Time Blocking

Time blocking, a productivity hack that's gaining momentum. It's about organizing your day in a series of time slots to manage tasks more efficiently. Let's delve into its intricacies, benefits, and how it can revolutionize your daily routine.

It helps you knock out “shallow work” more efficiently

By grouping similar tasks together in a dedicated time block or two, you’ll be able to power through them more efficiently and protect the rest of your workday for higher-impact work

Time boxing

This is a variation of time blocking

Time blocking asks you to set aside certain chunks of time to focus on a given task or activity
In time boxing, you impose a limit on how much time you will dedicate to a specific task
Forces you to work efficiently because you have a limited time

It promotes focused “deep work”

Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, dedicates 20 minutes every evening to scheduling out the next work day.

When you schedule a chunk of time to work on a single project, problem, or task, you bring all of your mental resources to bear on one thing.

Overscheduling your leisure time

Schedule out time to disconnect and relax without a set plan for how you’ll spend that time.

This will give you the flexibility to decide more spontaneously what you want to do–call friends to grab a drink? Check out that new Xbox game? Read? Whatever you decide, just remember to keep at least some of your free time free.

Being too rigid

Your plan is a guide to help focus your attention on what’s important, not a binding contract.

See your time blocks as a flexible way to challenge yourself, not strict tools to punish yourself when you fall short.
Use them as a way to see how you can improve

It makes you aware of how you spend your time

Most people are terrible at time management

Scheduling time blocks for individual tasks

2-way integration with Google Calendar

Create a new calendar for just your Todoist tasks so you can toggle them on and off inside your calendar as you need
Syncing to sync your entire account or create separate calendars for each project
Sync tasks with just a due date and time
Any task with a date but no time will automatically show up as an event in your new calendar
You can extend, shorten, edit, and move your time blocks in your calendar

What is time blocking?

Time blocking is a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time

Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks
The key to this method is prioritizing your task list in advance
Take stock of what’s coming up for the week ahead and make a rough sketch of your time blocks for each day
At the end of every workday, review any tasks you didn’t finish, as well as any new tasks that have come in, and adjust time blocks accordingly

Task Batching

Group similar tasks together and schedule specific time blocks to complete them all at once to save time and mental energy

Time blocking is also a good option because it saves you from scheduling every task on your calendar
For example, scheduling two 20-minute blocks to process email during a day is more efficient than one every 15 minutes

A 40 hour time-blocked work week produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure

Cal Newport, Author of Deep Work

If you don’t control your schedule, it will control you
Time blocking is a simple, effective way to take back control of your workday

Time blocking with Todoist

Implement three different time blocking variations: task batching, day theming, and scheduling individual tasks

Day theming variation

If you try time blocking and still feel too scattered and unfocused, you may want to try trying out day theming

A free Skillshare course by Mike Vardy shows detailed examples using both paper and Todoist
Use the examples in the video below to learn more.

It counteracts perfectionism

Time boxing helps by imposing time limits on projects

Set a strict time box for finishing the task and stick to it
It can be difficult to know when an open-ended project is finished
At some point, you need to be able to say “good enough” and move on

It helps you follow through on your goals

When you schedule your tasks and goals you are more likely to follow through

Time blocking forces you to make concrete plans that ensure you’re working toward your goals every day
“I only write when inspiration strikes” Faulkner

Day Theming

Day theming is a more extreme version of task batching for people who have a lot of areas of responsibility competing for their attention

Dedicating a day to a single theme creates a reliable pattern of work and further limits the cognitive load of context switching

Variations of Time Blocking

Example: Dividing the day into blocks of time with each block dedicated to accomplishing a specific task or activity and only that specific task/activity

Day Theming: “Every Monday, I will focus on content creation.”
Method: Time boxing

Will time blocking work with my job?

No, but asserting even a small amount of control over your schedule can be helpful no matter what your job is

Cal Newport put it this way: “Periods of open-ended reactivity can be blocked off like any other type of obligation. Even if you’re blocking most of your day for reactive work, for example, the fact that you’re controlling your schedule will allow you to dedicate some small blocks (perhaps at the schedule periphery) to deeper pursuits.”