Schedule Guillotine Test

Garth Beyer

There is a tiny, invisible committee living in your calendar. It’s made up of Past You, who was feeling ambitious, and Future You, who is always “totally going to have more time next week.”

Today, we fire the committee.

Here’s the exercise: scan your schedule or your work to dos and, for each item, ask one rude question.

If this got killed, what would I replace it with?

Not “what would I do instead,” because that question invites nonsense. Doom scrolling. Kitchen archaeology. The sacred ritual of reorganizing a drawer that contains nothing but rubber bands and shame.

No, ask it like you mean it. Like your day has a bouncer.

When you don’t want to replace something, that’s a tell. That’s your nervous system saying, “Keep this. This is the real thing.” The project. The conversation. The gym session. The weird hard work that makes you feel like a human with a pulse instead of an inbox with a mortgage.

When you do find a replacement, notice what shows up. Often it’s more honest than the original. You might kill “prep another slide deck” and replace it with “call the customer.” You might kill “attend the meeting” and replace it with “write the two paragraphs that matter.” You might kill “optimize the email” and replace it with “ship the offer.”

And if your replacement answer is, “I’d replace it with sitting on the couch and relaxing,” don’t beat yourself up.

Just take the hint. It’s not a replacement. That’s a diagnosis.

It means your schedule isn’t full. It’s crowded. It’s been stocked with obligations that don’t earn their keep, like cheap décor in a fancy hotel lobby. Pretty, busy, and maybe you snap a photo of it…but it’s ultimately forgettable.

Here’s the ask again: Run the guillotine test. Let your calendar confess.

Then rebuild it with the kind of things you’d actually miss if they disappeared.

Stay Positive & Future You Doesn’t Need More Time, It Needs Less Lies

Garth Beyer
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