A Guide to Time Blocking — The Secret Weapon of Sanity
The other week I got a text saying, “I need a 36 hour day.” Time is one of the few things we often feel like we do not have control of. As we get older and our lives become more hectic, how do we make time for things that matter?
Background
Last summer I took a new job in Chicago. I was living in the city and it felt like there was always something to do. Between on-boarding for my new role, my relationship, my social life and trying to stay healthy, I felt overwhelmed. I was ambitious about what I could do in a week and it always felt like I was falling behind. I had tried using different time management tools but could not find one that stuck. The VP of sales at my previous company introduced me to the concept of time blocking. I grabbed bits of information from him and started to make small changes which helped me feel more in control of my surroundings. Over a year later, I am less stressed and feel like I have a good handle on my time. Now as a remote worker, time blocking has become essential. It is the method I use to scope and plan my weeks.
I wanted to make this guide for beginners on how to start implementing in this methodology.
The Basics
The basics of time-blocking are simple. In this framework, you will view each day as 24, one hour slots. Each activity or task that you want to achieve in a given day is a “block.” For each block, you estimate how much time you think it will take in 10-minute increments. Looking at your upcoming week, place that block on your calendar. Try your best to stick to the calendar and consider yourself time blocked.
Example. I have a big presentation on Friday. I need to prepare for this presentation. I estimate it will take me 80 minutes to do that. On my calendar on Tuesday, I block off 1pm-2:20 pm to “Prep for Friday’s Meeting.” Now, during that time, I have set aside a clear runway to finish my task.
In the example above I did three things.
- Identified a task
- Blocked the time
- Motioned to my peers I am not available so I could focus.
Simple enough?
Time blocking is not about finding more time but rather creating a sense of control of your time. Below are a handful of guidelines that can help in your adoption.
1. Set Up Your Calendars
The most basic version of time blocking could happen on paper. I, however, have found that digital calendars are amazing for this practice. Currently, my company uses the gSuite and I use Apple iCal in my personal life. I have set up my work calendars and personal calendars to play nice on my phone and laptop. This allows me regardless of the device to see what I am doing in both dimensions of my life. Getting in the habit of using a calendar is the first step to effective time management. I say with pride my life is run by my calendar.
2. Planning is Your Friend
To make time-blocking stick and work well it requires some planning. The biggest chunk of effort is listing out your tasks. The way I define tasks is anything that I have to do in a week. My calendar has everything from my work assignments, my gym time, my reminders to call my mother, and even my free time to relax.
For each task, I create a new block and I begin to estimate time by placing it on my calendar. This can start to feel like a game of Tetris. The goal is to have a cohesive understanding of what your week looks like at a glance. The goal is NOT to fill up every moment of your life with tasks. Understand the things you need to get done during the week and embrace the moments of white space.
3. Sunday Fun Days
Starting the week off right is one of the easiest things to put in place when it comes to time blocking. On your calendar every week on Sunday set aside 30 minutes to do a mental check-in and time blocking prep. By having a consistent reminder you will begin to build a routine. Additionally, I use this time to reflect on the previous week. What worked? What changes or experiments could I try? I’ve found this process to be mentally restorative.
You’re Not A Robot
I know it sounds scary to let your calendar dictate so much of your life. This process of time blocking sounds like all work and no play. Where I have found the most success in time blocking is actually my personal life. The beauty is in my conscious accounting for my free time. As a remote worker, if I was not in a meeting, I did not want to default to watching TV or surfing the internet. I wanted to make those moments of downtime count. I no longer say things like, “I wish I had time to do X.” When tasks go on my calendar I know there is nothing else I should be doing. This allows me to also relieve a lot of stress. If I block in a date-night or drinking a beer with friends, it feels very purposeful. I find this feeling liberating.
Learning To Say No
Distractions are the number one way to throw off effective time blocking. In our lives, distractions come in a lot of different forms. From co-workers these moments might be a “Hey can you hop on this call?” or “Can I grab you for a just minute?” From loved ones, it becomes, “Hey skip the gym and let’s go to happy hour” or “Let’s sleep in for another 30 minutes.” Since implementing in this framework, I have been better about saying no. When I plan out my weeks I can default to, “Sure, can you throw it on my calendar?” This ability to lean on some level of structure allows me to be confident in knowing I am working toward knocking out tasks.
Start Small
I have found that changes stick when implemented in small increments. For time-blocking, I first began with Sunday reflection and planning. Over the course of the year, I obtained more habits like blocking out reading time during lunch, and scheduling monthly calls with my mentor. The goal here is for you make small wins and take back control of your time. Deep breaths and happy blocking.
Please heart & share this guide and please voice your questions, comments or concerns below!
Naveen Raja is a design thinking & strategy facilitator. His passion for design has allowed him to vision, scope and scale design facilitation programs for companies both large and small. Through helping various teams at Consensys, The World Bank, SAP, IBM, Fidelity Investments, Citibank, Marriott Hotels and more he is perfecting his recipe for how to help people to achieve more by using design. He is passionate about how people, places and cultures intermix and the significance it can play on creating an experience. You can find more at Educate and Iterate, a design thinking resources website.
