Time-blocking is the act of giving every minute of the day a job. You tell the work how long it will take, avoiding the trap of Parkinson’s Law.
Parkinson’s law states that work contracts to fit in the time we give it.
It’s taking the most precious and valuable resource we have and utilizing it in the most efficient way possible.
The Problem
For years I winged it with my day consisting of shallow work — responding to emails, texts and shuffling paperwork around, while major projects were left on the to-do list.
I had fallen into the trap of Parkinson’s Law. Tasks contracted to fill more time than it should otherwise have taken to complete.
I was reacting to the day rather than planning it. If I did have free time, I felt I had so many tasks to accomplish, and I would not know where to start.
Does any of this sound familiar?
I discovered time-blocking from Cal Newport, and learning that Elon Musk is a fan. I decided to try it out as it’s free, it’s easy, and it’s effective.
How To Time-Block
The easiest way to time block is to take a piece of paper each morning and write the day’s hours in the left-hand margin and fill the day’s hours with your tasks. Then follow your schedule.
If something pops up mid-day, you can revise your time-block schedule easily. Cross out what tasks a no longer possible to complete, and time-block your remaining work hours.
If you prefer software, you can time-block in your Google or Outlook calendar.
Give It A Try
I encourage you to try time-blocking. It will be a struggle at first, like building any new habit does. You will have days or weeks where you forget to time-block. Get back on the bike when you fall.
Giving each minute of the day a job (including breaks) will turn you into a super-productive person. If you are anything like me, you will see such an improvement in output; you will be shocked.