I saw an advertisement today, glossy and well-produced, about focus and getting things done. The man looked quite successful and showed his color-coded calendar, making the case that you should NEVER use a to-do list. Just calendar everything. His guest was also a young, well-dressed man, mid-to-early thirties.

I wonder how much of that is a “thing”, where the marketing guy asks, “What makes you different? What makes your approach to time management unique?” And the time management guru says, “I recommend that people get rid of the to-do list and use ONLY a calendar!”

Marketing guy rolls eyes and says, “Okay.”

Here’s why I think that approach, organizing everything in a pretty Google calendar, is not right for everyone.