time blocking: prioritize your time in 7 SIMPLE STEPS
It’s incredible what we are able to accomplish when we are focused. Focus and effective time management are the top two requirements to becoming more productive allowing for clarity on what needs to get done in order to attain the goals you set for yourself.
There are a number of time management techniques and strategies and it’s important to find the one that works for you. Throughout this time management series, we will discuss different time management strategies. The first time management strategy we will explore is time blocking.
Time blocking is a time management strategy that gives you the ability to apply blocks of time to different tasks that will attribute to reaching your goal. Many of us currently use time-blocking for some of our daily activities.
Going to bed at 10 pm and waking up at 6 am is a time block. From 10 pm to 6 am you are applying the task of sleep to that block of time. Another example of time blocking we use regularly would be from 12 pm - 1 pm is lunch time and taking a lunch from 12 pm - 1 pm you are time blocking.
Time blocking works because it gives you the ability to manipulate your schedule. You are able to get more done with time blocking without the feeling of being overwhelmed. Some additional benefits of time blocking include:
Helps you prioritize your tasks and become more productive
Keeps you on track by focusing your time and removing distractions
Reduces burnout
Helps you maximize your idle time and prevent procrastination
TIME BLOCKING WILL HELP YOU GET MORE DONE
To successfully practice time blocking it’s important to be clear on what the goal is. You want to be clear on the goal because you will need to break down those goals into microtasks. This makes it easier to complete.
The 7 steps to time blocking include:
Determine your goals
Establish how long those goals will take to complete [1 month; 2 months; 3 months etc]
Break those goals down into smaller more digestible steps
Calculate how long those smaller steps will take. [Pro tip: They should be small enough to where you can easily assign minutes to hours to complete.]
Focus on that goal and determine how much time it will take to complete and assign a day or days to it
After scheduling your routines schedule in your tasks block style
Focus on the amount of time you set for each task. Take 3-5 minute breaks for beginners
A free tool to assist you in time blocking is Google Calendar. The Google Calendar allows you to color code, put notes, set alarms, and more. It’s a great option for anyone looking to save some money and use a free tool that everyone can download.
Another great option is purchasing The Ready Set Win Playbook [Planner]. One of the uses of The Ready Set Win Playbook [Planner] was designed is the ability to practice time blocking.
[WATCH HOW WE TIME BLOCK USING THE READY SET WIN PLAYBOOK PLANNER]
