Why More Time ≠ More Productivity
Have you ever cleared your calendar, expecting to tackle that mountain of to-dos, only to find yourself accomplishing... not much at all?
That was me last year during the holiday lull. With work tasks emptied and client calls minimal, I blocked off two full weeks to work "on" my business rather than "in" it. I had visions of cleaning up my templates, redesigning my document automation process, and finally starting my succession planning.
Instead, I found myself wandering between tasks, taking extra-long coffee breaks, and thinking, "I've got plenty of time" — right until I didn't. Before I knew it, the new year arrived and my ambitious list was barely touched.
This wasn't a mysterious lack of discipline or sudden onset of laziness. It was something far more insidious: the free time paradox.
The U-Shaped Free Time Graph
It turns out that having either too little OR too much free time can kill productivity. The relationship between free time and both productivity and well-being isn't linear—it's U-shaped.
A fascinating 2021 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people with insufficient free time experience high stress and reduced satisfaction (no surprise there). But here's the kicker: those with excessive free time reported feeling a lack of purpose and reduced productivity.
The sweet spot? About 2 to 5 hours of free time per day. Beyond that, satisfaction and productivity begin to decline.
This explains so much about solo practice:
When we're slammed with back-to-back client meetings, court appearances, and deadlines, we're gasping for air, dreaming of more time.
But when we finally clear that calendar for deep work or business development, we often fritter away those precious hours, trapped in the "plenty of time" mindset.
Kairos vs. Chronos: The Two Types of Time
The ancient Greeks had two words for time: Chronos and Kairos. Understanding the difference changed my relationship with time.
Chronos is clock time — measurable, predictable, and finite. It's what we schedule by and typically try to maximize.
Kairos is opportune time — those moments of flow, focus, and high impact. It's quality over quantity. It's when you're operating at peak state, making meaningful progress on what truly matters.
Most attorneys obsess over Chronos efficiency (squeezing more tasks into each hour) while neglecting Kairos effectiveness (creating the conditions for those high-impact moments to occur).
The hard truth? I could have accomplished more in three focused hours than I did in three unfocused days.
Finding Your Time Sweet Spot
After my holiday productivity disaster, I realized I need to approach open calendar blocks very differently. Here's what I'm actively working on implementing:
Structure matters more than duration. Rather than blocking an entire day for "deep work" or "business development," I schedule specific projects for 90-120 minute windows.
Time without boundaries expands to fill available space. I set timers for tasks that might otherwise stretch indefinitely (looking at you, template cleanup and AI research rabbit holes).
Energy management trumps time management. I map my week according to energy levels, scheduling creative work during my morning peak and administrative tasks during afternoon lulls.
Take a moment to ask yourself:
When do I feel most energized and clear-headed?
Am I mistaking "available" time for "productive" time?
Do I structure my free time as carefully as I do my client time?
What's Coming Next Week
Next Wednesday, I'll share my exact calendar audit tool that helps me structure my week around energy-giving tasks rather than just time slots. It's helped me increase my revenue-generating work while decreasing my overall working hours.
In the meantime, if you caught yourself nodding along to this email, forward it to a colleague who might be trapped in the same time paradox. We solos need to share these insights with each other!
Here’s to finding your sweet spot,
Lauren
P.S. Remember, more time doesn't equal more productivity. The key is structured, intentional time blocks that match your energy levels. Try blocking just 90 minutes this week for your most important non-urgent task, and see what happens!