Alright, it’s morning and you’ve just poured yourself a hot cup of coffee. You sit at your desk and inhale the aroma of the fresh brew, thankful everything to start your day off on the right foot was written down and planned out the night before. Your nifty to-do list is filled with tasks, special reminders, and events to attend. You get started, then finally glance at the clock, and whelp! Where did all the time go?!
You’re still stuck completing task number one four dreadful hours later. Thanks to a laundry list of distractions, your cell phone, and that nasty enemy we all hate – procrastination.
We all experience the lack of productivity bug; many of us on a daily basis, unfortunately. Yes, issues spring up that are beyond our control but self-discipline also plays a vital role whether we like to admit it or not.
Sometimes, getting more done in less time may seem virtually impossible. I thought this way too until I ditched my to-do lists and started dividing my schedule into blocks of time instead.
What is time blocking?
This time management strategy has been around for quite some time.
It’s a technique often used to boost productivity but can also be great for keeping your daily schedule organized. Instead of putting my mind into overdrive trying to figure out what to do next, time blocking allows me to schedule a specific time to focus on certain tasks.
For example, you may decide to start your official workday in the early afternoon and reserve your mornings to meal prep or complete chores around the house. Leisure, family time, or a much needed self-care routine can be reserved for the evenings.
What I love even more about time blocking is batching along with it. On busy weekdays, I use both.
What is time batching?
Have you ever wondered why it’s so difficult to switch in between two completely different tasks?
Ever question why it takes so long?
Believe it or not, multi-tasking impedes on productivity when you switch from one complex task to another.
We weren’t designed to be robots; our brain mentally processes task switching much slower than we think. I no longer multi-task for this reason.
Try designing a website, talking on the phone, and filing taxes all at once — you’ll never be done. Our productivity is hindered doing this – it does not increase.
Batching similar tasks together is an alternative strategy you can use instead.
Get out of the habit of jumping back and forth from one difficult task to another just to check off boxes on your to-do list. Doing so, will only result in incomplete tasks after you run out of ample amounts of time.
Try the blocking and batching strategy below instead!
Create a schedule
- Identify categories for everything on your current to-do list:
- Household: Cleaning, organizing, painting, meal prepping
- Personal: Pay bills, manage a budget, balance checkbooks, submit school tuition
- Business: Outline, write blog content, create a business plan, film a video
- Self Care: journal, meditate, read a book, manicure/pedicure
- Select a specific time of day you will focus on each task:
- Morning ( 7-12pm) Focus primarily on household and personal tasks. Schedule an allotted time to spend on each and put similar tasks together.
- Afternoon (1-5pm) Move onto personal and business tasks. Don’t mix and match tasks in between categories. Schedule a reasonable block of time for each.
- Evening (6-9pm) Finish off the day by selecting a few tasks for self care. Make sure you select a specific time to end your day. Our bodies and brains need an ample amount of rest so that we can be refreshed and recharged to start anew the following day.
Throughout the week, I follow a specific morning routine, which has tons of benefits on its own. Check out the five morning habits that changed my life and find out why you need to a create a rockstar morning routine!
Below you’ll find an example of a daily planner page with a time-blocking schedule embedded.The different color shades can be used as a guide for blocking time and batching similar tasks together.
How to manage your time more effectively?
Time batching and time blocking are only a few techniques commonly used to skyrocket productivity.
Simply creating a schedule without making a commitment to actually do the work can be counter-productive.
This strategy may not work for you if you’re easily distracted, struggle with creating routines, and lack discipline.
Still not ready to fully dive in? A good way to get started is by tracking how you spend your time right now.
- What are you spending your time on the most?
- What are you spending time on the least?
- In what areas can you improve?
- How would you like to spend your time differently?
The weekly time tracker is now available for download in our FREE Resource Library. Simply sign up below to gain exclusive access and start downloading today.
I teach entrepreneurs how to simplify their life and business with less + own their time and maximize productivity towards their personal and monetary goals.
Writing, working, creating, everything you wrote is very useful to me. I’ll save it and reread it to understand it more deeply.
schedules can be such a lifesaver. thanks for putting this together. i had never heard of time blocking but the idea sounds pretty close to what i have been doing.
I like it!
