No matter how many posts, podcasts, and resources we have on time blocking, I always feel like this is a topic that we could write countless posts about. Because while the theory behind it is so foundational and the mechanics so simple, the applications are endless.
Our most comprehensive breakdown of time blocking and the one we point to most often is the first in this collection, How to Be a Productive Powerhouse Using Time Blocking. The important word in that title is not productive, not powerhouse, or the phrase time blocking; it’s using. (The verb is always going to be the most impactful word, but more on that in a future collection.) Theory and mechanics are useless if you don’t put them to use.
What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. My energy peaks and valleys are likely different from yours. What holds my attention might be different. And my life looks different from yours. So while below you will find no less than 20 posts on the topic, the point of this collection is not to study them all, but to read one or maybe a few, and then take something you learn and apply it to your own circumstances.
In this collection you’ll find posts about:
Now, go play with some blocks.
Everything you ever wanted to know (and maybe some things you didn’t) about time blocking and applying it to your weekly schedule.
How to Be a Productive Powerhouse Using Time Blocking
Create a Weekly Schedule That Works For You
As much as we try to treat them as infinite, time and energy are both finite resources. And because we can’t manufacture more of either, the trick is to match your best work to where they overlap.
How Heat Mapping Your Day Can Make You More Productive
What Preschool Taught Us About Time Management
090: Q&A – How to Plan Your Day Based On Your Energy Levels (+ more)
Match your work (your time, energy, and attention) to one of four types of blocks.
Getting the Most from Your Time Blocks
3 Ways to Give Focus Blocks Jobs in Your Planning
Reclaim Your Evenings as Recovery Blocks
Core Conversations on Start Finishing: 3 Helpful Ways to Maximize Your Recovery Blocks
It’s amazing what work can get done in spurts of two-hour increments.
Use the Two-Hour Rule to Make Progress on Your Creative Projects
The Engagement Threshold: The Key to Consistent Creativity and Productivity
Finding a Little Time to Focus (Productive Flourishing Pulse #458)
Without clear boundaries (time blocks), your tasks and projects will bleed into each other, leaving you feeling scattered and in a never-ending task-switching cycle.
What to Do If You’re Feeling Scattered
What to Do With Your Loose Tasks and Projects
How to Break the Task-Switching Cycle
Creating a time-blocked schedule for you is one thing; working it around a team is quite another. One block you might want to start with is your team’s social blocks (meetings).
How to Apply Time Blocking in a Corporate Setting
How to Build Better Meetings
Teams don’t need better task tracking. They need a way to protect and measure their capacity for meaningful work.
Focus Blocks Are the Real Measure of Your Team’s Capacity
Beat Team Burnout by Getting Real About Focus Block Availability
We love a good worksheet, and these two resource libraries provide a treasure trove, not just on time blocking but many other topics. On our free planners and worksheets page, you’ll find our Heat Map and Weekly Block Blueprint worksheets, and for teams you’ll find the Meeting Template and Team Focus Block Audit Worksheets. Enjoy!
Free Planners and Worksheets by Productive Flourishing
Check out the Team Habits Resources and Worksheets
Now over to you. Tell us how you are applying some of these principles. Who knows, maybe it will inspire another post on time blocking. (Because clearly we don’t have enough already!)
Feeling like your schedule runs you instead of the other way around? Our Productivity Coaching can help you build a block schedule that actually fits your life, protects the blocks that matter most, and adjusts as your seasons change. Learn more about Productivity Coaching.
