In July 2009 the investor Paul Graham published an essay called “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.” The manager’s schedule, he wrote, “is embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals.” To meet someone, you “find an open slot in your schedule, book them, and you’re done.”
Graham argued that programmers and writers need long blocks of time without meetings. A single meeting in the afternoon can break it into pieces too small for hard work. His own solution was to set aside fixed times each week for meetings with the founders he had funded.