Intentional Flexibility: How I Schedule Distraction | by Etienne Tracey

My day begins at 2:30 am – I wake up, do my prayers, eat breakfast and head to the gym. I ease into the day with a round of golf, followed by half an hour in the cryo recovery chamber at 9:30. I make time for my family at 11:00 am then move into my office where I work for 3 hours. I pick the kids up at 3:00 pm and then do my second workout. I end the day with dinner, some more family time and a 7:30 pm bedtime.

You may have already suspected that this is not my schedule. If so, you're right! This is the alleged routine followed by Mark Wahlberg, an award-winning actor, businessman and former rapper. Like Wahlberg, many celebrities, business personalities, and productivity gurus seem to follow a similar, strict regime, albeit not always as intense. These daily plans are back-to-back, non-stop, and hyper-productive. Is this, however, the best way to get the most out of your day?

For many of us, this lifestyle is simply not feasible, nor should it be aimed for. Not only because the average person does not own a cryo recovery chamber but because such a schedule would inevitably lead to burnout.

Instead, it is important that rest, well-being, and productivity are considered in conjunction. Cramming your day with work can be tiring, lead to mistakes and may even be less productive than someone who takes lots of breaks. There are tried and true methods for working with breaks, such as the Pomodoro technique, where short bursts of activity are followed by short breaks – keeping things fresh!

Taking this further, through my time studying with Multiverse and working with Informa, I have found that not just scheduling breaks but actively budgeting my time to be distracted has had incredible benefits on my productivity. The idea is as such: rather than schedule meetings, lunch, events, and breaks in exact blocks, give yourself 10-15% extra time before and after a meeting or task.

Following a meeting, I often find an increase in tasks. Sometimes this is explicitly given: sending discussed documents, finding out future dates, and putting together a spreadsheet. Other times, something is said that sparks my interest and I would like the time to explore. By scheduling my meeting 15 minutes longer than it needs to be, I create space to accommodate overrunning or processing of information.

Creating a ‘gap’ on either side of tasks allows space to mentally settle into professional contexts. This is especially important for neurodivergent minds but is rarely spoken about in effective scheduling! If my week gets particularly busy, I know I have some leeway to effectively prioritise tasks by reorganising that time. If my week is slower than usual, I know I can get my tasks done and use this excess time for extra learning, reading, reflecting, or even grabbing a cup of tea with a colleague. 

Tracking time like this has been invaluable so far in my apprenticeship. Multiverse has offered the unique opportunity to grow through both education and practice. By allowing flexibility in my schedule, I am able to create time and utilise the array of events and training on offer without sacrificing my job performance.

In order to truly flourish in both professional and private settings, it is necessary to create a schedule that works for you. For some, rigidity and tight-time keeping might be beneficial. However, it is more important for many to create long-term, sustainable work habits that do not confine creativity.
 

Etienne Tracey is pursuing a digital marketing apprenticeship at Multiverse alongside his job in Audience Development at Informa Tech and is writing for the Apprentice Lens. Here’s more about him:

"Etienne hopes to inspire, challenge, and spark curiosity in other apprentices by sharing musings and ideas about work and the world. In his words, 'I want to explore the bridge between big ideas and real-world applications, where deep thinking meets measurable impact.'"