Why I Love Time Blocking (And You Should, Too!)

The question I get asked the most is how to get things done.

And with the phone always ringing, the inbox always dinging, the calendar always singing, social media never not screaming, the to-do list always growing, and no little femtrepreneur fairy running around adding extra hours to your day… I get it.

It’s harder than ever to get anything, never mind #allthethings, done because everything and everyone is demanding your attention all at once.

So what’s a female entrepreneur like you to do?

The solution is a simple, yet powerful technique called time blocking.

I discovered time blocking about 4 years ago, and honestly, haven’t looked at another way of scheduling my day since.

Why?

Because time blocking WORKS.

It keeps me laser-focused and super intentional with my time, and I find that I am HUGELY more productive when I time block my days than when I don’t. (I’m actually AMAZED at how much I’m able to get done some days!!)

And it’s all because of this productivity power tool.

[bctt tweet=”Time blocking is one of the most effective time management tactics you can implement!” username=”productivityzne”]

BUT WHAT THE HECK IS TIME BLOCKING ANYWAY?

People confuse time blocking and batching all the time. (I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen these two mixed up in Facebook groups, in blog posts, on webinars, etc.) And while they do play well together, they are two very different forms of time management.

Batching is grouping together like-tasks that require similar steps (or resources) in order to streamline the process and get it all done at once instead of a little bit here and a little bit there. For example, I like to batch design my blog graphics for the month and batch plan + schedule my Instagram posts for the week.

Time blocking, on the other hand, is dedicating a set amount of time to a single task (like social media, blog post writing, or email). It’s essentially like taking your day and dividing it into chunks (aka time blocks) and then assigning a specific task to that chunk of time (i.e. an hour or two) and getting that task done (or as close to done as you can get it) during that block of time.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DO

I’ve heard people say that time blocking is too complicated, but it’s not. It’s actually one of the easiest and most effective time management tactics a person can implement. You probably already do it for some things (like meetings, activities, etc.) without realizing it.

It’s literally just scheduling a task or activity into a block of time that can be as short or as long as you want. Mompreneurs, you can even use naptime as a time block to knock out business tasks like email, blog post writing, or client work.

I’ve also heard people say that time blocking is too strict, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Time blocking is actually extremely flexible. It does not mean doing the same task at the same time every single day or even for the same length of time. (I mean, you can if you want to, but you don’t have to.)

For example, I don’t do email at the same time every day, but I do know that I should be spending at least one hour on email in the morning and one hour in the afternoon (or two hours together at some point) to keep my inbox under control.

You are still in charge of your day and your schedule. You can arrange it and rearrange it anytime you want to. Time blocking just acts like a foundation for helping you make the most of the time you do have every day by making sure you are setting aside time to actually get the important things done.

[bctt tweet=”Time blocking helps you get #allthethings done, just not all at the same time.” username=”productivityzne”]

THE BEST (BEST) PART ABOUT TIME BLOCKING

The best (best) part about time blocking? It’s a very real and very effective way of getting #allthethings done, just not all at the same time. It’s one of the best time management techniques you can use in your business because it helps you work smarter instead of harder. It helps you live your days proactively rather than reactively aka it’s LIFE-CHANGING!!!

Have I convinced you yet? 😉

I grew up around the philosophy that I had to try something before deciding whether or not I liked it. And that’s what I want you to keep in mind as I now (strongly) encourage you to try time blocking your way to a very productive day. 😉

If you don’t like it, or it just doesn’t work for you, no big deal. There are plenty of other time management tips, tricks, and techniques out there. But if it DOES work for you and it DOES help you get things done—I don’t want you to work one more day without time blocks in your life.

You’ll never know unless you try.

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COMING SOON! How to Make Time Blocking Work for Your Business (And Why You Absolutely Should!) Comment below, tweet us, or tell us over on Instagram if you’d like to see this post sooner rather than later!!