You start out on Monday, bright eyed and bushy tailed with big plans for the week. Mondays are fresh, it’s a new chance to make some waves and you’re kind of excited! You have a long to-do list, but you have all week so you’re sure you can get it done! Then, somehow Friday rolls around and you feel like you’ve worked a LOT….but the list is just as long. What the heck? How does this happen?! There’s just not enough time, you think. And then that quote pops in your mind “You have as many hours in a day as Beyonce” and now you’re just spiraling comparing yourself to a mega pop icon whose situation is completely different, questioning whether you should keep trying or just quit. 

Hollllld up now.

That went downhill fast, didn’t it?! But it’s pretty accurate, isn’t it?

Well, friend. It’s time to take back control of your time and one of the most important pieces to the productivity puzzle is time blocking.

Goodbye busy, unproductive weeks, hello time blocking. 👋

What is Time Blocking?

You may have heard the term and might have even thought you’ve tried time blocking before, but let’s set the record straight on what it actually is. Time blocking is a weekly method (no less, no more) for planning your week where you assign specific work/tasks to specific blocks of time during your day. Your time blocks should consist of larger blocks of time (1-4 hours) for projects and all your smaller tasks should be grouped together in a “tasks” time block for optimal productivity.

Before Time Blocking

Before you start time blocking, there are a couple of things you need to have in place. First, you need to know your working hours. Set yourself a work schedule and stick to it. Are you going to work typical 9-5 hours? Or maybe you’re hustling before and after a part-time or full-time job. Or maybe you only work Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Whatever the case, know your schedule and how many hours you will be working each week. Even if every week is different, starting by setting aside your work hours for the week is essential!

I also recommend having a clear list system set up before you start time blocking. Get all the details about the 4 Lists You Need in Your Creative Biz. You need a centralized list to dump all your ideas/projects/to-dos when they come to you. Your ongoing lists will help you free up brainspace and that’s where you’ll start each week when you’re planning out your time blocks. 

Steps to Start Time Blocking This Week

Here we go, friend! Follow these 5 steps to time block your week (every week) and start treating your calendar like your manager.

1. Create a list of everything you need and want to get done this week with time estimates.

Look at your master project and task lists and decide what needs to get done this week. If you’re using my list system, you will move these tasks and projects to your Weekly To Do List. If not, you need to have a separate list that *only* has what you want to get done this week. Once you have your weekly to do list created, estimate the amount of time you think it will take to complete every single thing on the list. If you’re not sure, just make your best guess and always estimate high. Then, divide the list into tasks (up to 30 minute quick check-list items) and projects (30 minutes+). 

2. Go to your calendar (I recommend a digital calendar so you can tweak as you go) and decide what time of day (during your working hours) is ideal for you to do deeper project work.

Ask yourself, “Am I more alert and able to do deep thinking in the morning or afternoon? Before or after email? Before or after I eat?” You should schedule your time blocks for projects during your most productive time of the day. If you aren’t totally sure, give yourself a week to pay attention to when your brain is most focused and test it out. 

3. Create time blocks for your projects.

Block off 1-4 hour time blocks to work on your projects. Be very specific about what you will be working on during this time. For example, right now I’m working on this blog post during a time block labeled “Finish Time Blocking Blog Post.”

4. Create task time blocks.

Add 30-60 minute time blocks to your calendar that are dedicated to tackling your tasks. The name of these time blocks should literally be “tasks.” As a reminder, tasks are small to-dos that you can complete in less than 30 minutes. When you get to this time, look at your task list to know what needs to get done. The most important thing to remember is that you only work for the amount of time you blocked off for your task time block. Sticking to your time block should help you stay on track and do the tasks fairly quickly.

As you’re working through your tasks, you might realize that something on your list is actually a project. If this happens, you need to reassess, put that task project back on your list, and find a time to schedule it into a time block. It’s important to stop working and schedule it in as soon as you realize it’s a project rather than a task. You don’t want to eat up all the time you set aside for tasks working on the project. Remember… let your calendar be your manager!

