How Time Blocking Will Increase Your Productivity

Imagine this scenario, you get up in the morning and there are several things screaming for your attention. It is one of those days when your plate is more than full to the bream. Your attempt to begin tackling a single task is futile. You begin hearing voices in your head telling you to do something else instead. I have been in this scenario many times until I discovered the benefits of time blocking. In this post, I want to show you how to use time blocking to increase your productivity.

Time blocking is a process that allows you to schedule and use your time effectively. The main advantage of time blocking is that it enables you to focus on a particular task at a time. This, in the long run, allows you to achieve more in the time you have available. When used effectively, time blocking allows you to break big tasks into manageable bits. Since you break a big project into small tasks, this allows you to work faster and achieve more in a specific amount of time.

 

In my view, in order for time blocking to increase your productivity,

You need to begin by getting rid of the overwhelm in your head. Remember the scenario I painted at the beginning of this post. If you find yourself in this place grab a piece of paper and write down ALL the things that are competing for attention in your head. I must confess that although I am an advocate of time blocking it is not something I use every day in my work. Instead, I turn to time blocking when I have too much to do and feel like the time I have is limited. Like this month, for example, I have turned to time blocking almost every week. This is because I have too many tight deadlines and personal activities to attend to.

Below I share some of the rules that I find work for me and I have also read from other people on how time blocking increases productivity and how you can use it effectively.

#1. Reserve your most productive time for the big tasks

Each of us has a unique time when we are able to achieve the most results. For some people, it is very early in the morning (I fall into this category). Others it is in the evening when they have taken care of everyone and everything else. Once you have determined your ideal time, go ahead and block off this time. It could be 2 – 3 hours.

Next basing on your list of what needs to be done, determine what is or are the big tasks. These are the tasks that will give you the results you are looking for. I am often guided by the Pareto 80/20 rule. I look for the 20% tasks that will give me 80% results.

#2. Time blocking increases productivity if you break your big tasks into smaller tasks

I have found that working on a big task will often drain you causing you to give up even before you start. In order to manage this, I break the big tasks into manageable tasks. For example, recently I had a project to draft Rules of Procedure with a very tight deadline. Anyone who has done legal drafting knows it requires a lot of concentration and can sometimes get boring.  In order to manage this task, I started by listing all the topics I wanted to be addressed in the Rules. After this, I broke the topics into sections which I addressed in intervals of 1 – 1.5 hours. I kept drinking water which caused me to take bathroom breaks. This helped me to get the mental breaks I needed.

By working on several sections at a time, I was able to come up with a draft of the Rules in three days instead of the allotted five days.

#3. Depending on the task keep the time slots relatively short

Saying that you will block off an entire morning to work on just one task may not be very practical. This is mainly because there will still be other things to attend to. That is why I prefer to block off 2 – 3 hours and then divide this time into intervals of 30 minutes. This is also good because you can slot in breaks to check your email or return phone calls. Short intervals are also good because they help you remain focused and interested in the task at hand.

#4. Communicate how you work with your colleagues or team

Remember for time blocking to increase your productivity, you need to set aside a particular time to handle a specific task. This means you may not be available to respond to an email or a phone call. If you let others know your intentions, you are likely to limit distractions and register greater progress. Similarly, when determining your time blocking schedule take into account the schedules of those who will be affected by your work. For example, it does not make sense for a mother who works from home to wait until her kids are back from school to handle her big tasks. Instead, she can plan to handle the big tasks that require her concentration while the kids are in school.

5. Time blocking increases productivity if you are in it for the long haul

Time blocking takes getting used to especially if you are a person who cannot concentrate for a long time. Like I said above, I use it only when I feel overwhelmed so I do not end up moving around in circles.

Like all things, different things will produce varied results for everyone. Begin by giving it a try and allow time to see results. If you discover that it is not yielding results for you then, by all means, let it go.

Finally,

Time blocking should be a tool that helps ease your load and not add to it. In order for it to work you need to be flexible. When I time block using my time blocking sheet, I write in pencil so that I can easily make changes. There have been times when I plan to work in the morning but something else comes up. Instead of giving up, I quickly adjust my schedule and make the most of the pockets of time available. I have found that when I turn to time blocking not only does it increase my productivity, but it also takes away the overwhelm.

In case you are new to time blocking, start by downloading my FREE TIME BLOCKING SHEET and give it a try. Let me know your experience in the comments section.