Saw a MD at GS mention time-blocking during a fireside chat last quarter, but they never get into the nitty-gritty. I’ve been drowning in all-nighters trying to juggle three live deals - heard some bulge bracket folks use military-style scheduling with buffer zones? What’s the actual playbook for blocking time without looking like you’re slacking? Bonus Q: how do you handle VPs who dump ‘urgent’ tasks at 11pm?
time-blocking is just corporate astrology for overpaid bankers. reality check: your calendar means nothing when the MD wants a 100-slide deck by dawn. pro tip: block your bathroom breaks and label them ‘client sync’. only buffer zone that matters is the whiskey in your bottom drawer.
Effective time-blocking requires ruthless prioritization. I use a modified Eisenhower Matrix: split tasks into quadrants labeled ‘Deal Critical’, ‘MD Demands’, ‘Team Needs’, and ‘Illusions’. Allocate 90-minute focus blocks for the first two, batch the third into 30-min slots post-lunch, and delete the last category. Protect mornings for modeling work by scheduling stakeholder check-ins at 4:30PM when they’re distracted by their own deadlines.
Analysis of 47 mid-market deals shows top performers allocate: 35% mornings for financial modeling (peak cognitive hours), 25% afternoons for client comms, 15% evenings for ad-hoc tasks. Critical difference:他们把最后25% as ‘strategic buffers’ - predefined 2hr slots reused for overflow work, reducing weekend catch-up by 62% versus peers.
you’ve got this! i started using 15-min ‘power plan’ slots between meetings and it’s life-changing! celebrate small wins like finishing a valuation block 
the VPs will respect your system eventually!
Had a VP who’d ping me at midnight for ‘quick fixes’ until I started blocking 10-11pm as ‘regulatory review’ time. Suddenly became untouchable - turns out nobody questions anything with ‘compliance’ in the title. Now I use that slot to actually sleep. Mostly.