24 HOURS. Everyone has the same, limited amount of time each day. How will you spend it? That is the question we all get to determine the answer to, each and every day. Time blocking can help you effectively spend those 24 hours. So that you can accomplish everything you need to get done, in order to make time for what you want to do.
Does this sound out of reach to you? Keep reading! I promise, with a little thought and planning, it is completely possible to live a more balanced, yet productive life.
If you’ve never heard of time blocking, I’m here to help you understand the basics and how to apply this planning method to your life. If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed with the idea of time blocking or don’t see the value in it, my goal is to provide some guidance.
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.
William Penn
What is Time Blocking?
For those of you who are confused about this whole “time blocking” concept, let me explain. Time blocking is simply splitting up those 24 hours in a day into smaller chunks of time. You will assign “blocks” of time, that fit with the flow of your day. My time blocks range from 1 1/2 to 3 hours in length. I have set up my blocks based on the rhythms and routines of my day. They may or may not be consistent from day to day, depending on your work schedule or other variables.
Planning your day in sections of time dedicated to different types of tasks and routines, can be an immense help in planning your day. For example, there will be certain times of day meant to focus on household tasks and certain times of the day for focusing on self-care.
Time blocking can ultimately help you be more productive, while not racing around all day either.
Do you ever ask this question: how can I get it all done? I have a to-do list a mile long and no idea HOW to get it all done! Time blocking can be the answer to your problems, so let’s get started. I’ll take you through this process step-by-step to create your own time blocking schedule!
How to Get Started with Time Blocking
A little background about me: My days have recently changed, as now all 4 of my kids are in school full time. I am not currently leaving each day to work a full-time job either. My days may look completely different than yours, but that’s ok! The same time blocking technique will still be effective no matter your daily schedule.
You may want to grab a notebook or a sheet of paper before we dive right in!
1. Begin by determining the rhythms of your day.
Ask yourself the following questions to determine the rhythms of your day:
- What is your wake-up time?
- What is your typical bedtime?
- What events need to happen in between?
- What times do you eat each meal?
- What times do you work or have other commitments?
If you wake up at 6am and leave by 8:30am, this will probably be your first block of time for the day.
If you work outside the home from 9am-5pm, this will most likely be your work block.
If you are done with work at 5 and your kids go to bed at 7:30pm, this could be your evening routine block.
Write down any times that you must (or want to) stick with on a daily basis.
Tip: Make your first block of time be your “Mom Morning Routine,” and complete this before your kids even wake up! This is your own personal time before other people require your time and energy.
In this season of my life, these are the blocks I chose for my day. They go with the already determined flow of my day. Again, yours may look completely different and that’s totally fine! Just take a little time now to think through how time blocking would look for your day and write it down.
From here, I will start inputting tasks into each block.
2. Input all the daily tasks that MUST BE done every day.
These are the tasks you want to include on most days (like 90% of the time, or more!). Definitely give yourself grace and if situations arise, sometimes these tasks don’t get complete. But for the most part, these are the general day-to-day activities you complete on a daily basis.
Examples may include the following:
- Getting yourself ready in the morning
- Homework time
- Making dinner
- Bathtime for the kids
- School pickup and drop off
I have filled in my time blocking schedule below with all the non-negotiables of my day. These are the things that are set in stone each day. They must happen or I strongly desire for them to happen, so I include them every day in the same block of time. The rest I will fill in each day with my to-do list items, which will vary from day to day (we’ll get to that step soon!)
Note: I usually don’t time block on the weekends, because we tend to be more relaxed and flexible then. If you desire to be more productive on the weekends, time blocking could be really beneficial.
Do I 100% of the time read to my daughters before bed? No, but I aim for 90% of the time. Do I 100% of the time complete a workout? No, but since it is literally scheduled into my day, it is harder to make excuses. So, 80-90% of weekdays, I fit it in.
3. Make it realistic.
Decide what “block” each to-do list item best fits into. If you have your kids with you full time every day, obviously it will be more challenging to accomplish as many tasks as possible. You definitely want to balance time with your kids and time being productive.
I have a couple other blog posts that discuss being productive you may want to check out:
BEST PRODUCTIVITY TIPS FOR MOMS
BE A MORE PRODUCTIVE, YET PRESENT MAMA TODAY
You can’t realistically fit 10 items into a 2-hour block of time unless you’re Wonder Woman.
For me, it would be easy to get discouraged, if I try to do too much and fail. The number of things I chose to accomplish on each day is realistic for me. Obviously, if you’re feeling extra productive one day, feel free to schedule more in. And if the opposite is true and you’re feeling tired and need a more relaxing day, make time for that.
4. Be flexible!
Things will come up and throw a wrench in your routine.
Things will throw off your schedule, preventing you from accomplishing everything some days.
Can you push it to a different time block for the day? Or can it wait until the following day?
Don’t be afraid to shift a to-do item to another block (if it will fit in that time frame). And some things can wait until tomorrow. The world will not end if we didn’t get that laundry folded, even though it was time blocked into our night routine block.
I think that time blocking definitely allows for flexibility, which is essential especially in life as a mom!
Tip: Plan to accomplish the most important things FIRST, if possible. Don’t leave something that is absolutely essential until 9pm when the kids are in bed and you’re exhausted. Try to tackle it earlier in the day.
A Time Blocking Scenario: A Typical Day in my Life
Let me better expound on this by providing a real-life scenario. Below is my to-do list for a typical Tuesday.
11 items to get accomplished! It may seem overwhelming just glancing over the list.
BUT… let’s go ahead and place the tasks in each block where they best fit.
I feel confident that my to-do list tasks can all be accomplished on this particular day. And that is because I scheduled them in the block of time where there is adequate time to complete them.
You’ll notice in the scenario above I don’t schedule anything “extra” in the evening block of time. This is time when I try to focus on my kids and their needs above anything else. I’m not going to add in a bunch of extra homemaking tasks when I know time will not allow for that.
Get Started with Time Blocking Today
It may take you some time to get your daily blocks figured out and that’s ok! Once you have your blocks set up & the non-negotiable tasks within those blocks, you can add in your other must-do activities from your to-do list each day.
Don’t get overwhelmed! Keep it simple at first until you get in a groove with your block schedule.
I’m going to admit that sometimes I’m not so great at managing my time.
I’m an avid reader and can easily let an hour slip away caught up in a thrilling book. Now I have a designated time each evening when I allow myself to spend time reading. I don’t need to feel guilty about doing the activity I love, because I made time for everything else earlier in the day. Now, I can spend the last block of the day relaxing and doing what I want to do.
I can also easily get caught up in any number of tasks, that I realize my kids have played independently for hours at a time. Now I have a certain time set aside each day for focusing solely on my kids and their needs.
Tip: Set an alarm for 30 minutes before the end of each block. Then you’re aware when you need to wrap up that part of your day and be ready to move onto the next.
Time Blocking: Final Thoughts
I hope you have a better understanding of time blocking after reading this blog post and that you’re able to implement this planning technique into your life soon! Designating certain times of the day for certain activities and to-dos can help eliminate any time management issues you may have.
Make time for what matters most to you, by being more productive. And above all, everything you do each day is for Jesus Christ. Go about your tasks each day in a way that will honor and glorify Him.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
