Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough time? That there’s simply not enough time in the day to do everything you need, let alone anything you want. Maybe that you’ve accomplished a few tasks, but the day has sped by before you even got to the most important ones? You’re definitely not alone.
Wishing you could answer, no?
Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. Once it’s gone, it never comes back. Making productive use of the limited time we have in a day is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It will help set us up for success in both our work and personal life. The method of time blocking is one answer when it comes to effective time management. Love him or hate him, Elon Musk uses time blocking. He says it leads to high levels of productivity and holds the promise of maximizing every minute of every day.
My introduction to the method of time blocking:
It’s easy to find reasons to not be on task with our focus and work. Social media, catching news reports, even a simple thought of “what’s the weather like later, I should check it now” can lead us down a rabbit trail of distraction. Focus is a key part of time blocking. The result is having a smoother day, with flow.
By time blocking, you can streamline your focus. It is the exact opposite of multitasking. It requires full concentration on a single task for that exact moment in time. When distractions begin to creep in, you can push them aside knowing the moment you’re in is for the task you’re on. Notifications and incoming distractions during a block of time can be pushed to the side or written down on post it notes. You can circle back around/ address those things during a block of time set aside for responding to messages.
Instead of being on the defense and constantly fielding tasks and to-do list items, time blocking helps create structure. There is a time and place for everything in your day from checking your inbox to doing the dishes.
How to time block:
Time blocking divides each aspect of your day into “blocks of time”. Giving each task a specific start and end time. When following the method time blocking, you plan out your day down to the very minute. It ensures every piece of the day’s events/tasks gets completed and only in the certain amount of time you have limited it to.
Start with Urgent Priorities. Then things that are Priorities. Then things that are “Urgent.”
- Examples of Urgent Priorities: meetings, classes, work, picking your kids up, emergency life situations, fixing a car that broke down… In other words, the things in life that are on a time constraint AND are important for moving your life forward.
- Examples of Priorities: going to the gym; scheduling a dentist visit; updating your website, getting prepared for your next meeting or class; getting groceries; spending time with family. In other words, the things in life that are important for a balanced and healthy life. They move your life forward, but you could do them at the beginning of the day or at the end, so timing isn’t really an issue.
- Examples of things that are Urgent: calling/texting a friend back, checking your social media, replying to an email (that doesn’t fall in the urgent priority category). In other words, the things in life that are on a time constraint in a given day, but won’t really impact your life long term.
Typically, nothing in life is as urgent as we put pressure on ourselves to think. Remember, urgency only relates to time. It does not relate to the value. Friendship for example, is a high value to many people, but our friends will understand if we call or text them back after work. On the other hand, you might lose your job if you say “well I was calling my friend back, so that’s why I’m late to work.”
Time blocking flow:
Mark the time you’ll set aside to do the urgent priorities. The time you’ll set aside for priorities. Don’t forget about the time you’ll set aside for things that are urgent in your day-to-day. With your day blocked out, now you can have flow for everything.
You may feel like skipping the gym, canceling on your friends, and waiting until you run out of socks to do your laundry when you’re allowing the tougher tasks to swallow up your entire day. But by time blocking every aspect of your day-to-day life, even the personal ones, you can ensure there’s time for everything.
Concentration, maximization of daily time, and structure are all easily achieved through time-blocking.
Wrap up:
Time is arguably one of the most, if not the most, precious resource we have in life. There are things we can do to control how our time works for us. Time blocking allows you to maximize your time each day. It is widely praised for its positive effects on peoples’ lives from those of extreme fame to your lesser known, but hopefully still of high regard, friends such as me.
Join us for a time saving mentoring session:
We understand just how valuable your time is. This Thursday, September 29th, Coach J will be hosting a one-time-only training on time blocking. It will help you learn how to save time while you get paid with things you’re already doing. Click here to secure your spot! Contact Coach J by using our form for questions!
Sources
https://www.betterup.com/blog/time-blocking
https://monday.com/blog/productivity/increase-your-productivity-with-time-blocking-a-step-by-step-guide/
Authored by: Julia Casey and Juliandra Jackson (Color of Thought Creatives)
