Reclaim Your Day: 7 Proven Benefits of Time Blocking

Have you ever felt like your day just isn't long enough to handle all your tasks? You're not alone. Many of us struggle with managing our time efficiently, but what if there was a way to harness every hour of your day effectively? Enter time blocking, a time management method that helps you allocate specific hours of your day to different tasks, ensuring you stay on track and significantly boost your productivity.

What Is Time Blocking?

Time blocking or timeblocking (also known as time chunking) is a time management technique that involves scheduling specific blocks of time for different tasks and activities, as opposed to traditional to-do lists. This method focuses on allocating dedicated time slots to increase focus and productivity.

Benefits of Time Blocking

Implementing time blocking in your daily routine can bring about various benefits.

1. Reduces Stress

Using a calendar to time block your day in advance, reduces the stress and anxiety of the unknown. In fact, consider scheduling tomorrow's work, today.

I think we've all laid awake thinking about ALL THE THINGS that need to be done. What should you do first? What's most important? And oh wait, this needs to be done too! Stress levels go up and up!

If you plan tomorrow today, then when you go to bed, you shouldn't have as much of that uncertainty and stress busying your mind.

2. Structures Your Day

Having a documented plan for the day gives you a path to follow. A path makes it easier to complete a task and then quickly move on to the next because it's all planned out.

There's no internal debate of what should be done next, and then getting distracted by checking your email again or checking social media (goodbye 3 hours).

3. Increases Focus and Productivity

Dividing your day into designated time blocks can enhance your focus on a single task at a time, leading to improved concentration and efficiency. This practice also helps reduce multitasking, allowing you to accomplish more without feeling overwhelmed.

Many individuals who have adopted time blocking have reported increased productivity levels and a better work-life balance.

4. Enhances Task Prioritization

One of the key benefits of time blocking is the ability to prioritize tasks effectively. By assigning specific time slots for different activities, you can ensure that important tasks are completed on time and with the necessary attention.

I always prioritize my most important tasks first to get them done. As someone who used to brag about how I could procrastinate until the very last minute, I need to prioritize my tasks or I'll easily fall back into those habits again.

This method allows for a clear distinction between urgent and non-urgent tasks, enabling better time management and improved workflow.

If you need some help to distinguish between urgent and non-urgent tasks, you can check out the Eisenhower Matrix.

5. Built-In Time Audit

If you are time blocking and tracking actual time vs what you've estimated, then you're basically doing a time audit! This is great, because one of the first things you want to do when trying become better at time management, is a time audit.

You can also keep track of your time, for audit purposes, in a simple spreadsheet, like the one below.

6. Visual Daily Accomplishments

Sunsama does a great job of visualizing this as it shows you a graph of your channels. For example, I have a blogging channel (category) and at the end of the day, this pie chart graph shows me how much of my day was spent on that channel (blogging).

But even if you're just Google Calendar, it's all right there. You can see what you accomplished.

7. Promotes Accountability

Time blocking promotes accountability by being right there. It's right there in your calendar. You can't miss it.

It's not like saying to yourself that you really should edit that blog post and then going and creating a fun new freebie in Canva. Which, if you want to learn more about Canva, check out my friend Pam Allen's website – she's a Canvassador!

Tools for Effective Time Blocking

Utilizing the right tools can enhance the efficiency of your time blocking strategy.

Popular tools and apps like Google Calendar, Trello, or dedicated time management applications offer features that allow you to create and manage your time blocks effectively.

Check out my favourite time blocking tool, Sunsama, that I've started using! This tool enable you to set priorities, goals, establish deadlines, and visualize your schedule to optimize your time management efforts. I wrote a Sunsama review if you want to see what makes Sunsama so amazing.

Implementing Time Blocking in Your Routine

Setting up a daily routine for your time blocking is going to make the method more successful.

Setting Clear Goals and Priorities

Setting clear goals and priorities is essential when implementing time blocking. Begin by defining SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

These goals provide a clear direction for your tasks and help you align them with your time blocks. Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance to ensure that your time is spent on activities that bring the most value.

Creating a Time Blocking Schedule

I like to first start with my meetings. If I have meetings today, that's the first thing that's being time blocked as they are set for specific times. The rest of my tasks will work around my meetings.

Second I time block my recurring tasks like email management. These are tasks that I need to do every day, so I want to make sure they're scheduled!

Lastly, I take my other tasks and intentionally time block them for when I reasonably think I'll get them done. I was going to say I sprinkled them about in between my meetings and recurring tasks, but I do take the time to mindfully schedule them.

My biggest problem is that I assume tasks will take less time than they actually do. I've started building a buffer time into some of my tasks like editing blog posts. I'm always underestimating how much time I'll spend doing that.

Also, remember to include breaks within your schedule to avoid burnout and maintain or increase productivity. Incorporating leisure activities and self-care into your time blocks is crucial for a well-rounded and balanced routine.

Daily Review

Take the time at the end of each day to reflect on what went well, what didn't, why didn't it, etc. This type of review helps you see patterns when it comes to what helps you be more productive and what stands in your way.

Sunsama does this automatically and it's so nice because, at the end, it congratulates you on a job well done. It's like a virtual high-five!

Overcoming Time Blocking Challenges

Time blocking can be a powerful productivity tool, but it's not without its challenges.

Adapting Time Blocks for Flexibility

Flexibility is key when implementing time blocks. Unexpected events or shifting priorities can disrupt your schedule. Or as I mentioned above – I spend (or need to spend) more time than I expected on one task.

To adapt, consider allocating buffer times between tasks or adding additional time to tasks you know you constantly underestimate. This cushion allows you to accommodate sudden changes without derailing your entire day.

Tracking Progress and Making Adjustments

Tracking your progress is essential to assess the effectiveness of your time blocks. Consider using productivity tools or apps to monitor how you spend your time.

Regularly evaluate your performance and identify areas for improvement. If certain tasks consistently take longer than planned, consider breaking them down into smaller time blocks or consistently track like tasks over time to see how long it actually takes you

For example, I say that editing a blog post takes 1.5 hours, but it's taking more like 2 – 2.5 hours for each one, so I need to adjust my standard operating procedure (SOP) to say that and then transfer that to my time blocking for that task.

Remember, the goal is not to rigidly stick to a schedule but to optimize your productivity. Be open to adjusting your time blocking strategy to achieve better results.

If you are really struggling, I would review the Two-Minute Rule and try to complete some small tasks to motivate and build confidence.

Check out my 15 time management or task prioritization techniques for different options to try.

Try Time Blocking

So now that you know all about time blocking, why not give it a shot? It has quickly become my favourite way to plan and track my day!

Set those blocks and watch as your day aligns more with your actual goals rather than just ticking off to-do lists. Once you've tried it, join the Facebook Group where like-minded online businesswomen share organizing successes and we work through what are your pain points.