How to Plan Your Week for Deep Work

You're staring at your calendar filled with back to back meetings. Slack notifications blowing up your phone. 57 unread emails. And your manager just asked why you haven't hit your outbound quota this week. Is this you? Here's the harsh truth most sales leaders won't tell you: Your productivity "system" is actually DESTROYING your performance. I see it every day. Reps working 12-hour days but barely hitting quota. Constantly reactive instead of proactive. Feeling overwhelmed while watching top performers somehow find time for family, fitness, AND crushing targets. What's the difference? Top performers don't have more time. They have INTENTIONAL SYSTEMS. After coaching thousands of reps from struggling to President's Club, I've developed the PACER Method that's transforming how enterprise sales teams operate: P - PERSONAL: Block purple time for family events, quality connections, and being present. A - ADMIN + ACTION: Color code red for meetings, operations, and sales calls. Batch these together to avoid constant context switching. C - CREATION: Schedule blue blocks for deep work like building strategic account plans and crafting executive level messaging. E - ENRICHMENT: Mark green time for growth activities. Reading, learning, and developing skills that fuel your performance. R - RECOVERY: Protect yellow blocks for mental, physical and emotional renewal. Elite athletes need recovery periods…so do elite sellers. The key? Design your "perfect week" template with all 5 components color coded, then track your core metrics (discovery calls, win rate, ACV) to measure what's actually working. Even hitting 50% of your perfect week beats showing up reactive to whatever's in your inbox. The hardest territory to manage is the one between your ears. Your ability to master your calendar directly impacts your ability to master your income. — Want even more details about PACER? Go here: https://lnkd.in/gbpFye_t

At the end of 2023, I hated my calendar…. So I ripped it apart, and started fresh. Here's what I did to make my calendar work for me, not the other way around. 1) Map out your dreams - created a new calendar in gcal - literally called it my "Calendar Map" - and planned out what my dream week would look like. Thought about what I wanted in a great week (for me that was time for deep work in the afternoons, a couple mornings where I don't have calls before 10am, stacking my 1:1's next to each other, etc). Everything went in there, from workouts, to networking calls/coffee chats, to recurring team meetings and 1:1s. If it's not on your calendar, you're not prioritizing it. 2) The Purge - In January, Stacker went through a Calendar Purge. Inspired by Shopify, we deleted ALL meetings on everyone's calendar, and then 24 hours later allowed people to repopulate, but it gave everyone a chance to rethink each meeting, and equally importantly gave me a chance to reorganize things according to my calendar map. 3) Refresh - There were 2 really important things when it came to repopulating my calendar    a) question everything - does that 1:1 need to be weekly, or could it be bi-weekly? is that recurring meeting we set up 6 months ago still necessary?      b) use the map - 1:1s used to be sporadic throughout my week, now I have a block of them, which allows me to better prep and mentally show up for people. My calendar used to look like a zebra with random 30 minute free blocks interspersed between meetings. Now I have blocks for calls, and blocks for creative/deep work. I can't stick to this 100% of the time, but it has made scheduling things a lot easier, and acts as a good reminder/reinforcement of what I aspire for each week to look like, versus just succumbing to whatever gets thrown my way. Would highly (HIGHLY) recommend this to anyone who feels like their calendar runs them, and not the other way around. Inertia is strong, and a refresh can help shock the system.

How to Plan a Productive Week 👇 Success doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on consistent, intentional habits. Here’s how I approach planning a productive week to maximize focus, energy, and results: 1. Set Your GPS (Goal, Plan, System): Start with your big goal for the week. Break it down into actionable steps and create a system to stay on track. Clarity is power. 2. Time Block Your Priorities: Schedule your non-negotiables first—workouts, creative time, meetings, and rest. Treat your time like the valuable resource it is. 3. Reflect on Last Week: What worked? What didn’t? Adjust your strategy to build on your successes and learn from your challenges. 4. Plan Your Morning Routine: Begin each day with habits that fuel your mind and body—meditation, journaling, exercise, or reading. How you start your day sets the tone for everything else. 5. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar activities together—emails, calls, or creative work. This minimizes distractions and keeps you in the zone. 6. Identify Potential Roadblocks: Anticipate challenges that could derail you and plan solutions in advance. Preparation beats procrastination. 7. Commit to Rest and Recovery: Productivity isn’t about grinding 24/7. Schedule downtime to recharge, reflect, and stay sharp for the long game. 8. Use Sunday as a Reset Day: Take time to organize your space, review your calendar, and set intentions for the week ahead. A clear mind leads to clear actions. 9. Stay Flexible: Life happens. Adapt without losing focus on what matters most. Productivity is about progress, not perfection. 10. Celebrate Wins Along the Way: Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small. Gratitude fuels momentum and keeps you motivated. Remember, planning is the foundation, but execution is where the magic happens. Make this week count!