What is time-blocking technique — guide to boosting your personal productivity

What it is

«Time-blocking» or «time-boxing» is a time management technique that involves allocating time to specific time intervals, «box» or «blocks». Each block is assigned a specific task or type of activity, and the person commits to working on that task or activity for the entire block of time.

Why

In today's fast-paced world, time is a precious resource. Many people try to balance their work and personal lives, often feeling overwhelmed and stressed by endless to-do lists.

It's worse when they keep tasks in their head and try to do multiple tasks at the same time. Do you know that feeling when you go out to a restaurant with your significant other but can't get rid of the obsessive thoughts about an unfinished task?

Time-blocking is a technique that helps you manage time more effectively, prioritize and find a sense of balance and satisfaction.

When you block off a certain amount of time for one particular task, you can more likely guarantee that it will get done. Unscheduled time can be wasted on unimportant or low-priority tasks.

Time blocking can also help reduce stress and overwhelm by providing the right structure for organizing your day - including blocks of rest, necessary activity, and reserve time.

Time blocking techniques offer several benefits including increased productivity and focus, reduced stress and overwhelm, increased responsibility and time management skills, and work-life balance and self-actualization.

What it does

Increased productivity and focus - helps to focus on the task at hand, reduce distractions, and increase productivity. By making a commitment to work on a specific task for a specific amount of time, a person can avoid the temptation to multitask, procrastinate, procrastinate, and become distracted. Similar to the goals of using the Pomodoro technique.

Reducing Stress and Overload - provides structure and organization to the day, reducing stress and overload. By breaking the day into specific time blocks, people can prioritize tasks and not feel overwhelmed by a long to-do list.

Increased responsibility and time management skills - Committing to work on specific tasks for a specific period of time, increases responsibility and time management skills. By setting realistic goals and deadlines, people can develop better time management habits and improve overall productivity.

Increasing work-life balance and fulfillment - helps people achieve greater balance and fulfillment by ensuring they have time for both work and personal activities. By scheduling time for hobbies, exercise and relaxation, people can improve their overall health and life satisfaction.

How to make

To apply the time blocking technique, a person should start by identifying their most important tasks and split them down into smaller, manageable tasks.

You should then allocate blocks of time to each task. Don't forget to schedule breaks and time for personal tasks. Enter the time blocks into your work calendar.

To set effective goals and prioritize tasks, focus on the most important and urgent tasks first.

To deal with distractions and interruptions, people should create a quiet, distraction-free workspace and turn off notifications on their phone and computer.

They should also schedule specific blocks of time to check email, messengers, work chats and social media - some of the most distracting things.

To create a realistic and flexible schedule, you need to leave time for unforeseen tasks and emergencies. You also need to be mentally prepared to adjust your schedule as needed and make timely changes to your time blocking plan. In today's world, it's a necessary trait to be able to readjust to rapidly changing circumstances.

Tips

Color coding

You can assign a different color to each type of task or activity. You can assign tasks by priority or type, and use different colors for personal and work tasks.

Repeat blocks, automation

Creating each time block manually is unproductive, you should spend your time on something more interesting. Trust it to the tools in which you keep track of your time. For example, Google Calendar allows you to create repeating events.

Reminder, mobility

It is important to set reminders so that you don't forget important tasks throughout the day. The program in which planning is done should be available on all devices - computer, laptop and mobile. 

Look back

Also make sure that the blocks in the past roughly correspond to what you actually did - this way you can look back and evaluate your own productivity.

This is a good way to deal with "I'm doing something, but nothing is getting done" thoughts. If you look at the calendar, you can see when and what you did, you can praise yourself and calm down (if you have something to praise yourself for, of course).

Tools

There are many tools and apps available to help people apply time blocking techniques. These tools can help people manage their time more effectively, prioritize the most important tasks, and achieve personal and professional goals.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a free web application that allows users to schedule events, set reminders, and organize their time. It is a popular time blocking tool due to its simplicity and ease of use.

Asana

Asana is a project management tool that allows users to create tasks, set deadlines and collaborate with others. It is a popular time blocking tool because of its ability to integrate with other tools and applications.

Todoist

Todoist is a task management tool that allows users to create tasks, set due dates and prioritize them. It is a popular choice for time blocking because of its simplicity and ease of use.

These are just a few examples of the many tools and apps that can help people implement time blocking techniques. It is important to find the tools that work best for you and your individual needs and preferences.

Common mistakes

Let's look at examples of common time-blocking mistakes that reduce the effectiveness of time blocking techniques.

• Too much time for low-priority tasks.
• Incorrect estimation of the time needed to complete a task.
• No breaks or time for personal matters.
• No ability to adjust schedules as needed.
• No variety of rest.
• No time margin between tasks.

To avoid these mistakes and maximize the benefits of time blocking, people should prioritize tasks, schedule breaks and time for personal matters, and be willing to adjust the schedule as needed.

Conclusion

Experiment with the technique and find what works for a particular person to tailor time blocking to individual preferences and work style. You also need to be able to adjust your time blocking plan as needed and be generally flexible with this technique - there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for productivity.

Time blocking is a powerful time management technique that helps you manage your time, prioritize tasks and achieve greater balance and fulfillment.