What You Need to Know About the Time Blocking Method
We all feel stressed and overwhelmed from time to time. Sometimes the simplest change can make all the difference.
In 2019, I would find myself working 50-60 hour weeks without even thinking about it. Late-night phone calls, weekend emails, travel, and more. I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed my job, and it was what I was used to. However, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything changed. I found myself without a job.
As I was interviewing for my current “day job,” I was told that work-life balance is extremely important to my VP. She's out the door at 4:30PM and expects her team to be right behind her. Making my new situation even more appealing, while working from home, we could flex our time as needed as long as we got our work done. This felt completely opposite to everything I was used to.
Entering this new reality meant looking at how I planned and wanted to spend those precious hours of the day. Enter the time blocking method. Time blocking, also known as time boxing, is a time management tool designed to prioritize important tasks and minimize procrastination. By using this method, I've been more productive and took control of my schedule.
Here’s how time blocking works:
Write down all the tasks you’d like to accomplish for the day. Picking 3-5 tasks is usually realistic, but you can add some more “would-likes” in case you’re having a really stellar day at getting things done.
Next, take those tasks and determine how much time you think it will take to accomplish them.
Take those tasks and the time they will take to complete, and plop them into your calendar.
Use the dedicated time to work on that single task, and only that task.
Once that task is completed, I recommend giving yourself a short break before moving on to the next task or whatever is on your calendar.
In addition to the time blocking method, I like to use a bullet journal. The bullet journal is a discussion for another time, but in short, it allows me to customize my planner each day, which is helpful when using time blocking. Here’s an example of what my daily calendar looks like.
As you’ll see the top three tasks I wanted to complete were:
Pitching media: 3 hours
Draft an editorial article: 2 hours
Clean up my email inbox: 2 hours
I then layer in “life balance” tasks like working out and dinner with friends. I put all of these into my calendar to make sure I hold myself accountable for the fun stuff as well.
So what happens when I complete a task in less time than I expected, you may ask? That leads to a few options. I may add some more “life balance” to the gap. Maybe I’ll take 30-minutes to watch a TV show or take a walk with my dog. Sometimes I’ll start on the next task earlier than planned. It’s all about weighing those options and determining where to focus energy. The time blocking method is all about structure with flexibility.
Then you may ask, what happens if it takes longer to complete a task then planned? When that happens, I re-evaluate the rest of my day. Should I take less time on another task? Should I push a task to tomorrow when I have more time to focus on it? While the time blocking method helps one focus on a specific task at hand, it’s not perfect, so you’ll want to check in with your own mental state to make sure you’re achieving that work-life balance. Know that it’s OK to leave some items to the next day if you need a break. Make sure the time sensitive items are getting done first.
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