Time blocking is one of the things that has made the most significant difference in my life.
Before using this technique to manage my day to day life, I felt as though I had a thousand things to do every day, flitting from one to thing to another but not actually achieving very much at all, and stressing myself out in the process.
WHAT IS TIME BLOCKING
Time blocking is a simple and effective technique that helps you to manage your schedule better and make the most out of your time.
It's basically blocking out parts of your day that you'll be doing or working on a specific thing, giving you a visual plan or flow to guide you through the day. It's beneficial not only on a personal level but it can also boost productivity during your workday as well.
WHY I LOVE TIME BLOCKING
IT SIMPLIFIES MY LIFE AND REDUCES STRESS
Knowing exactly where your time needs to be spent helps in simplifying the list of thousands of things that go round in your mind each day. By focusing on just one task in that moment, you don't let the weight of all that you need to do weigh you down.
Building time blocks automates the things that need to done and removes the stress of having to remember, every single thing, every single day. I don't have to think about and make choices on "what should I do next?".
Not having to make minimal decisions over the mundane areas of my home and my business life, meaning that I have more energy to make big decisions.
It makes me feel anchored, even when I'm having a hectic day or when things feel like they are going wrong.
IT KEEPS ME ORGANISED
I can clearly see where my 'blocks' overlap each other (like work and childcare), so I can get organised, make arrangements and manage any conflicts. Once I've taken care of the important stuff, the rest can fit in if and when there is space.
CREATES ROUTINE AND FLOW
Creating flow in your days prevents you from bottlenecking in your life. If you can get into a balanced flow of 'must do's' each day so you will feel more in control and able to wind down for the day feeling accomplished, even if you didn't manage to get everything done. The more flow that we've created, the better we'll feel about our days and how intentional we've been.
PRIORITISE AND BE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT MY TIME
Having a general plan and outline of my days, weeks, and months will look like helps me to focus on what's important and It helps you to make time for what matters to you. Once I have all the important things that matter most to me planned out in my calendar, I'm faced with how little time we actually have and how valuable it is.
BE MORE PRESENT AND FOCUSED
Because I'm fully committed to that thing in that moment. I can be more present and focused - whether that is completing a work task or going to the park with the kids. You already have an allocated time slot to worry about work or answer emails, and if you haven't, you need to create one.
I like to think of it as closing doors. When I have finished one time block, I can close the door on it and move onto the next. Allowing me to be fully present in each area.
CREATES BALANCE AND BOUNDARIES
It allows you to keep the amount of time that you spend on a task under control. Create boundaries for yourself - like not making yourself available at all hours for work. You'll be able to see what time you have available, be realistic in what you can achieve in that time and avoid taking on more than you can handle. Seeing my colour coded time and where I'm spending it really hits home sometimes, but I need this as I can tend to underestimate time and over commit as well.
INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY
Time blocking eliminates the number one excuse for not getting things done " I don't have time". Being able to see your time and how you're spending it, makes it easier to work towards your goals and eliminate time wasters. It's difficult to tackle big tasks all at once, but using time blocking, you can schedule in smaller time blocks to start chipping away at it, little by little, to complete a project.
It takes on average 23 minutes to get focused on doing something. If you're distracted, it takes about 10 minutes to regain that focus. Working on one thing at a time reduces distractions. That singular focus gives you the motivation to finally get the task done instead of procrastinating on it.
LIMITS PROCRASTINATION AND PERFECTIONISM
I tend to procrastinate on things that I don't like to do or start them for 5 minutes before dropping them to work on something easier or more fun. Procrastination can stop you from ever starting, but perfectionism causes you to waste time by working on something for too long (and still never thinking its good enough). I'm guilty of this one too! When you implement time blocking into your schedule, you allow yourself to focus on the task and dedicating a time to starting and stopping it.
Time blocking is more than just a productivity tool, it's also about self-awareness.
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