Lana.
Very valuable points. I have managed my calendar in this fashion for a decade and it really does work. As a leader, I need to ensure that I am scheduling time for myself (time I spend thinking...about strategy, approach to a problem, etc) as much as I spend time with my teams.
One item that I did not see in this list, and I find incredibly valuable, is the use of categories. I color code every item in my calendar (based on categories). This lets me visually see the balance of what is on my calendar. Am I spending enough time on Strategy, am I spending too much time on Tactical, how much of my time is spent driving (commute or inter-office travel). By seeing my week laid out in color, I get a quick (mere seconds) of what my week is going to look like and this allows me to have the right mindset for what is coming up.
On a side note...it would be great if the Outlook mobile app supported the category color coding the way the OWA app does.
