This week, I did some research on time blocking/batching. It’s a term that I’m sure you are familiar with, at least in passing. Since this blog is all about sharing advice on things I have attempted, this will be no different. For the next two weeks, I will do my best to follow a time block template created from the principles discussed below. I will report back to you at the end of the experiment on whether it was a success or failure.
First, let’s talk about what’s expected of you right now. Did you know the current working generation is expected to do 5 times more in the same day as the previous generation? That’s crazy! The person that did your job before you had FIVE TIMES less on their plate than you do today. That’s not including all the other expectations in your life. Exercise, cook healthy meals every night, run the kids to all the activities, make time for your friends, get 8 hours of sleep, don’t forget about alone time with your spouse. It’s a wonder you have time to breathe!
Now let’s talk about what that 5 times more responsibilities looks like. Did you know the average worker switches tasks every 3 minutes. Not only that, when they do switch tasks, it can take up to 30 minutes to resume the original task. Personally, it feels like one giant game of whack-a-mole!
That’s where the time blocking concept comes in.
Here are the benefits:
- It helps you prioritize your tasks each day, and it helps you identify when you are the most productive so you can schedule tasks accordingly.
- Focusing on one task instead of many has proven to be about 80% more effective in terms of productivity. It also helps take some of those 3 minute transitions out of the picture so you actually spend less time on each task.
- Distractions happen! But blocking out time to focus on each task can reduce the number of times you fall into the rabbit hole (or cell phone).
Now let’s talk about potential pitfalls:
- Very few people have the same day 5 times a week. So it takes a lot of time and thought to set up a time block calendar that works for you.
- Blocking out time for specific tasks can cause one of those forest/trees situations. It’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re bogged down in the details. I suggest blocking out time for a good forecasting session as often as possible so you keep in touch.
- Interruptions and emergencies occur more often than you think. When things pop up and throw off your schedule it can be frustrating! Also, tasks can take longer than expected. While blocking out time can be very helpful, it is also important to maintain some flexibility. If you didn’t get it done, adjust. Push something else to the next day so you can keep working, or schedule in a time cushion for those circumstances.
Quick steps on how to set up a time block schedule:
- First take a day or two to track your habits. I did this with Rescue Time. I tracked my web browsing and phone app usage for two days before coming up with a plan of attack. P.S. check my phone way too often!
- When do you think your most productive time of the day is? If you’re a morning person, this might be at 7AM. Or maybe you find you do your best thinking at 4PM. So schedule that hour as your meaningful work hour. Use your best time to work on things that will be most productive for you.
- Start big and then get more specific. Break down your outside work time first. It’s way easier to start there and create some confidence in your scheduling ability before you try to work into your day. So, schedule your wake up routine, getting the kids to school, and your after work activities first.
- When batching your work day, schedule in time for light work, like email answering around more deep, meaningful work periods. Here’s a tip to make sure you’ve scheduled enough time: write your to-do list inside of your time block to see if it fits.
- As we discussed above, there are things you need to be flexible about and reconfigure. Save yourself some stress by blocking out time in the day for reactive tasks. If they don’t happen, you have an extra block of time to give to other tasks.
- Schedule some breaks! Give yourself 10 to 15 minutes between complex tasks to relax and refocus. Get up and walk away from the computer and grab some water. Stretch it out. Whatever you need to do to set yourself up for the next task.
I will follow this post up with my own personal experience with time blocking, as well as a sample block. If you’ve tried it, let me know how it went.
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