This Is What I Accomplished After Six Days Of Time Blocking

To-do lists can get muddled by meetings, emails, phone calls, and social media.

Does this sound familiar?

Planning my 15-hour day for six days, I blocked my calendar so that I have enough time to do everything I need to do.

On numerous occasions, I have read about the 'time blocking your calendar' technique, which is available online.

Blocking time can improve productivity and focus. It allows you to minimize distractions during the day by focusing on one task at a time.

The book by Cal Newport is one of the best reads I need to mention here called Deep Work.

As Cal Newport states: ‘Time Blocking generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40-hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without a structure’.

I switched from checklists to time blocking.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of creating multiple checklists as my to-do lists. I have been using the Things 3 app for this for many years now.

There is nothing wrong with the system at all, however, the only problem I ran into was procrastinating with the things I had to accomplish and then, I kept putting off completing these tasks to the future.

In fact, time blocking has worked for me exactly like the Pomodoro technique does for most people who are dedicated to productivity in the workplace. As a result of this, I am able to concentrate on completing one task at a time until it has been completed.

Please let me share the process I follow that helps me to deliver my projects on time with measurable results.

Here is my 3-step process for getting things done.

Step #1 - To start, I record all my tasks and activities in my todo list app (Things 3) in a folder called 'Inbox'. This is where I dump all my tasks and ideas. Pen and paper will also work for this purpose.

Step #2 - Every evening I plan my day for the following day, and I prioritize my tasks for 15 minutes. 'Eisenhower Method' is my go-to tool that helps me identify my "most important tasks" (MIT).

Step #3: Once the MITs have been identified, they are assigned to those projects with further sub-tasks or activities. Those tasks which take less than 15 minutes are retained in my to-do list. My calendar is set up according to the estimated duration of the remaining tasks and projects.

A final reflection on my learnings.

The fact that I was doing one thing at a time was enjoyable to me. Multitasking, getting on the phone, and watching television was not allowed; getting the job done was the only priority. If you are doing three things at once, it is hard to remain focused. Blocking time helps prevent this.

My productivity has increased dramatically since I block time in my schedule when I prepare my days. Despite getting all my work done for the day on time, I also have enough time left over to relax and write.

There is still a lot to do on my calendar, and I would like to allocate a certain amount of time allotted to answering emails that I receive from my subscribers.

You may think that time blocking is something you do once a day or once a week. It's not entirely true. As soon as I am faced with a deadline I need to meet, I simply change my schedule.

After I adjust my schedule, I move the things I'd planned for that day and update my schedule. When I'm not sure how long a task will take, I like to plan in buffers.

To summarize,

Time blocking is an efficient efficiency hack that keeps me focused on getting things done, as well as keeps me on top of my plan! If you're interested in improving your performance, you should consider this method.