Pro tip: There’s a grey area when a task takes 20-30 minutes to complete. Some people struggle with whether it’s a task or a project. I would just plan to call anything less than 30 minutes a task. If you’re going to schedule a 30 minute task time block and you have just one 20-30 minute task, instead of labeling that time block “tasks” I would use the name of that task since that’s the only thing you’ll be doing during that time block.

5. Treat your calendar like your boss.

Imagine your calendar is telling you what you need to get done. And if you don’t get done what your calendar told you to, you will be disappointing your manager, which could lead to job instability. And friend, that’s a real possibility for us. 

The more you miss deadlines and the less progress you make in your work, the less likely you are to continue booking clients or making sales, much less getting closer to your income and growth goals. But that doesn’t have to be your reality.

No more distractions sending you down a rabbit hole. When you time block and manage your time like a boss, you will complete everything on your list. You’ll go into the weekend knowing you accomplished all you set out to. When you know exactly how much time you have and how you need to use that time to get it done, you realize how important it is to remove everything else that would prevent you from doing what you need to do. No more endless scrolling or allowing yourself to get distracted by Netflix or stalking that other instagrammer’s most recent trip to Target in her insta stories.

Time Blocking Pro Tips

1. Schedule an hour lunch break every day.

As you’re scheduling out your time blocks, be sure to schedule breaks. You should always give yourself a break for lunch, I recommend at least an hour where you actually take a break. Get outside if the weather is nice, move your body, avoid screens and take a real break. 

2. Don’t schedule every minute of your day.

Give yourself a little wiggle room and leave gaps in between your time blocks. This gives you time to take a quick break and reset for the next project. It also acts as a buffer if something ends up taking a little longer than you anticipated.

3. Change your time blocks after the fact to accurately reflect the amount of time it took you to complete.

It’s important to actually be realistic about your time. A great way to do that is by changing your time blocks after you’ve completed the project to reflect the actual amount of time it took you to complete. This will help you more accurately estimate how long things will take you when you time block in the coming weeks.

4. For bigger time blocks, set timers to alert you how much time you have left.

If you have a time block that’s an hour or two, it can be easy to lose track of time. To create some urgency and to help you stay on track, set timers for yourself. These small reminders that your time is halfway up will help you stay focused. 

5. Pay attention when you say, “It won’t take that long”.

Pay extra close attention any time you say, “Oh, it won’t take that long”. This should be an alert that the task is something that might take longer than you think and you still need to plan for it. Even if “it won’t take that long” it still takes some amount of time. Give it your best time estimate regardless. 

6. Limit your email time.

Depending on your work and what kind of emails you get, the amount of time you need for email can vary, but either way you need to limit the time you spend in your inbox. This means you need to pay attention to how much time you really need to answer emails and plan that time into your time blocks. For some, having a half hour email block at the beginning of each day works well. For others, they need an hour after lunch. Regardless, set your email time blocks and then stay out of your inbox the rest of the day. Be sure you don’t have email open or notifications turned on when you’re in project work time, avoid the distractions.

As you’re going through your email during an ‘email task block’, you may come across an email that leads to a project. Resist the urge to complete that project during an email task block. Instead, schedule in a time for the project that popped up from your email. 

There you have it, friend! Now that you have the tools, it’s time to put it into practice. But I need you to hear me say ONE thing very clearly. Time blocking is like a muscle. It’s a new habit to build. It’s something you have to commit to and give it a chance for more than a day. You will not do this perfectly right away. You will fail. You will fall off the bandwagon. You will get frustrated when you underestimate how long a project would take. But you will also learn SO MUCH about your time and how you spend it. You will be in control of your time and you will get more done if you stick to it.

When your time blocks don’t go as planned, take a deep breath. Assess the issue, take note of what went wrong and then try again. It’s worth it, friend. Promise.