Have you ever met someone who just seems to get everything done quickly? They could have a mountain of paperwork on their desk or a huge to-do list, but get it done in what feels like minutes. The secret to being more productive isn’t that these people just have so much extra time, but that they know how to use their time effectively!
Time blocking is an extremely effective strategy to help you be more productive, and get more done in less time. By setting limits and time blocks for certain tasks, you are able to increase your focus and it will help you be more productive when you’re working on that task. If you are looking to be more productive, here is how to do it with a little help from time blocking.
What is Time Blocking?
Time blocking is a type of scheduling that helps you manage your time more efficiently by focusing on one task at a time instead of working by the clock. This is an effective method of time management for people who struggle with procrastination or feel like they waste their day on mindless tasks. Here is an example of a time blocking schedule:
8:00am-9:45am: Marketing
10:00am-11:45: Writing
12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch
1:15pm-2:00pm: Email
2:15pm-4:00pm: Social Media
4:15pm-5:00pm: Email
For time blocking to be most effective, you want to aim for between 60-120 minutes in your time block. This allows enough time for you to get “into the zone” and will allow you enough time to get larger projects done. Depending on your tasks for the day, you can adjust your timeframes to make sure you aren’t allowing too long or too little time for certain tasks.
The most important part of your time blocked schedule is that when your time is up, you are done with that task. While this might seem a little firm, this will keep you from circling back to your previous schedule of working by the clock. If you are finding that you cannot complete a task within your time block consistently, then your time block may either be too short, or you are allowing yourself to get distracted.
The Advantages of Time Blocking
Now that you’ve seen an example of time blocking in action, it’s time to explain why it’s worth it at all. When I have a busy day ahead of me, I use time blocking to help me knock out those big items on my to-do list and make sure I’m staying on track for the day. Here are some of the advantages of using time blocking.
Time Blocking Forces you to Focus
If you went to college or even back in high school when you had to complete an assignment, you may have found yourself rushing at the last minute to get it done. While you may have taken your time leisurely putting together pieces of the assignment before the due date, the final hours before it’s due is usually when most people actually start working on it. With a due time on the horizon, you were forced to pick up the pace and focus if you wanted to get it done in time.
Time blocking works by forcing you to get into the zone and cut out the distractions. After all, you may only have a few hours to get something done, and you don’t want to waste your time. As that window of time starts to close, you will probably find yourself picking up the pace to make sure you get done on time. Just like you may work faster when taking a test to ensure you are done on time, time blocking your workload will have the same results.
Time Blocking Eliminates Procrastination
While time blocking might get you into the procrastination mindset, it actually eliminates the ability to procrastinate all together. By assigning a time slot for everything on your to-do list, you now have a task to complete during that time slot. This means you will be less distracted by Facebook or your phone because you don’t have time to check them! Instead of wasting your time on projects that don’t need your immediate attention, you can make sure you are getting done the most important tasks first.
How to Block your Time
Time blocking might seem like an overwhelming task, but the truth is, it’s actually quite simple. Time blocking can extend into other areas of your life such as housework, errands, and even TV time if you want it to. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Write Out Your To-Do List
The first step is to write out your to-do list for the day. I recommend doing this the night before if you have time. This will ensure you start the day knowing exactly what’s on your plate and helps ensure that you wake up with enough time to get everything done.
Step 2: Break It Down
Now that you have your to-do list ready, start by breaking down those tasks into categories. Are there similar items that go together? Here is an example of a to-do list (that doesn’t involve work) that’s been broken down.
To-do list:
Doctor’s appointment
Buy groceries for the week
Drive kids to dance lesson
Clean out the garage
Make a list of items for the garage sale
Do a load of laundry
Categorized List:
Block One:
Clean out the garage
Make a list of items for the garage sale
Do a load of laundry
Block Two:
Doctor’s appointment
Drive kids to dance lesson
Buy groceries for the week
While this is just an example, you can see how things are categorized. By grouping similar tasks together, all the errands can be done in one trip, and the cleaning could be done in the second block.
Step 3: Set a Time Limit for Each Block
The next step is to a set a time limit for each task. First, take each block of time and estimate how long you will need to complete each task. If you are unsure, aim high for your time block to ensure that you have enough time to complete the task. If your time block has a lot of tasks, consider adding a short break to make sure you don’t overwork yourself.
Here is how I broke down the example:
Block One:
Clean out the garage: 2 hours
Make a list of items for the garage sale: 1 hour
Do a load of laundry: 15 minutes
Total Time for Block One: 3 hours 15 minutes
Block Two:
Doctor’s appointment: 45 minutes
Drive kids to dance lesson: 10 minutes
Buy groceries for the week: 30 minutes
Total Time for Block Two: 1 hour 25 minutes
Step 4: Schedule your Time Blocks
Now that you know roughly how long you will need for each time block, it’s time to put it in your schedule! Keep in mind that you may need time in between your time blocks to get ready or to get in the zone, so try to leave about 5-10 minutes in between each block at a minimum.
As you can see, time blocking can be a great way to not only increase your productivity but help you get more done! While time blocking might not be a great fit for everyone, it could also be just what you need to increase your productivity!