How Productivity Can Be Improved by Time Blocking

(Last Updated On: April 7, 2021)

What are the ways you can boost your productivity? There are many opinions and suggestions. We are going to depend on time blocking to enhance productivity. Yes, it true that productivity can be improved by time blocking. In this article, we will discuss how productivity can be improved by time blocking.

How productivity can be improved by time blocking?

Time Blocking, additionally known as calendar blocking, is a time administration technique the place you propose out your whole day into set items of time.

This implies each particular job you wish to get accomplished will get a set time in your calendar.

So as an alternative of simply having a to-do checklist, you really know what job and if you’ll give attention to that job.

Time Blocking might help you enhance productiveness, honor your priorities, and keep away from procrastination.

Because you solely have a sure time to get one thing accomplished, you’ll greater than seemingly give attention to it tougher and push your self to complete earlier than “time is up”.

Why Time Blocking boosts productivity?

I prefer to arrange my schedule each Sunday. Productivity can be improved by this to look over my to-do checklist for the upcoming week and set my targets and intentions every day.

This course of in and of itself is empowering as a result of I’m being proactive with my time so that productivity can be improved in this way. Simply taking a half-hour every Sunday helps me design my day and priorities for the week, and as soon as I’ve my time blocks scheduled I can say “no” to the rest without guilt.

Right here Are a Few Advantages Of Time Blocking
It prioritizes essential duties over the pressing ones (like endless emails!)
Time blocking minimizes multitasking which is difficult in your mindset and causes stress.
It’s an effective way to have the ability to say “no, thanks” to requests in your time.
It forces you to take motion on an important job at hand.
Which additionally means, it limits procrastination.
Since a time block is a brief, set time frame, you’ll be able to get rid of distractions and focus deeper.
It additionally forces you to be reasonable along with your time and the way lengthy duties take.
Time blocking additionally pushes you to get as a lot accomplished earlier than the buzzer sounds.
It gives a set plan day-by-day so that you’re not going, “what ought to I do now?”

How do I set up my schedule?

As I discussed above, I prefer to set down for about 30 minutes every Sunday to arrange my schedule for the upcoming week.

I write out every part I’d prefer to get accomplished – for my home, household, enterprise, and personally. Then, I set up them primarily based on significance so that productivity can be improved by this way.

After that, I plan out my day. My set work hours are 8am to 5pm, and I take about 2 hours to exercise, bathe, and eat lunch at that point.

So I plan that 2 hours, in addition to, something on my checklist. I begin with an important job first, and I give myself 60-90 minutes to finish the duty. If it one thing that takes over 60-90 minutes, I could do 2 chunks of time and do my exercise or eat in between.

If a job takes lower than 60-90 minutes, I’ll schedule a smaller period of time. For instance, I’ll examine my emails and delegate any duties for 15 minutes within the morning.

Thoughts you – my plan not often goes precisely as deliberate, but it surely does give me deadlines and a plan of motion as effectively.

I like that it retains me on the job, and I can simply take a look at my planner for the day or week and see precisely what I completed.

I prefer to should a morning and night routine.

So I begin the day with gratitude, 5-10 minutes of private growth, after which 30-minutes of Bible research.

Then I both get began on my most essential job of the day or exercise – relying on if I’ve conferences or errands the remainder of the day.

I additionally like to finish the day with one thing optimistic and relax my eyes from the TV and different screens.

If I’m being “good” I prefer to learn a devotional or take a look at my imaginative and prescient board, however generally it’s simply strolling the canine yet another time, washing my face, and repeating an objective or affirmation to myself as I crawl into the mattress.

I additionally give myself a “buffer” in-between time blocks simply in case one thing pops up I must make room for. Typically I simply must stroll around for 5-10 minutes to clear my head and enhance my power.

Time Block

Step one in my view is to resolve if you’re the most efficient and in addition if you’re least prone to be interrupted. (This may increasingly imply making modifications to your morning routine too!)

