Kirralea Walkerden
Leadership Coach, Culture Consultant, Facilitator
Cocooning: The Time Management Strategy That Will Save Your Sanity
Let’s be honest — time is one of the biggest challenges facing leaders today.
Between back-to-back meetings, constant notifications, and the revolving door of daily interruptions, it’s no wonder focused, meaningful work feels harder than ever.
That’s why we want to share one of our favourite time management strategies — one we use ourselves, and one that’s helped hundreds of leaders reclaim their time and their focus.
It’s called Cocooning.
What Is Cocooning?
Cocooning is a strategy we teach (and live by) that helps leaders create uninterrupted space to focus on high-value, high-priority work. The kind of work that needs deep thinking — not multitasking or constant context switching.
Think of it like this: you create a protective “cocoon” around your time so you can work on the right things, without the noise.
Why It Matters More Now Than Ever
Leaders are more accessible – and more interrupted – than ever before.
Email, chat tools, Teams pings, drop-ins… the distractions are endless. Studies show that managers are interrupted an average of 73 times a day, and 80% of those interruptions are low-value.
Even worse? After each interruption, it takes around 23 minutes to get back on task – and most of us pick up two new tasks before we even return to the original one. The math is scary. That’s hours of lost time, every day.
We’ve seen it firsthand: leaders feeling busy but not productive. Stretched thin but not getting traction. Cocooning is the antidote.
THE 5-STEP COCOONING STRATEGY
1. Be Clear on Your Priorities
Cocooning only works if you’re using that time wisely. Don’t protect your calendar for work that doesn’t really matter.
Start by identifying your true high-priority tasks – the ones that require your best thinking and will make the biggest impact.
Think: strategic planning, critical problem-solving, writing a proposal, designing a workshop – not clearing your inbox.
2. Allocate Specific Time Blocks
Choose a time in your day (or week) that becomes your cocoon zone. Some leaders block 90 minutes each morning. Others choose 2–3 sessions a week of 45 mins.
Whatever works for your rhythm – protect it like a meeting with your most important client. Because it is.
3. Educate Your Team
Let your team know what you’re doing and why. When people understand that your cocoon time helps you work on the things they need from you, they’re usually supportive.
Bonus: when they know you’re unavailable during certain times, they often solve their own problems – or batch their questions for later.
4. Watch Out for the Enemy Within
Here’s the kicker: 40% of interruptions come from ourselves.
You sit down to focus – and suddenly feel the urge to “just check” your emails, reply to that ping, or see how the team’s going.
Don’t. Stay disciplined. Your cocooned time only works if you stay in it.
Put devices away. Shut down distractions. Turn email notifications off. Trust that the world can wait 30–90 minutes.
5. Be Approachable, Not Always Available
We often hear leaders say, “But I need to be available for my team.”
Fair. But availability and approachability aren’t the same thing.
In our experience, the best leaders are highly approachable when they’re available – and also able to set boundaries that allow them to get work done. You can do both.
The Bottom Line
Cocooning isn’t about being rigid with your time. It’s about being intentional.
When you block out space to focus – and protect it fiercely – you stop reacting and start leading.
We’ve seen cocooning transform the daily rhythm of leaders in organisations large and small. It creates space for deep work, clearer thinking, and ultimately, better results.
If you’re feeling stretched, reactive, or scattered — try cocooning. It might just change the way you work.
