The Now, Near, Future Time Map

Think your value lives in what shipped? That is only the loud part. This exercise makes the quiet work visible too: the thinking, the research, the conversations that create what ships.

You will map a typical week across three kinds of time, then have a short comparison conversation with your manager (or boss/advisor). No grades, no performance theater, just a clear picture you can both use.

Why this matters

Most work talk is about what got done. Checklists, launches, results. When that is the only story, the upstream work disappears from view, and so does a big part of your value. The exploring, aligning, testing, and learning that make the result possible often never get named, so they never get protected, resourced, or remembered.

This exercise gives that work a name and a place. Once you label Now, Near, and Future, the upstream work stops looking like noise. It becomes legible, discussable, and easy to plan for together.

Before you begin, a shared lens

Read this once for yourself, then use the same language with your manager. If the lens is different, the numbers will not be comparable.

Now Time - Work that must be acted on immediately. Your must-complete list. Weekly meetings, deliverables due this week, reports to file, budgets or strategy decks needed now, plus the tasks that keep the current machine running.

Near Time - Work that is exploratory and preparatory. Research, what-if conversations, option building with colleagues, pilots, and small tests. It is fluid and often undefined. No one is chasing you for it this week.

Future Time - Work that is an investment in who you are becoming. Learning new skills, reading and study, conferences, and time with people or ideas that expand your perspective. It is not tied to today’s priorities. It is how you become the person and strategist your role will need later.

Instructions: The Experiment

Start here: Draw your map. Print or sketch the graphic below.

Step 1. Do the math for yourself

Why this step: This is a self-audit. You are answering one question: Am I using my time the way I think I should be?

  • Map your week: Think about a typical recent week on your calendar. Calculate what percentage of your time is spent in Now, Near, and Future time.

  • Estimate your current split: As you consider your time, estimate the percentage of your time spent in Now, Near, and Future time. Fill them in under Mine - Current. Your total should add up to 100%. Do not overthink this. Trust your gut.

  • Name your “should” split: Consider your role. If you were working the way you intend to work, what would the mix be? Write a second set of three numbers in the map as Mine - Should.

Want some examples? These are not “right” or “wrong” answers; they are there to orient your thinking: CEO 15/40/45, VP 20/30/50, Manager 70/20/10, Strategic IC 40/40/20.

Here’s what mine looked like in a previous role