<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cBVjpFDltvQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Thumbnail ![[reclaim-thumbnail.png]] ## Title 1. Reclaim.ai Review: Smart calendar blocking for the productive engineer ## Hook Calendar blocking is a way to increase your productivity by treating tasks like meetings and scheduling them on a calendar. You'd have "Weekly sync" alongside "Go for a walk" or "Time with family". Maybe you already see the problem. I've been trying this on and off for years, to no success-- until now. In this video, I'm going to review an app I've recently discovered that has made calendar blocking actually feasible for me. That app is Reclaim.ai. ## Structure - Before I discovered Reclaim, I was doing calendar blocking on Google Calendar. Here's an example of what that looked like. - The problem: This approach was incredibly rigid. - Even digital was not flexible enough. - When priorities changed, or I underestimated how much time something would take, I'd have to do this weird calendar tetris. - It was not fun. I would try it for a while and then eventually fall off the bandwagon. - Reclaim is different. Here's how - (Not sponsored). I am going to give a referral code, but if you use it, I just get free credits on Reclaim for higher tier plans, so I don't get any money at all. - Calendar sync: - Personal to work, but just as "personal commitment" (Privacy) - Free time vs Defended time - You don't always have to define exactly when a task needs to be done. : Conditions - Free: This is planned, but could still be done another time - Defended: This is the last time you have to do something. Do it at this time or it won't get done according to your conditions. - If you don't get something done, Reclaim automatically moves everything around - Meetings vs Tasks vs Habits - Meetings: Booked on calendar (not Reclaim) - Tasks: Do this once by this time. - Habits: Do this 3x a week. - Prioritize habits vs tasks. - Add buffer time or travel time between meetings to decompress - Integrations - Google Calendar - Zoom - Slack - Other stuff - Smart 1:1s - Book no-meeting days that show you as busy for others, but Reclaim can still schedule tasks and habits. - Pricing - Free forever plan that is limited by the amount of calendars you can sync, integrations, and the number of weeks ahead that Reclaim looks when booking your time. It's totally usable. - Pro and team plans ## Outro But the most important thing that Reclaim helps me do is say no. I am a Developer Advocate, which is an exceptionally multidisciplinary job, and even outside of work I love to play D&D and learn languages and code fun but useless things. I am easily interested in new projects. Having my entire week scheduled according to MY priorities isn't restricting. In fact, it gives me the freedom to say, "I'm sorry-- I just don't have the time." Thanks for watching! ## Related videos and resources Reclaim link: https://reclaim.ai/r/s/yYOqK ## Timestamps 0:00 Intro; what is calendar blocking? 1:33 Reason 1 - Calendar syncing 2:14 Reason 2 - Free time vs defended time 3:57 Reason 3 - Meetings vs tasks vs habits 4:41 Reason 4 - Buffer time 5:14 Reason 5 - Integrations 6:18 Pricing ## Pre-production - [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720). - [x] Add description. - [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way. - [x] Add related videos and resources as links. - [ ] Add end screen. - [x] Add cards if necessary. - [ ] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary. - [ ] Create captions using Descript or using the script, then edit them. - [ ] Add chapters for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes. - [ ] Schedule on YouTube. ## Post-production - [ ] Promote on personal social media. - [ ] Twitter - [ ] LinkedIn - [ ] Create a blog post on [nicolevdh.com](http://nicolevdh.com) - [ ] Include in a weekly newsletter.