Block a recurring hour, label it HOUR OF POWER, ignore email and calls, and spend it working on your relationships instead of in your inbox.
The idea
Block off time, call it HOUR OF POWER (all caps), and spend it working on your business instead of in it. Ignore email, phone calls and every other task. In my book I said that sticking to a regular Hour of Power would unlock more long-term opportunity than any other tactic in it. In my coaching we called the same block CEO Time. My friend Patrick Ewers calls his weekly 2-4 hour version Whitespace Time, and only a real emergency gets to bump it. The rule of thumb in my coaching for what goes in: anything that won't come in by email or text, and anything that will benefit your business three years from now.
How to do it
Plan the slot by elimination. On a Monday-to-Sunday grid, cross out the bad times first (low energy, lots of meetings, family stuff), then sketch in the good ones and put them in your calendar.
Make it recurring: daily, three times a week or weekly. If an hour is too much, start with fifteen or thirty minutes.
Write in the calendar note what that session is for.
Every week, take five minutes to look at the coming week for anything that threatens the block, and reschedule to protect it.
During the block: notifications off, email closed, phone in another room.
Example
The book's quick win was three recurring blocks, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, each called Hour of Power. In my coaching, members placed theirs right after their morning personal care and posted the planner by their work area. Our warning label: CEO Time will become addictive.
Watch out for
Treating the block as the whole fix. We tried time blocking, distraction management and habit loops, and urgent tasks still won. What changed it for me was finding a who: an assistant and an accountability coach.
The Recurring Calendar Appointment: Pick a regular time based on your energy and calendar gaps, make it a recurring appointment, and defend it.
Accountability Partners: Turn your solo networking block into a recurring session with one or two people doing the same work, because you'll keep promises to them.
Important vs. Urgent: Relationship work is important but never urgent, so it loses to email every time unless you deliberately schedule it.
The Perfect Week: Design a template week with your non-negotiables on the calendar, pick three priorities each day, and score each day before you close it.