Figuring out this space or two of the time will allow you to resolve when it is best to sort out your most essential duties in your checklist.

Then you’re prepared to make use of complying with the Time Blocking Technique!

Time Blocking Technique

Write Your To-Do Record
Prioritize It
Put it on the Calendar
Persist with It
See How You Did Final Week
Optionally available: I prefer to make every time block a coloration regarding my precedence. (Inexperienced = work, Pink = household, and so on)

1. Write Your To-Do Record

I like to write down down every part that’s on my to-do checklist. This implies something I must do to hit my targets – together with private, work, and household to-dos.

2. Prioritize the Record

I’ll see if there may be something I can delegate or take off all collectively. From that shortened checklist, I then prioritize my to-do’s and work out how a lot of time each will take.

3. Then, I’m able to put them on my calendar.

I put every part on my calendar. Every part.

This implies I put my showers, make-up time, commute, exercise, meals, and so on. in my planner together with how a lot of time I’ll do everyone.

4. Persist with Your Calendar

I like to do that as soon as per week and in ink. I’m a former individuals pleaser, so if I’m given an excessive amount of wiggle room, I’ll accommodate another person’s schedule versus my very own.

Writing down my plan of motion every week offers me the inside energy to say, “I can’t then. Let me examine my calendar and get again to you with instances.”

9 instances out of 10 they’ll simply transfer on! Additionally, they study that I’m not going to leap simply because they ask as effectively!

This leaves my calendar open for essential duties and offers me the flexibleness so as to add in issues I WANT to do for my household, associates, and neighborhood versus what another person needs me to do.

5. Monitor Previous Week on Every Weekend

On Sundays, I not solely time block the upcoming week, however, I overview my progress from the earlier week. This enables me to see my huge wins of the week and wherever I must tweak to enhance sooner or later.

2 Issues That Ought to ALWAYS Be Time Blocked

Thus far, I would sound like a time administration “arduous a-double-s,” however I’m not. I actually am a lady that simply needs to get issues accomplished so she will be able to take pleasure in a wine competition or a lunch out with associates in the course of the week.

I’m in a position to get my work accomplished and revel in a pleasing hour as soon as per week as a result of I plan for each! I really feel like it is best to all the time block day without work and duties particularly centered in your predominant targets.

1. Time Off

Have you ever accomplished a HIIT exercise? HIIT stands for Excessive Depth Interval Coaching. You actually give your all for a couple of minutes after which get well for a couple of minutes.

This pushes your physique to burn extra fats and challenges you to push to your limits understanding the break is developing.

The identical precept applies to your productiveness. You may solely push to your limits for therefore lengthy.

You need to take time to get well as effectively, and that point needs to be deliberate and non-negotiable.

2. Duties In the direction of Your Objectives

Time Blocking itself has been what has helped me give attention to an important duty first versus specializing in the straightforward, squeaky wheel.

Work out what weekly job strikes you to your objective quicker, and block that point off first!

You may additionally like our Behavior Tracker, thus, productivity can be improved by this way!

Different Ideas for Time Blocking

1. Eat Your Frog! (Schedule the Most Vital Factor 1st!)

This reference is from a Brian Tracy e-book on time administration. Principally, your frog is the essential factor it is best to sort out first, however you don’t essentially wish to do.

By doing that job, or consuming that frog, every part else you do in the course of the day will really feel simpler.

2. Schedule All Conferences & Errands on 1 Day

One of many causes I began to really feel so burned out was as a result of I by no means had the identical routine every day.

I do know some individuals thrive with the selection of their days, however, I’m a creature of behavior. I must know I’ve at least 2 days at a house to work.

By limiting the times I’m going out, I can also skip placing on make-up or curling my hair which takes about an hour, and productivity can be improved by this way.

3. Acknowledge Your Priorities

One factor I really like about time blocking is that it forces you to take a look at your priorities.

