Maximising Your Time: How to Create an Ideal Week as a Business Owner

Mitchell Wilson
5 days ago
3 min read

If you’re like most business owners, your calendar is running you — not the other way around.

You started your business for freedom, but now you’re buried in back-to-back meetings, customer problems, and 1,000 micro-decisions that keep you stuck in the weeds. Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth: time is your most valuable resource. You can’t buy more of it, but you can get smarter about how you spend it.

One of the most powerful ways to take back control is by designing your

Ideal Week — a simple plan that helps you stay focused on the right things, at the right times, so you can grow your business without burning out.

Why Most Business Owners Are Reactive, Not Strategic

Let’s face it: we all get caught in reactive mode. The phone rings. A team member needs something. Emails pile up. And before you know it, your entire day is gone and your to-do list hasn’t moved.

That’s not a time management issue. It’s a priority problem.

Successful entrepreneurs know that if you don’t set the agenda, someone else will. That’s why they protect their time with intention — especially for the things that matter most.

Your Ideal Week flips the script. Instead of reacting to what shows up, you proactively block time for your most important activities.

Step 1: Identify Your Genius Zone

The first step is figuring out where you add the most value. What are the activities that:

Only you can do?
Move the needle in your business?
Give you energy rather than drain you?

This is your Genius Zone — the sweet spot where your skill, impact, and passion overlap. It might be sales calls, client strategy, content creation, or leadership development.

Your Ideal Week should revolve around protecting time for this zone. Everything else can be delegated, delayed, or deleted.

Step 2: Define Your Weekly Anchors

Now that you know what matters, it’s time to build a weekly rhythm.

These are your anchor blocks — consistent time slots for recurring high-value activities. For example:

Monday Morning: Leadership team meeting + review KPIs
Tuesday & Thursday Afternoons: Deep work or strategy sessions
Wednesday Mornings: 1-on-1s with your team
Friday: Content planning + inbox zero + weekly review

You don’t need to schedule every hour — just start by placing the big rocks first. This creates structure while still leaving space for the inevitable chaos of business life.

Step 3: Add Buffer Zones & Personal Priorities

Your calendar isn’t just for business. If you want work-life balance, you have to schedule your life too.

That means:

School pick-ups or family time
Workouts or walks
Learning or thinking time

It also means adding buffer zones between meetings so you’re not jumping from Zoom to Zoom like a robot.

Pro tip: Leave Friday afternoons lighter whenever possible. You’ll finish the week stronger (and your future self will thank you).

Step 4: Use Tools to Make It Stick

Even the best plan won’t work unless it’s easy to follow. That’s where tools come in.

Here are a few we love:

Google Calendar or Outlook: Colour-coded blocks for different zones (admin, meetings, strategy, etc.)
Calendly: Only allows bookings during your Ideal Week windows
Notion or ClickUp: A weekly dashboard that mirrors your focus areas

Remember, your Ideal Week is a guide — not a prison. It’s there to help you be more intentional, not more rigid.

Step 5: Review and Refine Weekly

Every Friday, take 15 minutes to review your week:

What worked?
What got hijacked?
What’s one tweak you’ll make next week?

This habit compounds over time. In a few weeks, you’ll feel more in control. In a few months, your business will run better because of how you lead your time.