This is something thats so usefull for me, mostly at work, but even at home. Thank you, I am so saving this for later, I think I need to read this several times 🙂
time blocking is a life saver to do important things.
it is also a wonderful trick for completing many things at a small amount of time.
thanks for sharing this wonderful post!
Hari. https://gobigwithaffiliatemarketing.com/a-comprehensive-guide-on-the-dos-and-donts-of-affiliate-marketing-for-beginners/
I need to try this. As a mom who is building a business from home I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day but these tips will definitely help me.
Very well written article, scheduling and planning really saves my life most of the time and adding some of these tips will definitely helping me a lot. Thank you!
I use a similar strategy for when I’m at work and have found it to be very productive. I always achieve so much more when I plan everything that needs to be done.
I have to get better at this. I get so easily distracted and then I find myself hours later after going down way too many rabbit holes.
I need to start working on this. I almost always have 26 hours worth of work to fit into 24, lol. With a better schedule I still won’t get everything done, but I will get more done.
I try to time-block as well but sometimes my ADD gets the better of me. I’ll start doing something and notice a mess in the corner that I have to clean up. Eventually, I get everything done though so I guess it’s working 🙂
I love time blocking! I’m not super strict about it, but I follow a rough general schedule. It really does help.
I actually scedule everything. Habits are powerful, but they’re not easy to form—particularly good habits. Creating a schedule for your daily tasks and activities that you’re able to stick to will help you to form good habits and break bad ones for a more productive, happier life.
I use the Pomodoro method to block my time when I work and find that it helps with productivity, time keeping, and organization.
Thank you for this. I admit, I do get distracted easily, so this will help.
Call it time blocking or batching i need to get to my important tasks early in the morning when I am most productive. After noon I tend to slow down for tasks.
I’m easily distracted, so these are some great tips for me. I try to leave my phone in another room when I’m working on a task.
Time blocking sounds like a great way to try and stay on top of how much time you are spending doing certain tasks.
I like your schedule plan I am going to try it with my own tasks and chores.
This is such a good tip! I easily get overwhelmed when I have too much on my plate so this sounds like a great solution to put into practice.
These are great tips. I’m super reliant on my bullet journal to stay organized and productive.
All this while, I have learned one thing – scheduling is important and scheduling is not an easy task! It requires mental endurance. This is a great post and your blog is a really good resource for planning!
The idea of time blocking is great – you get a set schedule like you’d have in school, to make sure all that you want to do is achieved. Feels a little robotic, but the sense of achievement outweighs that.
A good time management is one of my goals. I am looking for any kind of tips!
Hihi….this is exactly do for my writing!
I love making a good schedule. I usually plot them and make notes on each. I also set alarm!
Time blocking is really helpful. This time management strategy has been a huge aid for me. Thanks for sharing these tips.
I really love your concept, perfect and very organized I really want to try your plan. Looks like this would be successful love this thanks for sharing it.
I needed to read this post today. I have been searching for ways to improve my productivity to see better results.
I think it’s a wonderful idea to set up a schedule. I think that’s what I need to start doing. Sometimes I just don’t get all done in the day like I wanted to.
Yes we need to keep a plan, thanks for shairng this tips which is important.
I definitely need time management strategies like this. I find that the day really gets away from me. Thanks for sharing this approach.
This is exactly the strategy I’ve been using in quarantine! Multitasking does nothing for me anymore.
I like the time batching idea. I need to do this more often because I get busy a lot and I could use the breaks!
Time goes so fast nowadays, and it’s so scary. Effective time management is the only way to get things done as planned following the tips provided in this article.
I STAY busy most of the time and love it. If I don’t have my calendar handy, then everything goes out the window. I’ve been time blocking for years!
Candy Rachelle
Time blocking is one of my favorite things to do. I read in a study somewhere how much time it took for our brain to change gears- no wonder why I wasn’t getting anything done!
Indeed a lifesaver. Time blocking and time management is really important to finish all your works on time. I used Time blocking for years now and it helps me a lot.
I’m all for increasing productivity! I love this idea and will be trying it. Thank you for sharing!
Time Blocking is important for me to get anything done. I am a pencil and paper kind of gal. I tend to stick to a schedule better if I write it down and can actually see what I have planned for the day.