Time Blocking: A Productivity Technique

Brian Tracy, a Canadian-American motivational speaker describes time as one’s greatest resource. Time is invaluable, and managing it effectively can significantly enhance productivity and one’s overall well-being. Everyone has the same number of hours in a day, yet the difference lies in how these hours are utilised. Although some lament that the brevity of time hinders them from achieving their goals, it is possible to accomplish your tasks in 24 hours by employing a simple yet powerful productivity hack known as the time-blocking technique.

What is Time Blocking?

Time blocking is a time management method where you divide your day into blocks of time and dedicate each block to specific tasks or groups of tasks. It helps you focus on accomplishing a task per time without getting distracted by other activities.  For example, you might block out 9 am to 10 am for checking and responding to emails, 10 am to 12 pm for working on a specific project, and 1 pm to 2 pm to have lunch at that new Thai restaurant. Time blocking helps you set clear boundaries and execute your tasks within a timeframe without burning out.

Here are tips on how to create time blocks for your day:

• Create Simple Schedules: Identify the most important activities, prioritise the tasks, and create a simple schedule around them. You can schedule your time blocks in your calendar. Do not cram too much into your schedule and give space for breaks. 

• Determine Your Productive Time: Are you always pumped in the mornings? Or, are you a night owl, fully active at night? Do you feel sluggish after lunch, or sleepy following long meetings? Everyone has peak productivity periods where we feel the most motivated. To make the most of this technique, tackle important tasks at peak periods. Study yourself and know what time works best for you.  

• Task Batching: This involves grouping similar tasks in the same time blocks to reduce the time spent on doing them at different times. For instance, tasks as a virtual assistant for a real estate client may include scheduling appointments, managing emails, coordinating with clients, creating social media content, and liaising with the design team. Instead of handling these tasks individually, you can group them into creating media copies (captions, design posting, and content creation), before addressing emails with clients and the design team. Batching tasks helps streamline your workflow and enhances efficiency.

In conclusion, time blocking is a simple yet productive method for effective time management, reducing procrastination, and achieving work-life balance.  Remember, including flexible time for breaks significantly improves productivity and prevents burnout. However, on days when you can’t accomplish everything, reschedule unfinished tasks to the next day and allocate a new time block.  Read more articles here.