On Opening the Calendar at 10 PM
TuBrief Editorial
August 27, 2026
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ManagementWritten with AI assistance from the source video. The video is the authority.
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Written with AI assistance from the source video. The video is the authority.
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When the children fall asleep and the house grows quiet, I turn on my smartphone. I try to retrace what I did throughout the day, but all that remains is a vague sense of fatigue. Caught between my role as a middle manager at work and playing the role of a father and mother to two children at home, my mind is constantly spinning. Looking at the calendar, it is filled to the brim with meetings and schedules, yet when I actually check which core elements of my life I spent time on, nothing really stands out in my memory.
First, I open Google Calendar or a paper diary for the past two weeks. I record the time actually invested in 10 life elements—health, career, marital relationship, time with children, and personal growth—in 30-minute increments.
The purpose of this exercise is not self-reflection. It is a process of visually confirming where I am unconsciously pouring my energy. Once written down, you face a shocking reality. There is inevitably an element that hasn't been assigned even 30 minutes out of the 24 hours in a day. Far from personal growth, days with 0 minutes spent on exercise or reading are common. The moment you confirm this void, it becomes crystal clear that you were missing out on precious values while being chased by time.
Every evening, the 1 hour after coming home from work is a battlefield. By the time the kids are washed and put to bed, it is past 9 PM. Trying to use the remaining energy for both family and personal growth at the same time only piles up guilt. When I read a book, I feel sorry for the kids, and when I play with the kids, anxiety washes over me as if my career is falling behind.
To break this cycle, I fix roles by day of the week. Mondays and Wednesdays are designated as child-rearing focus days, and personal study is completely erased from the calendar. Tuesdays and Thursdays are set aside entirely for personal growth. I share the schedule with my spouse in advance and distribute the responsibility for those times. Letting go of the obsession to do everything perfectly every day reduces mental exhaustion.
The reason time is scarce is because we are tied down to useless tasks. This week, I choose two commitments or schedules to decline right away. Social gatherings or internal tasks that do not immediately lead to performance are the targets.
I delete those schedules from the calendar and honestly share it with those around me. This process alone creates at least 4 hours of free time per week. We must stop the mistake of trying to grab every opportunity and missing what is important. Physical time can only be secured by starting with what we discard.