, body, and soul) and your life circumstances.
That’s why holistic time blocking, or time blocking for humans, is much more impactful. When you are uniquely strategic with what tasks you time block, you’ll finally stop feeling dread when you look at your week ahead.
In this article, you’ll learn what makes time blocking so effective and five surprising kinds of people that it’ll help work and stress a lot less.
Why is time blocking so effective?
Time blocking, also known as calendar blocking, is a planning strategy where you proactively dedicate certain tasks to a certain time frame. It’s also an execution and accountability strategy.
When turned into a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule template, it can decrease time spent planning by more than 50%, freeing you up to do the things you want to do.
Attaching a task to a specific time frame helps you be more realistic with your time and more likely to do it. Unlike operating from a to-do list, your mind will stop worrying about all the other things you “should” be doing. This clears up tons of mental space and energy to get focused, deep work done.
Not only that, time blocking helps you externalize time, meaning you can actually see it visually. Time is a slippery concept that is hard for many to truly grasp. Externalizing time decreases time anxiety, urgency, and overwhelm among many other benefits.
What kinds of people will benefit from time blocking?
Time blocking for neurodivergent
Agustina at @theautisticlife shares, “as Neurodivergent people, our differences in executive functioning skills such as focus and attention, emotional and impulse control, working memory, planning, and organization can all be linked to our distinct perception of time.”
Working with many neurodivergent folks over the last few years, I’ve seen holistic time blocking be particularly helpful in creating a way to manage their time, prioritize tasks, and prevent burnout in a way that works for their brain. If you want a time strategy that works, it’s essential to account for your unique brain.
Time blocking for parents
Parents not only have their own tasks, goals, and lives to care for, but their household and children too. Time management can feel really challenging to many parents because plans are constantly changing. That’s why time blocking is such an impactful time management strategy. The key is being uber-realistic with your plans and extremely flexible.
Holistic time blocking has really helped parents with the most unpredictable schedules to reduce stress and chaos, prioritize time for themselves, and create more balance between work and family.
Time blocking for entrepreneurs
Along with parents, entrepreneurs are often juggling 5 things at once, all day long. Also, depending on the business you have, you have to delegate and manage a team of people. Making time for focused work to move the business forward, and taking guilt-free time away from the business, are challenges I regularly hear from my entrepreneur clients.
Holistic time blocking supports business owners in getting ahead of the fires they’re constantly putting out and taking much-needed time and space for themselves. It helps them prioritize the projects and tasks that will excite and motivate them.
Holistic Time Blocking made simple.
Buy Digital Calendars For Humans now.
Time blocking for creatives + rebellious folks
When I say creatives and rebellious folks, I’m talking about writers, artists, photographers, and people who live against the grain. Think of anyone who doesn’t want to live in a cubicle for 40+ hours a week in a soul-sucking job, and has a passion for creating things–whatever the thing may be.
The most common time management challenge for us is: You can’t predict when inspiration will strike. You also get lost in your art and completely forget about time. You can’t live on a schedule, nor would you want to! However, most creatives feel like they’re not accomplishing the work they really want to do. They’re constantly doing everything else but their art.
When used in a certain way, time blocking helps creatives take care of everything else in their life so they can free up their mind, space, and energy to create their art. Holistic time blocking helps rebellious folks actually create more freedom and autonomy in their lives, allowing them to create the impact they want.
Time blocking for spiritual beings
Many spiritual people are often experienced by others as flaky. Think Frankie, in Grace & Frankie. She’s all over the place, late to things, and loses everything. However, from working with spiritual people, they just haven’t found a way to plan effectively while going with the flow.
How can we find time to meditate while also making sure we get our work done and pay our bills? Deeply connect with nature without thinking about all the things we have to do after?
Holistic time management – specifically redefining what time means to you and collaborating with time as the spiritual being you are. This is one of the things I help folks do in my 1:1 coaching.
Our connection to spirit/God/the universe deeply depends on our groundedness and peace. Holistic time blocking helps bring spiritual people to live their purpose in the 3D world more effectively, while staying in tune with spirit. Once you find the perfect balance between intuition and structure, you’ll be unstoppable.
