Design an Ideal Week and batch work to protect deep focus

Think of a stage play. The audience sees the performance out front, but backstage is where props are set, lines are learned, and cues are called. You need both, plus time when you’re not at the theater at all. Apply that to your week: dedicate days to core results (Front Stage), to preparation and coordination (Back Stage), and to genuine rest (Off Stage). Then go a step further and megabatch—stack similar work together so you stop paying the switching tax all day long.

A manager I worked with moved all team and partner meetings to Monday and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays became Front Stage days for client work. Wednesday was protected for creation and thinking. The first week felt odd. By week three, she was flying. Two uninterrupted midweek blocks let her finish a proposal in hours instead of days. Her coffee stayed hot more often.

This approach isn’t about rigidity. It’s about rhythm that matches reality. You may discover your brain is sharpest at 10 am and dullest after lunch. Put the hardest work in that sharp window, schedule admin for your trough, and guard Off Stage like a non‑refundable ticket. Share the plan so people know when to reach you and when you’re heads‑down. Systems work best when the social contract is clear.

The science behind this is straightforward. Focus strengthens when you reduce context switching. Long blocks enable deep work, which produces higher‑quality output in less time. Aligning tasks with circadian peaks improves cognitive performance, and deliberate rest replenishes energy. Your Ideal Week is a map. It won’t be perfect, but it keeps you from getting lost.

Open your calendar and tag each weekday as Front Stage, Back Stage, or Off Stage, then block long chunks that match those labels. Move meetings to one or two days so you can megabatch coordination, and set a midweek deep‑work day where you decline new meetings. Share these access rules with your team and add office hours so people know how to reach you. Pay attention to when your energy peaks and troughs, and shuffle blocks to fit what you learn. Draft the first pass tonight and test it for two weeks.