Time Blocking:Time Management That Works

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The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. -Stephen Covey

Nowadays, it seems as if everyone is plagued with the same thought, “there are not enough hours in my day.”  We have professional commitments, personal and family demands, and let’s not forget our social lives.  Our calendars keep filling up but there are only 24 hours in the day.  After spending long workdays many of us are left feeling overwhelmed and unbalanced. There are lots of tools and resources that can assist with managing your time effectively, so you can find your ideal balance between your professional and personal life. Setting an intention, developing a morning routine, and time blocking are a few strategies that myself and many of my clients have found useful.

I have found that setting an intention for my day as soon as I wake up, gives me a clear direction and starts me on the right path early. Ask yourself how you want to feel. When you get clear on how you want to feel, you can make aligned decisions that will lead you to your ideal day. Once you’re clear on how you want to feel, you can measure all your choices against your intention. For example, if your intention is to feel productive, then your actions should lead to tasks that will leave you feeling productive. This may seem too simple and you may even question if this can really be effective. How many times have you dragged through the day on autopilot, not even sure exactly how you want your day to go? Like me, I’m sure more than you would prefer to count. Setting an intention can definitely put you back in the driver’s seat.

 A quote that helps me get going is, “Win the morning, Win the day”! This can be done by creating a morning routine that serves you and is aligned with your goals. This routine is unique to each of us and should reflect our values and personal preferences. My ideal morning routine includes setting an intention, practicing gratitude, meditation and yoga, journaling, and a cup of coffee or tea. Hal Elrod has a great morning routine in his book, “Miracle Morning”, which includes silence, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading, and scribe (journaling), or SAVERS for quick recollection.  If you haven’t started a morning routine that sets your day up for success, then I highly recommend you take the time to get clear on your goals and begin a morning routine that works for you. Make sure you include things that energize you.

Planning your days can be one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Most of us use some form of “to do list” or calendars but using these tools effectively can be a game changer. I think Stephen Covey said it best, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” First, start with deciding what your priorities are. Be sure to include your personal life on this list. I like to use a technique called time blocking to schedule my time. I literally schedule an appointment on my calendar to do the things that are on this list. I even schedule time for household chores such as laundry, cleaning, meal prep and cooking, etc. (Of course, you don’t have to be this detailed! Since I tend to get distracted easily, it helps me stay focused.) This allows me the opportunity to not only know what I’m supposed to be doing, but I can also evaluate whether I’m effectively using my time and if I’m balancing my professional and personal life. When we manage our time effectively we tend to lead more balanced and fulfilled lives. This improves the quality of our personal lives, and we are more productive in our professional lives which those around us will benefit greatly from.

Time blocking involves setting aside specific “blocks” of time to work on specific tasks and responsibilities. This technique works because it allows our brains to focus on specific tasks in a specified amount of time and limits the opportunity for distractions. Research has shown that individuals who use the technique are up to 80% more productive than those that use multi-tasking as a strategy. The benefits are definitely rewarding but I must make you aware that there are some challenges. It can be time consuming initially to create a list and block out your time, our schedules vary many days, accurate time estimation is a challenge for most of us and navigating those urgent requests can potentially disrupt our planned schedules. Overall, the gift of time and number of things I am able to get accomplished drastically outweighs the challenges. Here is the process that I use.

1. Create your to do lists – Make a list of all the things you desire to get accomplished for the week. (I use it for weekly blocking, but you can tweak it to create a daily or monthly list as well.)

2. Rank you tasks in order of priority – Review the list and identify what items are of highest priority and remove any items that you can skip this week.

3. Open your calendar and fill in the non-negotiable tasks or appointments – This is where you will fill in any scheduled appointments and things that have a set time. (Don’t forget morning routines, lunch and breaks). By doing this first you can easily assess how much available time you have in your day and week.

4. Now schedule blocks of time to work on high priority tasks then add additional tasks. – Take your to do list and fill in high priority tasks and those that take a high level of focus. Continue adding the remaining tasks from your list. If you have more tasks than space on your calendar, then it’s time to reevaluate your list.

5. Build time in time to answer emails, make follow up calls, and other reactive activities. – By building in this time, it reduces the urge to check and respond to emails and notifications since you know you have a specific time for that.