It all comes back to how you time block.
There is hope for you to feel in control of your time, work less, make more money, experience more peace and joy, and make the impact you want to make. Time blocking is here to help you live the life you want.
Don’t spend months, or years, figuring out time blocking.
Time blocking like a human being: Why it's so important
If you keep finding yourself wondering where your time went, I deeply know how frustrating that feeling is.
At this point, you’re questioning if there’s really a solution out there that will help you accomplish what you want in the time you want, without sacrificing your health, freedom, and joy.
There is, it’s called holistic time blocking!
Many people agree on how powerful it is. Time blocking is the most common time management system used (via timewatch).
However, one of the main critiques for time blocking is it’s inflexible and doesn’t capture the reality of being a human with ever-changing energy and responsibilities.
Holistic time blocking is here to help you finally feel in control of your day, get a better sense of where your time is actually going, and follow through with the things you need and want to do while being human.
In this article, you’ll learn why it’s so important to approach time blocking as a whole, human being and the immense benefits you can experience too.
What’s time blocking?
Time blocking, also known as calendar blocking, is a planning strategy where you proactively dedicate certain tasks to a certain time frame.
I personally call the time frames that contain my tasks: Time containers, rather than time blocks.
What most people don’t talk about is time blocking can also be used as an execution strategy. You can use time blocking to stay accountable, live with integrity, and be flexible.
How? Here’s a time-blocking process laid out in simple terms.
Choose what you want to work on.
Decide when you want to work on it.
Add it to your digital calendar or planner.
Follow your time containers as best you can.
As the day goes on, update your calendar in real-time with what you actually do.
Of course, we’re human beings. Nothing is as simple as that. If life was as easy as “just doing it” the world would be a totally different place.
This is where a holistic approach to time blocking works wonders.
What does holistic time blocking look like?
A holistic approach means looking at time blocking as a whole human being with physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Holistic time blocking drastically improves your chances of following through with your tasks while also staying flexible.
Traditional and holistic time blocking are different from both a planning standpoint and an execution standpoint.
One big difference? Holistic time blocking builds out your time containers in a way that honors your unique cycles and life circumstances.
Not some magically different “fixed” version of yourself.
For example, let’s say you are currently waking up around 7 am but you want to be a 5 am-er. If you put 5 am as a wake-up time in your calendar, it’ll be really challenging to actually do, and many people blame time blocking.
However, when you acknowledge where you are today, it’s much easier to come up with a more realistic solution making it easier to create momentum and progress.
Next, holistic time blocking makes sure to include time containers that help you be and stay healthy–not just to do’s and work.
Finally, from an implementation standpoint, your execution strategies must work, make sense to you, and feel good to your mind, body, and soul.
For the example above, if you tell yourself you’ll “just force yourself to wake up at 5 am” when you have a history of not doing the things you need, or want, to do isn’t going to work. Maybe 6:30 am is a better step, or maybe you just need sleep and that’s ok!
If you are someone who keeps telling yourself you’ll “just do it”, it would greatly benefit you to find what’s preventing you from doing the things you want to do, and heal it at the root. That’s what I help my clients do in 1:1 holistic time coaching.
What are the benefits of holistic time blocking?
The most important benefit of holistic time blocking is that it protects your health and well-being. As we know, health and performance are directly related. A 2017 study confirmed people are 25% more likely to perform better at work when they eat healthier.
When you’re healthier, the regular benefits of time blocking increase. Some of which are:
Feel in control of your time, day, and destiny which just so happens to decrease our anxiety too.
Distraction-free deep work on meaningful goals, because you’ve preemptively prioritized and decided what to work on.
Experience greater levels of follow-through, flow, focus, self-accountability, and time awareness.
Decrease decision fatigue, saying yes to things we actually don’t want to do, and negative impacts of urgency.
Replace your never-ending to-do list and learn how to plan ahead while focusing on the now.
All of this to say, when you’re healthy and following through with everything you want to do… abundance! Fulfillment! Satisfaction!
Personally, I’m not sure what’s better than that.