Feeling overwhelmed by endless to-do lists and constant demands on your time? You’re not alone! Like many, I used to rely on a traditional to-do list to manage my day. On whatever notepad I loved at the time, you could find list after list of task after task. While it seemed helpful, the unfinished items at the end of the day became a source of sneaky stress. That all changed when I discovered and implemented the power of time blocking.

This simple yet transformative time management method revolutionized my productivity and mindset. It allowed me to focus, prioritize, and reclaim control over my time. I started sleeping with my husband again, no longer sleeping with unfinished items from the day. 

Throughout my professional career, I’ve had the privilege of sharing this method with many of the individuals I’ve led. It’s been incredibly rewarding to witness how it brings clarity to their workflow and alleviates the stress of managing their time effectively. 

On the contrary, I’ve watched others on similar levels to me manage their time without time-blocking strategies, and the stress of their time management alone was enough to send them packing. 

Why Time Blocking Works

Time blocking is more than just a scheduling tool—it’s a mindset shift. Instead of starting your day overwhelmed by a lengthy list of tasks that you may or may not complete, you allocate specific blocks of time to focus on individual activities. 

Time blocking reduces decision fatigue by organizing your day in advance. It provides a clear view of how your time is spent and prevents meetings or tasks from hijacking your day and leaving you with zero time to do the solo work required for success in your role. 

By integrating time blocking into my routine, I not only became more productive but also felt a significant decrease in stress.

Whether you’re managing a team, working solo, or balancing multiple roles, time blocking is something I’d highly suggest considering and I’d love to share with you how you can get started. 

Select a Time Blocking Platform: First Things First

Time blocking may seem like a complex process to implement, but it’s actually quite simple. The first step is to choose a platform to manage your time blocking. If you don’t have one in mind, I recommend Google Calendar, which is free and only requires a Google account.

Personally, I use separate calendars for my personal and professional life. I sync my personal calendar with my professional one, which allows me to see personal events when planning my workday.

I prefer Google Calendar for time blocking because it offers several helpful features. One of the main benefits is the drag-and-drop functionality. After creating an event or task, you can easily move it to any time slot on your calendar, which saves time and provides a clear visual representation of your schedule.

Another reason I like Google Calendar is the ability to adjust the duration of events. By dragging the edge of an event, I can easily change the allotted time as needed.

Overall, Google Calendar provides an intuitive layout of my week, helping me stay organized. While other platforms can also work for time blocking, it’s important to choose one early on and set it up to manage your time efficiently.

Here’s a Quick Start Guide

Don’t have much time to read this article? I wouldn’t expect you to if you aren’t using time blocking but cheers to better days! Here’s a quick start guide to time blocking that you can QUICKLY utilize once you’ve selected your time-blocking platform. As this post continues, more information and details surrounding each step can be found.

Block Non-Working Hours: Reserve personal time like mornings and evenings. For example, block midnight to 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM to midnight. Use a neutral color to indicate this time is unavailable.

Add Recurring Personal Tasks: Schedule daily or weekly personal activities during work hours, like lunch breaks or short walks. Assign a unique color to distinguish these from work tasks.

Schedule Recurring Work Tasks: Include professional meetings, emails, or administrative work. Block time for weekly or monthly activities and assign a specific color for clarity.

Create Tasks for Current To-Do List: Make a task, give it a title, and assign it an estimated amount of time to complete. Place the task on the day/time you will work on it. Do this for each task on your current to-do list. Tasks can only be placed in available periods that do not have other tasks assigned to them. 

Adjust Daily: Move unfinished tasks to another open time or to an “overflow area” on your calendar. Tweak time estimates as needed and pull tasks from overflow as openings arise.

Plan Weekly: Dedicate time at the start or end of each week to organize your schedule. Review tasks, adjust priorities, and ensure overflow items are reassigned.

Handle New Tasks Promptly: When given a task, add it to your calendar immediately to allocate time for it. This avoids last-minute scrambling.

Step-by-Step Guide to Time Blocking

Step One: Block Out Non-Working Time

Start by blocking off the hours when you’re not working. For example, you might designate personal time from midnight to 9:00 AM and evening time from 5:00 PM to midnight.

Use a neutral color like gray for these blocks so they are clear that they are unavailable times. 

Also, this is an optional step. I find it nice to utilize this step when others have access to scheduling time on your calendar, but if you are the only one available to schedule tasks or events, you may choose to forgo this step. 