As an alternative of mindlessly checking your e-mail or Instagram to really feel such as you’re working, you actually see how a lot of time you’re committing to your small business, household, and targets.

4. Inform Folks When You’re Unavailable

A part of this time administration technique is to restrict interruptions throughout your time blocks.

It’s essential to inform, remind, and train individuals if you find yourself and aren’t out there and the way you’ll comply with up after your time block is over.

5. Overestimate How Lengthy Issues Will Take

This tip is particularly essential at first. One technique to get a thought of how lengthy every time block needs to be is to undergo one week and monitor how lengthy every job takes you, after which time block the next week.

With that stated, one other technique to do it’s to plan 30 minutes further onto how lengthy you suppose one thing will take.

You may all the time add in a job should you end early, however, should you don’t end throughout your time block it may be disheartening.

6. Theme Your Day

Conferences and errands ought to get their sooner or later per week, however, I additionally suppose giving a day a theme will be useful as effectively.

Thoughts you, I nonetheless do somethings day by day (exercise, plan my meals, pray, and so on), however, I prefer to batch my work actions.

I could write a pair of weblog posts on Monday, create photographs on Tuesday, schedule posts for social media on Wednesday, and so forth.

Your Time Blocking Instruments

I desire to utilize a Google Calendar and/or a paper planner for time administration; nevertheless, there are a number of apps designed to extend productiveness as effectively.

Under we’ll take a look at time block utilizing Google Calendar and a paper planner. I’ll additionally present 5 of the highest time blocking apps as effectively!

How do I Time Block My Google Calendar?

This video is nice should you’re already a bit of accustomed to Google Calendar and are on a desktop laptop.

You’re mainly going to do the identical steps as talked about above —

Write Your To-Do Record
Prioritize It
Put it on the Calendar
Optionally available: I prefer to make every time block a coloration regarding my precedence. (Inexperienced = work, Pink = household, and so on)

I put appointments and my work hours in my Google Calendar in order that my household can see once I’m busy.

The vast majority of my time blocking occurs in a paper planner although. I was similar to the way it feels and having the ability to see it multi functional place. Thus productivity can be improved by anyway.

Time Blocking Planners

As you’ll see within the video, you’ll be able to create your personal definition for every day. For me – I desire a pre-lined planner like this one.

Simply so I can go in and begin blocking instantly versus drawing my very own traces as she does within the video. Right here’s a sneak peek at this planner on the within.

I really like that it’s organized by the hour, however, that it additionally has a spot to write down out new habits, to-do notes, and rating myself on my progress for the week.

I’ve additionally tried dated planners, but it surely by no means fails I get behind or go on a trip or one thing and have a clean week. I actually like that I can write in my schedule because it occurs with this clean planner.

I additionally love the month-to-month view supplied on this planner. I can write out my targets and affirmations for the month and in addition, write down any essential dates developing!

Planner Hack

I additionally like to make use of colored pins like these. I exploit one coloration, particularly for every precedence. (Inexperienced = work, Pink = household, and so on), this productivity can be improved by a great extent.

You may additionally like our recommendations on making a development mindset!

Time Blocking Apps

If the Google Calendar or paper planner isn’t your pace, you would possibly desire a time administration app to extend your productiveness.

Right here Are a Few Time Administration Apps:

The plan is nice for including time blocks to your present calendar.
HourStack permits you to examine how long you thought one thing would take versus how long it actually took.
TickTick Premium is ideal should you comply with the Pomodoro Approach
SkedPal permits you to robotically schedule primarily based in your priorities

I notice the thought of planning out every minute of your day could sound overwhelming. However, let me ask you this —

Is planning out your day much less or extra worrying than consistently battling emails, texts, telephone calls, and requests?

Would you moderately know the place your time went in the direction of your objective or simply guess? What wouldn’t it really feel prefer to see “Free Time” in your calendar every-single-week?

I dare you to strive for the time administration technique of time blocking for a month. I wager you’ll be superb at how rather more productive and calm you’re feeling!