Have you ever imagined how successful billionaires can make time for everything? Let’s take the example of Elon Musk who is handling both SpaceX and Tesla responsibilities and he still can find enough time for his family. His activity might resemble a superhero’s one but the truth is that he is effectively managing his 24 hours every day. And, this strategy is called time blocking.
Time blocking is a simple yet powerful technique that will plan out your schedules by creating definite time slots for particular activities. For instance, if you decide to dedicate the time between 9 a.m to 11 a.m for reading on a particular day then you are blocking that particular time slot.
What are the advantages of time blocking? First, you can set aside distractions with this strategy. You have been assigned a definite amount of time to complete a specific task and you are committed to finish that task within that scheduled time slot. So, you can be more focused on that particular job. On the other hand, you can keep the right pace and it makes you ooze out your productivity. After all, you can achieve an organized lifestyle with the help of consistent time blocking management.
Why Will Time Blocking Work for you?
Time blocking is not rocket science that you have to account for. It’s simple mathematics. Let’s take an example where you have to accomplish five tasks in the next five hours. If they are of the same priorities then you will assign the same time slot that is an hour for each of the tasks. However, it depends on you which job you need to finish first and it doesn’t matter much if you complete a specific task at the end of the day.
But, the thing is that you’re a human being, not a machine. Even a machine requires a specific amount of rest after working for hours. So, you have to assign breaks in your planning; otherwise, you’ll turn into a robot. Additionally, you don’t want to upset your family. So, finding time for your family members is as important as succeeding in life.
On the other hand, time blocking will keep you focused on your job. You can find a perfect balance between your professional and personal life with the help of time blocking. In addition, you can improve your hobbies and skills. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s check out how you can plan your daily schedule with time blocking.
Easy Steps to Create your own Time Blocking System
Remember your school days when you have to attend specific classes for a definite duration and it was no mess? Well, the same logic applies here for time blocking. However, the approaches might be a little different. Let’s check out how easily you can manage time for 365 days a year.
Arrange Tasks in High to Low Priority Options
Take a second and think which of the following tasks will get priority to you: going through emails or creating the presentation for the next day? Well, we think that most of the readers will prioritize the latter ones. So, you have to make use of your priority standards to keep your tasks arranged from high to low one. Make sure that you block time slots for high-priority ones first and then assign the remaining time for leftover jobs.
Plan a Time Block Template
After you have decided your priority, it’s the time when you actually create blocks of time. Plan how you want to spend the morning and then leap into the work schedule. After that, you need to create blocks of time for yourself, your family, friends, and whoever you think is important. You can categorize your time for evening regime, family time, and most importantly, self-care time.
Apart from booking your time and blocking your schedule, you should be aware of the fact when to start and finish a definite time block. So, figure out the period and duration for every task.
Add Discipline to your Management
Your time blocking management will be a fake promise to yourself if you can’t keep up the right and consistent action towards your schedule. Once you are able to create a single-day schedule, you can make it up for a week. You might repeat your workflow for days that can be repetitive. But, you have to make sure that you have to act upon the time blocking schedule. If you can’t commit to the time blocking system then there’s no use in it.
Test your System and Revise it
Congratulations if you have started following your time blocking management! Track your activities and keep experimenting if any task requires more or less time. So that you can revise the entire time block system and define it in a new way from the very next time. The main motto of the time blocking system is to make your day effectively productive.
Apart from these steps, you can use specific applications to digitize your daily schedule. You can have a look at to-do, time Tracker, or calendar apps for time blocking. Some recommendations are Clockify, Todoist, DigiCal, and Google Calendar. Additionally, you need not be too rigid with your time blocking system. Make sure that you can avail of some flexibility. Save time for your activities and relaxation, as well.
Digitally Inclusive 