What could you achieve by blocking your time?
If any of you know me well, or have ever taken a peek at my planner, you know that I’m a huge proponent of the to-do list. Actually, sometimes I’m a to-do lister to a fault, because I’ll spend my time making these elaborate lists, and then become overwhelmed by the quantity of things I want to get done – all, of course, instead of simply getting to work.
I have found that to-do lists are a good springboard into a more actionable time management strategy of time blocking.
“Time-blocking is essentially organizing your day in a series of time slots.”
So, typically I start with my to-do list for the day, recognizing where I need to prioritize my time (so I don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture of a hefty list). I take a look at my day and figure out where I can insert time blocks to work on specific projects.
I like to use time blocks anywhere from 45 – 90 minutes if I’m working solely on one project or task. Sometimes I’ll use the Pomodoro Technique to build a momentum.
Time blocks work well for me because they give me a structure through which I don’t have to expend extra energy figuring out what to do next. They give me a set amount of time between meetings, breaks, and other things that pop up throughout my day to sit down and focus on one of my prioritized to-do list tasks or projects.
Sometimes I’ll even fit multiple smaller tasks into a time block because I know I’ll be able to get all of them done within that time frame. This saves me time and energy trying to decide when I want to get these smaller, tedious tasks done throughout the day. This is time and energy that I instead want to reserve for the larger, high-focus tasks and projects.
Two factors that I like to point out when you are implementing time blocks involve your energy management and distractions.
Energy Management
When you block your time, think about when in the day these time blocks fit. What is your natural flow of energy during these times?
Do you tend to be most focused and productive in the midmorning? Are you often slow-moving or easily distracted around noon?
Think about how these energy levels will impact your time blocks. Are you blocking high-focus events during times of the day where you typically don’t have a lot of focus? Are you blocking low-focus menial tasks during peak energy times?
This takes some experimenting, and often some energy tracking, to become aware of how you can best set up your time blocks to connect well with your energy flow.
Distractions
Further, I encourage you to ask yourself about the distractions in your life. What distractions often come up during your work hours? Are there certain times of the day when they are most prevalent?
This again may take some experimenting and tracking, but being aware of distractions can be a huge benefit when blocking tasks that need intense focus versus those that can withstand the occasional interruption.
If you have ever struggled with overwhelming to-do lists like I have, or if you have ever struggled to figure out how to get things done throughout the day, I highly recommend testing out time blocking.
Figure out where your priorities lie for the day, and figure out where you can block in work time to focus on these priorities.
Consider your energy and the distractions that may occur, as well as the other things that take space on your calendar.
Finally, and this can be the tricky part, stick to your plan.
Don’t be afraid to block a chunk of time for unexpected, high priority tasks. This way, if those tasks do surprise you, you won’t need to push aside other prioritized tasks to make room for them.
And then, if those surprise tasks don’t come up, you’ll have an extra time block where you can give space to other priorities and feel extra accomplished with your day.