Do you find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of tasks on your plate? Time Blocking can help you rediscover your productivity to tackle that ever growing to-do list.
Sometimes we get less work done than we actually realise or had the potential for. Every time we reply to emails sporadically or take on additional small tasks throughout the day, we get disrupted and spend less time on more important tasks. It can feel like our day is out of control when we have to be reactive to many interruptions.
Time blocking is a way you can take control of your schedule and complete what you want to do. It is a time management technique that is used by the likes of Elon Musk and Bill Gates, whose jam packed lives come with a lot of organising.
What is Time Blocking?
Time blocking is the practice of taking tasks from your to-do list and giving them an allocated slot in your calendar. When the time comes to complete the task, you should focus on it and only use that allotted time for that particular assignment.
You will find that the act of putting your tasks in your calendar encourages you to give them the same importance that you would give to meetings and events.
Establishing tasks in advance removes choice from the equation, intensifying your focus on vital tasks and ensuring you are your most productive self.
How to use Time Blocking
Time blocking is very simple and quick to do, especially once you get the hang of it. Follow these steps to schedule your day:
- Write down what tasks you want (and need) to complete in a day or even the whole week – make priorities!
- Estimate how long these tasks should take you
- Put your predetermined meetings and events in your calendar first so that you can work around them
- Give your tasks an allotted time in your calendar that you will follow that day
- Leave room for breaks! Don’t overwork yourself – seeing all your activities presented in your schedule should show you where you can make room for rest periods
- Track your time – this is important! You may over or underestimate how long a task will take at first, so tracking how long they take in reality will help you compare and plan more effectively in the future
Time Blocking variations
There are a few variations of time blocking that could help you allocate your time to work with YOU.
Task batching – batch smaller tasks like together and complete them all at once to stop yourself constantly switching objectives throughout the day.
For example, if you find that you check and reply to your emails increasingly often and it distracts you from the task you are doing, set a period in the day where you will only use this time to do your emails.
Day theming – for those with many responsibilities, dedicating each day to a single theme is very helpful. You will find that you can focus better as your mind is trained one area, and you won’t have to switch your brain in and out of different tasks.
For example, Monday: a planning day, Tuesday: a marketing day, Wednesday: a training day etc.
Time boxing – this requires you to put a limit on how much time you will spend on a specific task. A deadline will encourage you to put all your mental focus into a task and forces you to work more efficiently to get it done on time.
This may seem very similar to time blocking as both ask you to allocate a fixed time for specific activities. However, time boxing involves including specific deadlines in a SMART way that you should try not to work over – think of them as almost non-negotiable and try not to adjust your calendar.
For example, you might say “I will finish this report between 2pm and 3pm today”
Tips to integrate Time Blocking into your schedule
It may be hard to stick to whilst you get used to adhering to a stricter schedule and also correctly estimate how long things should take but once you get started it will become easier and easier to use.
- Batch small tasks together to get them out of the way
- Impose limits – open ended dates may see you striving for perfection, but deadlines will make you focus on a task to complete it well and efficiently before the end date
- Try not to underestimate time needed for a task – it will only make you rush or feel disappointed you didn’t complete what you wanted. It will become clearer as you track how long things have taken you. Practice makes perfect!
- Don’t overschedule leisure time – it can be all too easy to let your brain relax and let distractions take over. It may ruin your motivation.
- Don’t be too rigid – be prepared to revise and update your plans as things always come up
- Avoid overscheduling – be aware of what you can actually complete in a day
- Use your natural energy levels to schedule the difficulty of tasks – if you are a morning person, then consider scheduling deeper tasks when you feel most awake and motivated and leave smaller tasks that require less concentration for when your energy levels dip
- Most importantly: keep you schedule where you can see it! You won’t know what you have planned for yourself and run behind if it is out of sight
Task
Start with just one day a week that is time blocked (consider a weekend which may be less important) to ease you into the routine. Stick to the schedule and follow it through – it’s important to give it a proper chance!
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