Paul Graham's essay Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule is one of my all time favourites. It put into words something I had always felt but never fully articulated - to myself or my colleagues. I am a Maker.
I have always been ambitious. While I never craved titles, I did crave decision-making powers. As I gained experience and expertise, I wanted to take on bigger responsibilities and have a greater impact. But with each step up the ladder, I noticed something frustrating - more meetings. I understood their necessity, especially with multi-country project teams, and I didn't mind productive ones. I even got better at declining non-essential meetings. Yet, the higher I climbed, the more drained I felt.
Then I read Paul's essay, and a light bulb went off. The problem wasn't just the meetings - it was how they were structured on my calendar. My best work happens when I have long, uninterrupted blocks of time to dive deep. But when my day gets sliced up by meetings, I never really get started. That's when I realized: I don't naturally operate on a manager's schedule. I think, create, and problem-solve best on a maker's schedule.
Paul's essay not only clarified the cause of my growing frustration, but also helped me rethink how to structure my day. It gave me the language to advocate for fewer context-switching disruptions and more focused time. More importantly, it validated my belief that ambition does not have to mean adopting a manager's schedule. Since then, I've shared the essay with my team, my bosses - and even my wife - to help them understand why I structure my day the way I do.