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Just create recurring OOO meeting on Friday for the whole day and you're done, no?

No...there's always a pushy person asking you to make an exception, or a deadline, or "this time works for the CEO and we need you there." Never that simple without widespread buy-in.

> there's always a pushy person asking you to make an exception, or a deadline, or "this time works for the CEO and we need you there." Never that simple without widespread buy-in

My OH has been on official sick leave and has been contacted by team members demanding input because "something was urgent" :(

Unless you actually go completely offline, it's rarely simple.

I think people just need to learn how to pushback. “Sorry I have plans” has always worked for me with an handful of exceptions over 17 years of working.

I've been trying this on and off for a couple of years, blocking out time in my day to do "actual work" and avoiding meetings. All that happens is the sales people (inevitably it is sales people) book a meeting with a customer without checking my calendar first.

Why don't you decline?

Or set up a rotation with a few other coworkers so that _someone_ can always take a sales call and pass it off to them if it’s during your off/focus day and vice versa for theirs.

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