- The Effective Week
- Posts
- Effectively Taking Back Your Time
Have you ever reached the end of a long day and felt like you still didn’t get to the “real work”? You were technically "busy" ( replying, reacting, attending meetings) but didn't make much progress? That’s not your fault. Most of us are stuck in the default setting of modern work: a constant stream of messages, pings, and poorly run meetings.
But what if that default could be redesigned? Over the past decade, I’ve helped over 70,000 professionals escape this cycle and reclaim 150+ hours a year by building simple, personal systems for handling communication overload.
[Side note: Today, I’m thrilled to finally bring that content to you in two powerful new formats:
A fully revamped course on managing communications (emails, meetings, and DMs): using everyday tools like Outlook, Gmail, Slack, and Teams. This is the course that started it all - now sharper, deeper, and packed with every upgrade people have asked me for over the past 15 years.
A new referral program (now live at the bottom of every email): Share The Effective Week and unlock rewards. Refer just one person to get two exclusive eBooks: one that curates the best insights from this newsletter by topic, and another revealing the five hidden habits that I've seen block career growth for thousands in high-paced jobs (and how to fix them).
I’m genuinely excited — and I hope you are too.]
Tip of the Week: Two of the five most common habits I’ve seen block career growth? You guessed it: communication overload and calendar chaos. Most of us don’t need better time management, we need better input management. When you control the inflow of messages, meetings, and interruptions, everything else gets easier.
THE THEORY
Why You’re Busy, But Not Making Progress. Across industries, corporate workers are spending 50–70% of their workday reacting (responding to emails, jumping between Slack and Teams, and sitting in meetings). It’s what’s called "collaboration overload." It feels productive in the moment, but often leaves us catching up on actual deliverables after hours. That’s not only stressful, but truly unsustainable.
Communication without a system leads to burnout. The problem isn’t the messages themselves, many are necessary. The problem is that they come from everywhere, all the time, and demand your attention equally. One big misconception is that “Inbox Zero” means reading every message - it doesn’t. It means having a system to process messages quickly and get them into the right bucket. Reading email is an input, not an output. Without triage, we react to whatever’s loudest. My revamped course teaches how to centralize inputs, use rules like the 2-minute method, and build space for real work.
Meetings are not the enemy. Unstructured ones are. he best companies often have more meetings, but they focus on making them effective. They use tight agendas, small groups, and clear next steps. AI note-takers are starting to auto-summarize and suggest action items, but here’s the thing: most people still ignore them. Because action doesn’t come from notes, it comes from ownership. Tools can help, but humans still need to follow through. The fix isn’t fewer meetings. It’s better meetings. And yes, you can absolutely train your team to do this.
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
These are fixable problems. You don’t need another app. You need a strategy. The biggest mistake I see professionals make is trying to out-hustle the chaos with more tools, more hours, more tabs. But this isn’t about hustle. It’s about structure. And it starts by managing the tools you already use (Outlook/Gmail, Slack,/Teams) with intention and clarity.
"Everything we do repeatedly needs a system." What’s more repetitive than checking messages and sitting in meetings? When I ask coaching clients what’s slowing them down, the top two answers are always the same. So I designed this course around them. It includes real-life demos, customizable workflows, and all the answers to questions people have asked me for years.
HOW TO PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE
You can start regaining control this week. Here’s how:
Use the 2-minute rule: If a message is actionable and takes less than 2 minutes, do it. If not, defer it (calendar/to-do) or delegate it.
Schedule communication time: Block two daily 30-minute slots to batch-process email and messages. Stop living in your inbox.
Template your meetings: Before: Every meeting should have a clear agenda. After: Every meeting ends with takeaways, owners, and deadlines. Make this a team norm.
Claim your referral link: Scroll to the bottom of this email, share it with one person, and get my two eBooks instantly. Momentum loves company.
Invest 3 hours this week: Take the course, apply the system, and gain back 3 hours every week for the rest of your career.
Make sure to make it to the bottom of the email to see the referral rewards.
With rocket-fueled gratitude,
Jorge Luis Pando
Reply