How will time blocking help me get more stuff done?

Do you have trouble getting through your to-do list every week?

A man pointing to a notepad. He says, 'It's too much.'

Time blocking can help you carve out focus time to get more stuff done!

Time Blocking is ...

...when you schedule a block of time to focus on a specific task.

For example, instead of stopping every few minutes to answer emails as they come in, you can schedule 1 hour a day to answer all emails at once.

Without time blocking

Have a long to-do list that you complete when you get to it.
Start your day overwhelmed about how you’re going to get everything done.
Spend time throughout the day figuring out what to do next.

With time blocking

Scheduled blocks of time to do each specific task or group of tasks.
Start your day with a schedule of what you’ll get done and when.
Spend your day focused on getting stuff done.

Prioritize Tasks For The Week

List everything you need to get done this week and the due dates for each task. Then estimate how long it will take you to complete each task.

A person writing a to do list on a notepad

Use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to pick the important and urgent tasks you need to tackle this week.

Did you know?

It’s best to overestimate how long it will take you to complete a task. This gives you buffer time for interruptions or if it takes longer than you expected.

Block Non-negotiable Meetings

Oprah pointing and saying 'You get a meeting' over and over

Grab your calendar and note all meetings you’re required to attend.

If you can, mark them all the same bright color (like red) so it’s easy to see them at a glance. Mark optional meetings in a different lighter color (like gray or yellow).

Find Or Create Focus Time Blocks

A man in front of a microphone saying, 'Focus.'

Look at the rest of your calendar and find open times of at least 1-2 hours.

These will become your focus time blocks to schedule your tasks.

Did you know?

If you’re having a hard time finding free time blocks, see if you can reschedule any required meetings or skip optional ones to give you longer blocks of focused time.

Block Times Per Task

A woman in a home office saying, 'I am the organized one.'

Schedule the tasks you need to get done into the available focus time slots.

Yes! You’ll actually schedule meetings with yourself to block your calendar so no one sneaks in an extra meeting.

Did you know?

Group shorter tasks that take less than 30 minutes and create a time block to do them together (for example: answering emails). This is called "task batching".