If there’s one thing that can be said about the modern workplace, it is that if you don’t take control of your schedule, it will take control of you.
In order to find a balance between meetings, email, team chat, and “busy work” on one hand, and dedicated time for important tasks on the other, how can we ensure we stay focused without completely isolating ourselves in the digital realm? It is essential to have practical strategies that can assist us in maintaining concentration in a world that thrives on diverting our attention.
By utilizing time blocking, along with its similar techniques such as time boxing, task batching, and day theming, one can easily regain control over their time and overcome the challenge of finding sufficient time and mental capacity for big-picture thinking.
This guide will provide you with a summary of time blocking, task batching, and day theming, as well as explain how combining these strategies can assist you in taking control of your schedule. Additionally, it will highlight the most effective approach to utilizing your calendar and task manager when implementing time blocking.
Time blocking
Time blocking is a technique for managing time that requires dividing your day into time blocks. Each block is assigned to a particular task or set of tasks, focusing solely on those tasks. Instead of maintaining a flexible to-do list that you complete at your convenience, you will begin each day with a structured schedule detailing the tasks you will work on and their corresponding time slots.
To achieve success with this approach, it is crucial to arrange your task list in order of importance beforehand, with a weekly review being essential. Assess the upcoming week and roughly outline your schedule for each day. At the conclusion of each workday, evaluate the tasks left incomplete, as well as any new tasks received, and make necessary modifications to your schedule for the remaining week.
By planning and scheduling your days in advance, you eliminate the need to constantly decide what to prioritize. All you have to do is adhere to your predetermined schedule. If you ever deviate or lose focus, refer to your schedule and return to the specific task you had allocated time for.
Time blocking variations
Task batching
Task batching involves the grouping of similar tasks, typically smaller ones, and scheduling specific time blocks to complete them all together.
You can save time and mental energy by working on similar tasks together in a group. For instance, instead of checking your inbox every 15 minutes, it is more efficient to schedule two 20-minute blocks in the day to process email. This way, you can reduce the need for context switching.
The combination of time blocking and task batching is beneficial as it eliminates the need to schedule each individual task on your calendar. Instead, you can allocate specific periods of time each day or week to complete a particular set of activities, such as email, invoicing, workouts, meetings, writing, coding, deep work, errands, and meal prep.
Day theming
For individuals with multiple areas of responsibility vying for their attention, day theming offers a more intense approach to task batching.
Instead of dividing time blocks for each area of responsibility daily, an entrepreneur who often has to focus on marketing, sales, product development, customer support, and HR simultaneously can dedicate an entire day each week to each specific responsibility through the practice of day theming.
Time boxing
Time blocking and time boxing are frequently mistaken as having the same meaning, however, there is a crucial distinction. Time blocking requires you to allocate specific periods of time for concentrating on a designated task or activity.
On the other hand, time boxing requires you to restrict the amount of time you will allocate to a particular task. Here is an example of time boxing based on the previous time blocking illustration: “Tomorrow, from 9am to 11am, I will complete an initial draft of my blog post.”
By placing a self-imposed “time box” on yourself, you are compelled to work efficiently as you are given a restricted period of time to finish the task. This can be an enjoyable approach to push yourself and transform your productivity into a game.
How to time block
Now that you have a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of time blocking, let’s proceed to examine some practical measures you can implement in order to effectively utilize it for your benefit.
1. Decide what you care about most
By having clarity on this question, you will have established the foundation for making all of your time blocking decisions.
Are you interested in having additional time with your children without compromising on a manageable schedule? Are you seeking a reduced dependency on emails and unproductive meetings? Are you aiming to produce work that holds greater purpose and influence?
The answers to these important questions will determine the content of your time blocking calendar and the importance you assign to scheduled items.
2. Create a to-do list
After determining your priorities, the subsequent step involves creating a list of tasks to be accomplished each day. It is important to incorporate both personal and work-related activities. Afterwards, categorize the tasks into suitable time slots, such as “meetings,” “email,” “family time,” and any other significant undertakings.
Schedule mandatory tasks first. Any high-priority task should be at the top of your to-do list.
You can also start and end your work time blocks by first creating personal blocks at the beginning and end of your workday. This guarantees that you will have enough time for personal obligations as you are restricting the duration of your working day.
3. Practice task batching
Task batching refers to the practice of performing a series of similar tasks consecutively. One instance where you can apply task batching is when you have to insert invoices into envelopes. Traditionally, you would fold each invoice individually, place it inside an envelope, and seal it before moving on to the next one. However, by implementing task batching, you can break down this larger task into smaller ones and focus on each individual task separately. Let’s consider an example of time blocking using task batching:
One possible rephrasing could be: You can consider folding all 100 invoices together, followed by placing all of them in envelopes together, and then sealing all the envelopes at once. Even alternating between smaller tasks can result in a considerable time loss. It is more efficient to establish a repetitive action routine to complete a single task.
