Create a calendar that reflects your ambitions
Feel like your calendar is a to-do list of distractions? Here’s how to turn it into a roadmap to your biggest goals
Welcome to the 9.29 Edition of “What I Did Last Week (and what I’m looking forward to)” where I share what I am doing personally and professionally
I'm currently filling for the 2025 Class of my Samita Lab Mastermind. The price to join the Samita Lab Mastermind is set to increase forever on Oct 17th. Apply here to join 7 women leaders in giving her TED x Talk on stage in 2025 (before the price goes up).
Am I “expert enough” to be on such a prestigious stage as TED?
I got this question this week.
It reminded me of a keynote I gave to 1600 women hoteliers pre pandemic. I pre-interviewed 6 women before event day, and learned that many had been ‘grandfathered’ into the hotel industry.
Many unrealized dreams lay on the side.
The unspoken question: Am I ‘worthy enough’ to realize my own goals?
One of the things I concluded my talk with that day, in the San Diego Convention Center was this:
Create a calendar that reflects your ambitions
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. What do you want exactly?
What are your ambitions? Write it down. Get clarity on it.
This is the next key step: Break the big goal into smaller, manageable goals.
For example: At the beginning of the year, I said 2024 would be dedicated to dialing in my sales systems. Q1, Q2 was dedicated to raising the budget for it. Q3 was interviewing sales people. Q4 is ‘go’ time.
2. Prioritize
Identify High-impact Activities: What activities most move the needle for your goal? Prioritize these in your calendar.
For example, I deployed the 80/20 Rule. I mind-mapped the customer journey for 3 “cold clients” to “closed clients.” The journey showed me quickly the 20% of my activities that will produce 80% of the results. I learned that my newsletter here is a key conversion mechanism. I was nurturing people I didn’t even realize were on the list.
3. Time-block for Ambitions
I shared this during my keynote to the 1600 women hoteliers. Your dream deserves your time. How can you block off an hour each day for tasks that align with your goal. The hardest thing? How to treat this hour as a ‘non-negotiable.’
i like to ‘theme’ days of the week. A specific time block on certain days can be dedicated to different parts of the goal. For example, Mondays and Tuesdays are for networking and discovery calls. Wednesday Thursdays are for writing and deep creative work. Fridays for skills building.
TIP: Block 2-4 hours for focused work. Your brain needs time to get into a ‘flow’ state in order to produce quality ideas. You’re not a machine.
4. Include Growth and Learning
Skill Development: Schedule regular time for learning, whether it's reading, attending workshops, or taking courses that relate to your goal. Three newsletters dedicated to Paris hit my inbox each week. I’m working on a larger goal to be in France 3 months a year.
Networking: Women shoudl have 3 networks: An operational one. A strategic one and this one is key for your goal ——an aspirational one. Plan for networking events or catch-ups with mentors and peers who can help you with your goal.
5. Balance Professional and Personal Ambitions
Work-life Integration: Ensure your calendar reflects balance. Your personal health, well-being, and relationships should also be part of the equation.
Journal: I reserve Sundays to strategize around self-care, reflect on my progress from the week before, and recalibrate if necessary.
6. Review and Adjust
Weekly and Monthly Reviews: Set aside time to review your calendar and progress toward your goals. I like to do a monthly report card. I listed 5 buckets (Financial, Business, Spiritual, Relationship, Health) and have goals in each that I evaluate.
Stay Flexible: Life happens. Be open to adjusting your schedule but ensure the core of your ambition remains intact.
7. Leverage Technology
I use a simple Google doc to keep track of my goals. But you can also use Trello or Notion to structure and track your progress.
Set Reminders: Add reminders for critical tasks, milestones, and moments for reflection.
8. Visualize Success
Reflect Ambition through Calendar Design: I color code the goal-related activities on my calendar, so it's easy to see at a glance that I have dedicated time to my goals.
9. Infuse Love
Playwright and poet Sarah Ruhl on love as a creative force:
"There was once a very great American surgeon named Halsted. He was married to a nurse. He loved her—immeasurably.
One day Halsted noticed that his wife's hands were chapped and red when she came back from surgery. And so he invented rubber gloves. For her. It is one of the great love stories in medicine. The difference between inspired medicine and uninspired medicine is love...
[He] loved her to the point of invention."
Source: The Clean House
What I Did Last Week
Monday. Five year anniversary party for former client Mona Panjwani’s restaurant. She first messaged me on Facebook in 2013 to promote her events business. Her Case study on her climb to restaurant owner with a staff of 40 today.
Tuesday. 3 women are confirmed for the December Paris retreat. The week has been busy confirming the high jewelry class at Van Cleef and Arpels, the private tour of Galerie Dior, and the Chanel spa.
What I am looking forward to
Friday. The Affordable Art Fair. The Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea exhibits a curated selection of works ranging between $100 and $12,000. I’m looking forward to these two artists
David Lineton, ‘Molton – Dusk’, 2023, photographic print, edition of 95, 48x36in, $1550, VAST
Ryota Shiga | Silent Conversation
Ryota Shiga, ‘Silent Conversation’, 2024, oil on canvas, 11x9in, $1,200, SUOMEI M50 x FUCEAN.
Saturday. Dinner at Cadence. Our friends are vegetarian so we are experimenting with chef Shenarri Freeman’s dishes. A James Beard Award Nominee, Freeman is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education's plant-based Health-Supportive Culinary Arts program. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, she fully embraced veganism in 2017.
Sunday. A Bridgerton Chic High Tea at a Castle on Long Island. I got this dress from Rent the Runway to wear. Is it Bridgerton enough?
CORFU 2025
10 days in Rome
Being intentional, and doing this reflective personal development work builds the foundation for monumental success.
It's why my Mastermind clients
💪🏼 have gotten two promotions in two years
💪🏼 have built a $50MM fund and are on their way to building a $200MM fund.
💪🏼 have discovered their self-worth and started realizing their dreams
💪🏼 have learned to get clients from their posts
I'm currently filling for the 2025 Class of my Samita Lab Mastermind. The price to join the Samita Lab Mastermind is set to increase forever on Oct 17th. Apply here to join 7 women leaders in giving her TED x Talk on stage in 2025 (before the price goes up).
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