How many client sessions should a coach open per week?
Work out your real weekly capacity, group sessions on set days, keep buffers and protect time for preparation: a method for coaches and consultants.
6 min read
There is no universal number: the right amount of client sessions is what you can deliver well while still doing the work around them. Start from the hours you want to work in a week, subtract the preparation, notes, follow-up, admin and business development each session creates, and open only what's left as bookable slots. Group those slots on set days, leave a buffer after each one, and review the figure every few months against how you actually feel and what your calendar shows.
Count the work around each session
A one-hour session is rarely one hour of work. Before it, you reread notes or a brief. After it, you write up what was agreed, send resources or a summary, and sometimes answer a message during the week. For a consultant, a one-hour call can lead to half a day of analysis. On top of that come invoicing, marketing, your own training and supervision if your practice includes it.
A simple exercise: for two weeks, note how long you spend on each of these tasks per session. You'll get your own ratio, which is far more useful than a rule borrowed from someone else.
| Task | When | Example of time to note |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Before the session | Rereading notes, the client's brief |
| Session | Booked slot | The call or meeting itself |
| Write-up | Right after | Summary, action points, resources |
| Follow-up | During the week | Messages, small questions |
| Business time | Weekly | Admin, invoicing, marketing, training |
From working hours to bookable slots
Once you know your ratio, the calculation is short. Say you want to work 30 hours a week, keep 6 hours for business time, and each one-hour session takes about half an hour of preparation and write-up. That leaves 24 hours, which fits 16 one-hour sessions. That's the number of slots you open, not the 30 hours you'd fill if you offered every free hour.
Your figures will differ, and they depend on the kind of work: a first session with a new client usually asks for more preparation than the eighth session of a programme. That's why it helps to open different services for different kinds of sessions.
Group sessions on set days
Scattered sessions break the week into pieces too small for deep work. Grouping them on set days, for example Tuesday to Thursday, leaves Monday and Friday for preparation, proposals, writing and your own development. Within a session day, you can also keep mornings for thinking work and open afternoon slots for calls.
On Book, create your slot pattern once and repeat it on the weekdays you choose until an end date. Your booking page then only offers the days you've decided, and clients pick among them without an exchange of emails.
Leave buffers between sessions
Back-to-back calls mean no time to write up, no break and a late start as soon as one session runs over. Leave 15 to 30 minutes after each session by simply not opening a slot in that time: a 9:00–10:00 slot followed by the next at 10:30. Some coaches and consultants also keep one free slot per day for overruns and urgent requests.
Separate the types of sessions
- Discovery or first calls: short, sometimes free, useful to open in limited numbers so they don't eat into paid time.
- Programme sessions: the core of your week; book them for clients at the rhythm you've agreed.
- Workshops or group sessions: one slot with several places, where each participant books one place.
- Paid one-off sessions: for a specific question, with a clear description of what's included.
Each becomes a service with its own description and an optional price. You decide how many slots each one gets in the week, which is where your capacity really gets protected.
Review your numbers regularly
Every few months, look at your calendar: how many sessions you actually held, how many weeks felt overloaded, when you were writing notes at night. If you're regularly over capacity, reduce the slots you open or raise your price; if you have room, open a few more. The booking page makes this easy to adjust, because what clients can book is exactly what you open.
Book costs €5/month, everything included, with unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract. Clients book without an account and receive a confirmation email; you receive one for each new booking. If a session moves, reschedule it from your bookings list and let the client know, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes.