I'm Paul Holbrook, founder and "Time Rebel" behind Diary Detox. At Diary Detox we help organisations and individuals reclaim control over their work calendars, reduce wasted time, and gain better focus. Our flagship offering is the Diary Detox® method, which helps managers and leaders free up at least one full day per week by cutting out non-value tasks.
We work with senior leadership teams, HR departments and change programmes. We run workshops, keynote talks, diagnostic "Discovery" sessions, leadership training (our Time to Lead programme) and follow-through support to embed new habits.
My background is in the City. I spent 20 years in financial services and technology transformation, working my way up to Managing Director roles. Over that time I became convinced that the biggest challenge in leadership is not capability, but time, too many leaders are stuck firefighting, stuck in meetings, stuck in email, and never truly leading.
Early in my career I saw managers being promoted because they were technically excellent, but once they had people to look after, they struggled. They were constantly swamped, reactive, and short on margin to lead well.
I felt the disconnect: organisations invest in leadership development, yet many leaders don't change their diaries. The methods didn't deal with the reality of what their calendars looked like. So I created Diary Detox® to fill that gap: a practical, calendar-centric approach that surfaces where time is genuinely wasted, and gives simple rules and restructuring to reclaim it.
I wanted to create a consultancy that bridges these gaps, offering a practical, calendar-centric method that surfaces genuine time waste and provides clear restructuring rules.
When I first left the corporate world, I began speaking about time, and used diagnostic workshops to show leaders how their diaries were full of "brown" and "red" time (low value or transactional tasks).
I piloted "Discoveries" (90-minute interactive sessions) where participants map what they actually do, and see live results of wasted slots. I then built out the Time to Lead programme around the method, helping embed the changes over weeks.
One challenge was scepticism: many believe time management is personal or trivial. To overcome that, I positioned Diary Detox as focus management, less about trying harder, more about pruning and redesigning.
Another was proving ROI. In early engagements I insisted on clear measurement: how many hours recovered, how many meetings eliminated, impact on engagement or wellbeing. That allowed clients to see value early.
Also, change fatigue is real. People resist changes in routine. So I built the method in phases with quick wins (e.g. eliminating pointless meetings) and incremental embedding.
Today, through Diary Detox, I've worked with organisations such as Microsoft, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, and others. The method has been used in leadership training, town-halls, offsite retreats, team days and internal change programmes.
As demand grew, I developed a full leadership programme (Time to Lead) that complements existing leadership development with time and diary techniques. I also write and publish content, my book What Are You Doing? carries the ideas into print.
If I were rebooting, I would document case studies more rigorously earlier with before and after diaries to showcase the method's impact, build a small team earlier to deliver more Discovery sessions in parallel, invest earlier in digital tools with apps and integrations so that the method could be more seamlessly embedded, and create stronger measurement frameworks to track wellbeing, retention and performance metrics from the start.
I plan to extend our reach internationally by working with global leadership teams across geographies. I am building digital modules to complement live work, giving leaders a self-paced toolkit. I also want to deepen research and data by tracking not only time recovered but wellbeing, retention, and performance metrics. Finally, I aim to partner with leadership programs, HR consultancies, and platforms so Diary Detox becomes part of leadership development ecosystems.
Diary Detox® is a practical, calendar-focused method created by Paul Holbrook to help leaders and organisations reclaim their time. It works by analysing your actual calendar to identify and eliminate low-value tasks, freeing up at least one full day per week for more strategic work.
This method is designed for senior leadership teams, managers, HR departments, and anyone involved in change programmes. If you feel stuck in endless meetings, constantly firefighting, and unable to find time to truly lead, this approach can help you regain control.
Many time management courses are theoretical. Diary Detox® is different because it works directly with your real-world calendar. It uses a simple colour-coded system to show you exactly where your time is going, making it a practical leadership tool rather than just a set of abstract ideas.
The primary goal is to free up significant time, often at least a full day each week. This is achieved by cutting out unnecessary meetings and transactional tasks. Clients like Microsoft and Novartis have used the method to improve focus, engagement, and overall wellbeing within their teams.
Change fatigue is a real challenge, so the method is built around embedding new habits over time. It’s not just a single workshop. The process includes follow-through support and structured programmes like 'Time to Lead' to ensure the new, more effective calendar habits become permanent.