Step Two: Schedule Recurring Personal Tasks

Identify daily or weekly personal activities that occur during your work hours, such as lunch breaks or morning and afternoon walks. Assign a consistent color to these events to differentiate them from professional tasks.

Step 3: Schedule Recurring Professional Tasks, both Weekly and Monthly 

For professional tasks, including activities such as weekly team meetings, monthly meetings, prep time for recurring meetings, recurring tasks like daily email checks or status updates, and administrative tasks such as time management, daily wrap-ups, reporting, or budget management. 

Block off time for these activities to prevent them from being overshadowed by ad-hoc requests, and assign a specific color to these recurring professional tasks.

PRO TIP: Be sure to set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour each week, either at the end of the week or the beginning of the week to manage time blocking/scheduling. 

Step 4: Create Tasks for Your Current To-Do List

Create an event/task for each item on your current to-do list. Give it a title that describes what the task at hand is and assign it a period of time that is equal to the amount of time needed to complete the task. 

Place the task on the day/time that you will work on it. Tasks can only be placed in available periods that do not have other tasks assigned to them.

Do this for each task on your current to-do list. 

Once you have made a task for each item on your current to-do list, cue the confetti, you have successfully set up time-blocking. Throw that to-do list away and never think about making one again. I can’t wait for you to see the difference it will make in your life. 

Ongoing: Weekly and Daily Upkeep

Daily Adjustments and Overflow Management

As your day unfolds, drag incomplete tasks to an open time slot later in the week if space is available. 

If there is no opening for an uncompleted task, create an area on your calendar where these tasks can live, such as an “overflow area,” and move it there. Before walking away from the uncompleted task, adjust the estimated duration of the task as needed based on how much time is required for completion. 

When you find available time in your day, perhaps because a task took less time than expected, pull a task from the overflow area and complete it.

As you complete tasks, adjust the time the actual amount of time spent on that task. This allows you to have an accurate record of time spent on task for future reference if needed. 

Handle Incoming Requests

When someone gives you a task or asks for your time, immediately create a calendar event for it with the allocated time necessary to complete the task. This ensures you know exactly when you’ll tackle the request—or whether you need to delegate or defer it.

Others appreciate knowing when you will complete a task they have asked you to do. How exciting to be able to respond with “Perfect. I expect to complete this and have it to you by the end of day Monday.” What a dream right? 

We’ve all had that manager who just doesn’t, well… manage well. They give you way too much to do without considering how much time any of it will actually take. Time blocking is a great way to combat this without being disrespectful. If a manager asks you to do a task after giving you way to much to do, you can simply bring up your calendar and show them all that you have to do. You can politely ask them to remove something from your current schedule to make time for the new request. This gives them a quick and easy reference of what is on your plate and allows them to make an informed decision about priorities with you. No more trying to fit it all in when you truthfully just can’t fit it all in! 

Plan Your Week

At the beginning (or end) of each week, you’ll want to spend some time setting your week ahead. Luckily, if you have done this exercise well, you’ll have a block that tells you exactly when and how long to spend on this! 

During this time, you’ll review the upcoming week and make any adjustments necessary to previously scheduled tasks. 

You’ll review any unfinished tasks that are hanging out in your ‘overflow area’ and work them into your schedule as you see fit. They all will need to find a home. You can’t leave them behind.

Benefits of Time Blocking

Increased Clarity: Instead of an overwhelming to-do list that has many tasks with zero clarity on how you will finish them all, you have a visual map of your day that is doable. 

Protected Focus: Others can see your availability, making it easier to protect time needed for desk or deep work and more efficient for others to schedule time with you or for you.

Accountability: You can track how your time is spent, which is helpful when communicating with managers or clients. Additionally, it’s very easy for a manager to see what is on your plate and quickly help prioritize tasks if there is too much.

Reduced Stress: Knowing that everything has its place on your calendar brings peace of mind and reduced stress. 

Final Thoughts

Time blocking isn’t just about managing your schedule; it’s about taking charge of your time. You are in charge of your time and your tasks and time blocking gives you a bit more power than a traditional to-do list. 

This method has allowed me to thrive in demanding roles, maintain balance, and focus on what truly matters.

If you’re feeling stretched too thin or unsure how to fit everything into your day, give time blocking a try. It may just be the game-changer you’ve been searching for.

Feel free to reach me with any questions you may have and I’ll do my best to help you out and follow along at One Lucky Creative for more business-related tips and tutorials.