Guest blog by Michaela Buck: When time management isn't enough

Hello, this is Kirsten speaking to introduce our guest blogger Michaela Buck. Michaela is a coach and therapist from Germany who did several classes with SolutionsAcademy and is running a very successful coaching and therapy practice. We were talking about managing time the other day (she is very busy) and she shared some really useful insights. But now listen to Michaela:

"My calendar was always too full. I tried everything—time blocks, reducing availability, setting clear boundaries—but no matter what I did, the same problem kept coming back. If you think these strategies are enough, you can stop reading here. But if you, like me, keep finding yourself overwhelmed despite all the planning, it might be time to look deeper.

In a coaching session—this time with me as the coachee—I had a key realization. I’ve long since let go of the idea that I need to “save” my clients. I genuinely trust that they have everything they need to develop in their own way, at their own pace. My role is not to provide the answers, but to hold space for their process and trust that they will find their own way forward. And in my sessions, that worked beautifully.

But then there was this recurring moment: a client would say at the end of a session, “It’s such a long wait until our next meeting—can’t we schedule something sooner?” And suddenly, I felt the pull to make it happen. Not because I thought they truly needed it, but because some part of me still felt responsible for making their progress as smooth as possible.

The issue wasn’t that I wanted to be available all the time. It was this underlying belief: I can make it work, I’ll find a way to squeeze it in. And so I did—over and over again. Shuffling things around, filling every small gap, pushing my limits. Until my schedule was packed to the brim, and I ended up completely drained.

The real turning point came when my coach asked me: How do you want to feel when you’ve got this figured out? That stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t want to collapse into bed every night, completely exhausted. I wanted to feel satisfied-tired, not burned-out tired. The kind of tired that comes from a full, productive day—where I gave my best, but didn’t give myself away.

That shifted everything. I saw that the problem wasn’t my scheduling—it was my mindset. I didn’t need to keep finding ways to fit more in. I needed to trust that my structure was already enough. Just as I trusted my clients to find their way, I needed to trust my own system—to believe that the support I offered was already in place and that they, like me, were capable of working within that framework. My calendar shouldn’t be a puzzle I have to solve—it should be a structure that supports both my clients and me.

Since then, I’ve made some real changes. I’ve stopped trying to squeeze things in just because I technically could. My calendar is no longer something to battle with, but a structure that gives me space to do my best work—and still have energy left at the end of the day. By holding my boundaries, I’m not just protecting myself—I’m living the very principles I encourage my clients to embrace.

Sometimes, real growth isn’t about learning new techniques. It’s about questioning the beliefs that keep us stuck—and having the courage to rewrite the story."

Kirsten here again - if you would like to come and have similar conversations about your practice, hang out with lovely people or learn about our classes, why not join one of our free meetup and exchange sessions?