HOW I USE TIME BLOCKING TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE

How many times do you catch yourself saying “I don’t have enough time?” I am guilty of saying these about a hundred times a week. The problem with this though, is that there is never going to be enough time, so how do you get everything done that you need to?

You find systems that work for YOU. Read this, take it with a grain of salt, because what works for me, may not work for you. There are some crazy people out there who can fly by the seat of their pants and not a write a single thing down. I, would drive myself absolutely insane and will live or die by the post-it notes I make for myself.

One thing that I have found SUPER helpful though is time blocking. Basically what it is, is you set yourself these chunks of time throughout the day to get things done.

Typical day for me Mon-Thurs is this:

4:00am – 6:00am morning routine (lots of coffee, reading, journaling, studying)                    6:00am – 6:45am get ready, pack my lunch, make breakfast, leave for school                7:00am – 3:00pm teaching the little humans                                                                                3:00pm – 5:00pm workout at the gym (includes travel time)                                                          5:00pm – 6:00pm outdoor walk, shower, write Instagram post                                                        6:00pm – 7:00pm make and eat dinner, relax and watch a show on the couch                        7:00pm – 8:30pm client check ins, write blogs, answer any emails, tie up loose ends                8:30pm go to sleep

So, as you can see above, I have blocked out time for each thing that I need to get done for the day. Your time blocking may look like more time slots or less, depending on how busy you are. I, am super crazy busy so I need this structure in my life every single day.

On the weekends, I’m not so strict, usually my mornings are time blocked then I leave room to just hang out with Cody or enjoy the day without an itinerary.

It was seriously a game changer when I went from writing a to-do list of things I needed to complete for the day, to just blocking out the time. Sometimes I need less time than I carve out, sometimes I need more. That’s the beauty of it, you are not locked into these grids you place for yourself.

I was also so amazed at how much more productive I was able to be when I started this. Before, it would be a struggle to cross 3 things off my list I needed to do and now I can check off double to triple that many in the day.

When I am locked into those hours, I make sure my phone isn’t near me, notifications are turned off, and I simply go to work. If I complete one thing I need to get done, I just move to the next and get as far ahead for the following day that I can.

HOW TO SET UP A SCHEDULE:

Like I said, this schedule is pretty standard Mon-Thurs, I made it through a lot of trial and error though and it still changes constantly. I strongly suggest taking a typical work day and using a planner or just writing notes in your phone on the hours you spend on something. Take inventory of how long you sit on Tik Tok, talking to roommates, cooking meals, etc. because all those times do add up and it’s something you may need to factor into its own block. 

Do this for a few days and see how long you truly need to get your work done, then moving forward, you are able to better know how much time an assignment will take, so you can plan accordingly.

And if it’s not working, revamp it until it does! This doesn’t have to be complicated, it should be different for every single person and you will need different things on yours than I have.

Let me know if you try this out and tag me on Instagram or let me know in the comments below! I love seeing how you guys use what I write about!