Time Blocking is the next step in my Time Management/Productivity Journey and while I don’t remember specifically where I first heard about it, it’s hard not to find great content about it on YouTube.
After experimenting with Pomodoro, I knew I wanted to create very specific windows of time to do focused work. I just didn’t know how I could do this effectively. At this point, I was a full time developer for a marketing agency and had multiple side clients across the country. I was an absolute unorganized mess.
Time Blocking involves dividing your day into blocks of time. With each block being dedicated to accomplishing a specific task or group of tasks, and you can’t deviate beyond your scheduled block. Instead of a to-do list with a start and no end, you create a very defined schedule of everything you plan to get done that day.
This method of time management works very well for me, but it’s not enough by itself. It DOES create windows of focused time to perform a very specific task, which worked fantastically when I just had a list of development tasks I had to do…but it is WAY too concrete for a day once I became a leader. The volatility in a day seemed to mess up my plans every time.
Once I became a leader, I tried messing around with it and I got it close to workable by make sure that I created more “optional time”. So I would schedule about 55%-65% of my day and leave enough whitespace to pivot things around when needed. This got me closer to where I was trying to go, but not all the way.
Again, don’t let my experience sway you, try it for yourself and let me know what you think!
I hope this was helpful! Thanks for being here! Take care!
