
Be More Productive with a Three Block Calendar
Productivity doesn’t happen by accident. You can’t think yourself into being more productive. You are more productive when you have a plan, and the discipline to stick to it.
What you need to do is understand what your most important work is, and block time on your calendar to accomplish it with no interruptions. If you don’t do that things will creep into your day and you’ll end up reacting instead of accomplishing.
The plan that I find most effective is made up of three blocks of time. I rarely schedule an entire day for any one thing; instead I schedule three 90 minute blocks of time. In between those blocks you can allow for pop up meetings, things other people need from you, or things that show up and need your attention. What you do with your three blocks of time is to make progress on your most important initiatives.
By scheduling three 90-minute blocks of time a day for your most important work, you will find that you get more of your most important work done, and the work is of a greater quality. You’ll also find that you complete your tasks and projects faster than you would have otherwise.
Of your 24 hour day, those three blocks total just 4.5 hours, leaving you 3.5 hours to be reactive (if you work an 8 hour day) for the less important work that you must do. The work you do in the 4.5 hours is what will bring you closer to your goals.
Do your first block at the very beginning of your day. Turn off your notifications. Turn over your cell phone. Turn off the news or whatever usually distracts you and get one chunk of 90 minutes out of the way. No matter what happens the rest of the day, you will have been productive with work that moves you closer to your goals. Doing your most important work first is a bulwark against the distractions that keep you from moving closer to your goals.
If you make your second 90 minute block late morning, say from 10:30 am to noon, you make it more likely that you’ll get more important work done. That sense of accomplishment, the knowledge that you’ve likely accomplished more than many of your peers before lunch, will give you the energy you need to tackle your third block later in the day. After you complete it, then tackle your inbox or do the reactive things you need to do.
Put your third block around 2:30–4pm. During this time you’ll get the third most important task finished. After this block of work you can focus on any loose ends or small tasks. And even if your third block is thrown off, you’ll have accomplished important work during your day.
No one can be in total control of their calendar. Things happen that are beyond our control, but by implementing this blocking system it is more likely that you’ll control more of your time than your peers who have no system. At a minimum, you’ll get way more important work completed.