4. Try day theming
Day theming is a more advanced way to manage your time, going beyond just batching small tasks. It involves assigning a specific theme to each day, allowing you to concentrate on larger aspects of your business. For instance, if you hold an executive position, you could allocate your Mondays to handling sales and marketing tasks, and reserve Tuesdays for accounting and finance tasks. Alternatively, if you are working on a major project, you might decide to dedicate one day each week solely to project-related tasks while leaving your regular work for another day.
5. Use timeboxing
Timeboxing involves blocking out a certain period of time in your calendar in order to complete a task at a later time. If you have accepted a meeting invitation and had it automatically added to your calendar in Outlook, you have essentially employed timeboxing.
To add more structure to your day, you can further time block essential tasks. For example, if you are working in accounts payable, you might want to allocate specific time blocks on Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning to concentrate on completing your payment run for vendors.
You can allocate time at the end of each month to complete bank reconciliations.
6. Find your “best” time
Time blocking offers a significant advantage by enabling you to concentrate your efforts during periods of maximum productivity. Our biorhythms influence our aptitude for performing tasks effectively, as certain individuals thrive in the early morning while others excel in the afternoon.
By implementing time blocking, you can arrange your schedule in a way that prioritizes essential projects during your most productive moments. During times when your concentration is lower, you can allocate time specifically for completing repetitive tasks such as checking emails.
7. Anticipate unforeseen demands
When confronted with urgent demands and distractions, even a well-designed schedule can fail. How does time blocking accommodate these crucial tasks? The answer is quite straightforward. Simply allocate a specific time block for urgent tasks every day, which can be used to handle unforeseen emails or critical last-minute items.
By time blocking in this manner, you enhance efficiency by safeguarding the necessary time and focus for tasks of greater significance.
8. Use a time blocking calendar
Should you have difficulty in creating your own time blocking plan, one alternative is to utilize a calendar or planner that is designed specifically for time blocking. Cal Newport, a computer science professor and author, has developed a planner that caters specifically to time blocking.
The Cal Newport time management planner offers a technique for accomplishing deep work in a world full of distractions on a daily basis. It enables you to implement the time blocking method by offering a grid where you can allocate every minute of your day.
Why is time blocking so effective
At first glance, this technique may appear simplistic, but its effects on your ability to accomplish tasks are significant.
It promotes focused “deep work”
Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, strongly supports time blocking. He allots 20 minutes each evening to plan out his schedule for the following work day.
By dedicating a specific period of time to focus solely on one project, issue, or assignment, you concentrate all your mental capabilities on that particular matter instead of getting distracted by multiple tasks. Engaging in this type of “single tasking” helps strengthen the cognitive abilities needed for profound work and enhances your ability to maintain concentration.
It helps you knock out “shallow work” more efficiently
Shallow work refers to the urgent yet unimportant tasks, such as paperwork or (most) email responses, that do not contribute significantly to your long-term objectives. By time boxing shallow work, you establish specific boundaries in terms of the amount of time you allocate to it.
By grouping similar tasks together, the cost of context switching is reduced. If you dedicate a time block or two to batch all your shallow tasks, you can complete them more efficiently. This will then allow you to save the rest of your workday for higher-impact work.
It makes you aware of how you spend your time
When it comes to time management, the majority of individuals struggle. Estimating the duration of tasks accurately is something we are particularly inept at, and we also commonly find ourselves making excessive commitments for the future. Time blocking necessitates addressing our current obligations and priorities, thereby requiring deliberate consideration of how we allocate our limited time.
As you incorporate new commitments into your life, you are obliged to allocate physical time slots on your calendar. Consequently, the potential loss by accepting these commitments becomes more tangible, making it simpler to decline.
It counteracts perfectionism
Perfectionists consider fuzzy timelines as their greatest foe since there is continual room for refinement and enhancement. Determining the completion of an indefinite project, particularly when striving for perfection, can prove to be challenging.
To progress, it is essential to reach a point where you can accept something as “good enough” and proceed. The practice of time boxing can be useful in this regard, as it sets specific time limits for completing your projects. If you have a tendency to extend tasks by striving for perfection, establishing a firm time limit for accomplishing the task can be beneficial, and it is important to adhere to it.
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Our busy lives and packed schedules are undeniably interconnected. The more effectively we can handle our calendars, the more effectively we can handle our lives. Thankfully, time blocking offers a time management tactic that allows us to exert greater control, unleash creativity, and attain peace of mind.
