Why You Need To Start Time Blocking

Ever heard of Time Blocking? Time Blocking is one of the most popular time management strategies. And I’m here to tell you that you probably need to be doing more of it. With Time Blocking, you schedule in specific blocks of time on your calendar to complete tasks instead of working from a to-do list. The main reason this can work well is because it sets up a system for how your work will get done, not just a goal that says you want to do it.

Here I’m going to dive more into why Time Blocking is great and how to get started today. Then next week I’ll share my top strategies for doing it well.

Why Time Blocking Works

1. Time Blocking sets realistic limits.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good to-do list. But if I’m being honest, I rarely get through everything on it in a given day. I’m always pushing tasks out to the next day or next week, because I always, always, always think I can get more done than what I can actually do.

But Time Blocking begins with the premise that we are limited. We only have so much time in a day. We need to sleep and eat and take care of ourselves. And even if you cut corners in those areas, you are still limited. You cannot do it all! So by scheduling in the work that you want to do, you can more realistically see whether or not that work will fit within your limits.

Sometimes I don’t like to block out my day because I can’t fit it all in. But that’s kind of exactly the point! It can be frustrating to acknowledge the work you’re not going to get done, but it’s going to happen one way or another. The only difference with the Time Blocking approach is that you do it in advance instead of in the moment. Which brings me to my next point…

2. Time Blocking supports proactive over reactive prioritization.

What is important to you? Do you feel like you are spending enough time on those things that matter? Why not?

For me, I know that when I work from a long to-do list, the day just kind of gets away from me. I look at the long list, and I just work on whatever is easiest, not necessarily what is most important. And then before I know it, the time is gone, and I haven’t completed the most important things. However, with Time Blocking, you set the priority up front so you can make sure you do the most important things.

You’re always prioritizing, whether you think about it or not. Time Blocking just helps you set your priorities while you’re thinking about the big-picture rather than whatever is right in front of you. It helps you be proactive instead of reactive. When I’m in the weeds doing my daily work, I often forget about the big-picture or dependencies.

For example, I love to go for a walk outside. But in the winter, we run out of daylight at 5PM. If “Go for a walk” is a task on my to-do list, I will easily not think about it until 5PM rolls around, and then suddenly I’m out of daylight. But if I schedule a block of time each day to go for a walk (ex. at lunch), then I avoid that dependency. There will still be days that I can’t make the walk happen, but they are the exception, not the rule. And they are a result of strategic re-prioritization rather than lack of consideration.

3. Time Blocking improves focus and reduces mental fatigue.

One of the best benefits of Time Blocking is that it improves your ability to focus. Focus is everything. Focus is what enables us to actually get work done. In fact, most time management or productivity techniques are really just techniques to improve focus.

Time Blocking improves focus because it removes the need for constant big-picture thinking and decision-making. If you’re working from a to-do list, then you have to return to the whole list in between each task and reconsider what should come next. If you’ve already decided your priorities up front, then you don’t need to make that decision again. You decided once, and now you can use your brain-power elsewhere.

Not only does this improve your ability to focus and thus execute your tasks at hand, but it also reduces your mental fatigue. I’ve talked before about the mental load—the feelings of overwhelm from things you can’t even explain. This often happens when you’re inundated with decisions to make. Time Blocking helps you make more decisions ahead of time, when you’re in a better brain space to do so, so then you have less to think about throughout your day.

4. Time Blocking lets you be present.

Along those lines, Time Blocking allows you to be present—not just with your work, but also with your people. You don’t have to repeatedly check your phone when you’ve set aside dedicated time to be doing what you’re doing. You’ve already thought through everything else that you could be doing with this moment, and you’ve chosen to do this thing or be with these people. You can rest in that fact and truly be present.

How To Start Time Blocking Today

I will write more about how I like to use Time Blocking next week, but for now I’ll leave you with my biggest time blocking “cheat code”. Sort your to-do list by category and block off windows of time to work on each category. You don’t have to go down to the level of the task, just stick to the high-level category. Here is an example (for a stay-at-home mom of little kids):

• Self-care tasks in the morning before the kids wake up. (Quiet time, workout, etc.)
• Get out of the house in the morning. (Run errands, go to the park, schedule a play date, etc.)
• Rest your body/do sitting-down work during nap time. (Catch up on emails, text people back, coordinate activities, plan next week’s meals & grocery list, etc.)
• Do housework in the afternoon. (Cleaning, projects, food prep, etc.)

Every day would look a little different, but by having a generally consistent approach to your day, you don’t have to think as much about when something is going to get done.

I use the TickTick app to manage my to-do list (more on that here!). I used to sort by priority, but lately I’ve been sorting by “list” (which is basically the category), and then just breaking up my day into four big chunks: self, computer, house, phone.

Your categories might be completely different, but the principle remains the same: keep it big-picture when you’re just starting something new. It’s always best to start small when you’re trying something new, and when it comes to Time Blocking, starting small means starting big—big chunks for big categories. And as always, you can adjust and refine from there.

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Give it a try and let me know how Time Blocking is working for you in the comments section below!