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Welcome to another edition of the 1% Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on small wins to improve your habits, productivity, and life satisfaction. 

Let’s get to it.

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📈 The Productivity Hack That Fixed My Schedule

A few years ago, my wife and I decided to merge our calendars.

At first, it was just so we could keep track of the basics — appointments, school events, family dinners, and the occasional date night. But over time, I realized how powerful it was to have everything — business, family, and personal — living in one place.

Now, when I open my calendar on Monday morning, I can see my entire week at a glance: business phone calls, project deadlines, gym sessions, family time, and even reminders to rest.

It’s not just convenient — it’s clarity.

That’s the essence of what’s called The One Calendar Rule.

What Is the One Calendar Rule?

The One Calendar Rule is simple:

Keep every commitment — personal, professional, or otherwise — on a single, unified calendar.

No separate “work calendar,” “family calendar,” “side project calendar,” or “personal to‑do calendar.” Just one central hub that reflects your real life.

This might sound obvious, but most people don’t do it. They juggle multiple calendars, apps, and systems — and end up wasting time reconciling them.

The result: missed appointments, double‑booked commitments, and constant low‑grade anxiety about what’s coming next.

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The Problem With Multiple Calendars

Let’s be honest — having multiple calendars feels organized at first. You tell yourself:

● “I’ll keep work stuff separate from personal life.”

● “I’ll use one app for family and another for business.”

● “I’ll just sync them later.”

But here’s what actually happens:

1. You lose visibility. You can’t see the full picture of your week. You might schedule a meeting without realizing you’ve already promised to pick up the kids.
   

2. You double‑book yourself. When you live in multiple systems, overlaps are inevitable.
   

3. You waste time context‑switching. Checking three different calendars is a hidden time drain.
   

4. You forget what’s personal vs. professional. Life doesn’t happen in silos — your energy, time, and attention are shared resources.
   

5. You create unnecessary friction.  Every extra tool or app is another chance to drop the ball.

In short: multiple calendars create fragmentation. And fragmentation is the enemy of focus.

The Benefits of a Single Calendar

When you combine everything into one place, you gain more than just convenience — you gain control.

1. You See Reality Clearly

A single calendar gives you a complete, honest view of your time. You can’t hide from how full your week really is.

That visibility helps you make better decisions. You start saying “no” to things that don’t fit, instead of cramming them in and hoping for the best.

2. You Plan With Context

When business and personal events live in one system, you can plan around real life. You’ll never again schedule a late‑day meeting that overlaps with your kid’s soccer game or your spouse’s birthday dinner.

3. You Reduce Mental Load

Every time you switch between apps or systems, your brain burns energy. A single calendar eliminates that friction. You always know where to look.

4. You Strengthen Communication

For couples or families, a shared calendar prevents 90% of “Wait, you didn’t tell me that!” conversations. Everyone sees the same reality.

5. You Build Trust With Yourself

When everything you’ve committed to is visible, you stop over‑promising. You start respecting your own time.

The Cons (and How to Handle Them)

No system is perfect. The One Calendar Rule comes with a few challenges — but they’re manageable.

1. Privacy Concerns

If you share your calendar with a spouse or team, you might not want everyone seeing everything.
 Solution: Use color‑coding or limited visibility. For example, mark personal events as “busy” without showing details.

2. Too Much Clutter

A single calendar can look overwhelming at first.
 Solution: Use categories or color codes (e.g., blue for work, green for family, red for health). You’ll see patterns without losing clarity.

3. Transition Period

Migrating from multiple calendars can be messy.
 Solution: Dedicate one weekend or evening to consolidate everything. Once it’s done, maintenance is easy.

4. Different Tools for Different Roles

If your company uses Outlook but your family uses Google Calendar, integration can be tricky.
 Solution: Use syncing tools like Zapier, Reclaim.ai, or even the built‑in “Subscribe” feature to mirror events across platforms.

Why You Probably Should Have a Single Calendar

Because your life is a single system.

You don’t have a “work brain” and a “family brain.” You have one brain managing all of it.

When you separate calendars, you’re pretending your time is infinite — that you can fill each one independently without consequence. But your time is one finite resource.

A single calendar forces you to confront trade‑offs. It makes you more intentional.

And that’s the real benefit: awareness.

When you see your entire week in one place, you start asking better questions:

● Do I really need that meeting?

● Am I leaving enough time for family?

● When am I actually resting?

It’s not just about scheduling — it’s about aligning your time with your values.

How to Set Up the One Calendar System

Here’s a step‑by‑step process to get started:

Step 1: Choose Your Platform

Pick one calendar app to rule them all.

● Google Calendar – Great for sharing and syncing.

● Apple Calendar – Seamless across Apple devices.

● Outlook – Ideal for corporate environments.

Whichever you choose, commit to it.

Step 2: Consolidate Everything

Export events from your other calendars and import them into your main one.

● Merge work, personal, family, and side project calendars.

● Delete duplicates.

● Archive or hide old events you no longer need.

Step 3: Create Categories (Optional)

Use color‑coding or tags to visually separate areas of life. Example:

● Blue → Work

● Green → Family

● Red → Health

● Yellow → Learning

● Purple → Personal

This keeps things organized without splitting into separate calendars.

Step 4: Share With Key People

If you share life with someone — a spouse, partner, or team — give them access.

● My wife and I share ours so we can see each other’s commitments instantly.

● For work, I share only “busy/free” visibility with colleagues.

Step 5: Add Everything — Big or Small

Put every commitment in your calendar:

● Meetings

● Appointments

● Family events

● Gym sessions

● Deep work blocks

● Even downtime

If it takes time, it belongs on the calendar.

Step 6: Review Weekly

Every Sunday, my wife and I do a quick “calendar sync.” We look at the upcoming week, talk through logistics, and adjust as needed.

This 10‑minute ritual prevents 10 hours of chaos later.

Step 7: Use It Daily

Check your calendar in the morning and again at the end of the day. Treat it like your mission control center.

A Real‑Life Example

Here’s what my week might look like:

● Monday:

○ 7:00–11:00 → Deep work session for my business

○ 10:30–12:00 → Daily and “mindless” tasks

○ 12:00–1:00 → Lunch break

○ 1:00–3:30 → Long-term projects

○ 3:30 to 5:00 → Exercise

○ 6:00 → Family dinner

● Tuesday:

○ 9:00–11:00 → Work on AI Music Project

○ 1:00 → Dentist appointment (shared so my wife knows I’ll be out)

○ 7:30 → Date night

Everything is in one place — no surprises, no overlap, no guilt.

Tools and Tips

If you want to make the One Calendar Rule even smoother:

● Use recurring events. Automate routines like workouts or family dinners.

● Sync reminders. Set alerts 10–15 minutes before key events.

● Integrate tasks. Tools like Todoist or Notion can sync tasks into your calendar view.

● Audit your time. Use a printable planner like the Time Management & Productivity Bundle to see how your calendar aligns with your prior priorities.

Final Thoughts on the One Calendar

The One Calendar Rule isn’t just about organization — it’s about honesty.

When your entire life lives in one place, you can’t hide from your choices. You see exactly where your time goes, and that awareness helps you spend it better.

For me, this system turned chaos into clarity. My wife and I can glance at our shared calendar and instantly know what the week looks like — no surprises, no “I forgot” moments, no double‑bookings.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not complicated. But it works.

Because when everything that matters is visible in one place, you stop managing your life in fragments — and start living it as a whole.

Talk soon,

Steve

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