Get Organized with Time Blocking

In the days before motherhood, I was a very schedule oriented person. I made (the concept unknown to me at the time), time blocking schedules for myself with everything from “go for a run”, “take a shower”, and “trip to target.” On my days off from work, I had every hour scheduled to make sure I fit in everything I needed to get done. I thrived on to-do lists and order. It gave me a sense of accomplishment & control to see it all written down and to cross things off as I went. Once life as a twin mom hit, I felt lost. Two demanding newborns quickly threw me off track, and I struggled to gain control of my time.

I found comfort in working hard to get my twins on a schedule as infants, and being strict about our schedule as they grew to toddlers. Consistent nap times were my sanity saver. When I started working from home selling books, the chaos began to creep back in. I’m never a person that can half-ass something. When I go for it, I am 100% all in. My new problem? Fitting it all in and finding a balance between working at home, managing the chaos of home life & spending quality time with my family. That is where time blocking comes in.

 

 

How it Started

In my early days of twin parenting, I worked on my time blocking in my paper Happy Planner. I wrote out my to-do lists and my schedule for the day of what I would accomplish & when. This worked well for the most part, except that I would often forget to look at my planner, easily misplace it, or get so involved in a particular project that I forgot about everything else on my list. I realized I was either only tackling the to-do items on my lists and leaving no time for me to unwind, or I was blowing off the whole list in order to relax a little because I was overworked. I decided I needed a new method of scheduling.

Time Blocking: What is It?

Time blocking is essentially splitting your day into chunks of time. By laying out your plans for the day, you never wander into an hour where you think “hmmm what should I be doing right now?” Your time is maximized when you don’t waste time thinking about what you need to get done, it is already laid out for you!

Time Block Prep Work

I use color coding to help me quickly identify which priority level or category things fall into for me. Sit down and figure out what tasks will fall into your color coded categories. Color coding makes it easier to identify what is on your schedule for the day. Here are my color codes I use to help me organize my tasks.

Red

Start with the non-negotiable tasks. Sleeping, spending time with your family, doctors appointments, etc. The things that are the most important get on the schedule first. Figure out what tasks fall into this category for you, and know that they will be your priority when developing your schedule.

Green

I use green for my out of the house jobs (green = money!). If you work full time or part time, plug that time into your schedule. I work several part time jobs as a physical therapist, adjunct professor & consultant, so having my times plugged into my schedule of when I need to be at each job is important for me to keep my head on straight.

Yellow

Schedule in the tasks that you need to do, but life won’t fall apart if you miss it. Errands like grocery shopping (hmmmm I guess that could fall into red depending on the state of your fridge), cleaning the house, stopping at the post office. Figure out what tasks don’t fit into your red, must-do category and put them here.

Magenta

I find that if I don’t schedule time in for myself, then I don’t make time for it. Either that, or I blow off all the important things I need to get done for a Netflix bingefest & a bottle of wine. I put things like pool time, dinner with a friend, mani/pedis, workouts in this category.

Purple

Working a job from home that you are 100% in charge of your success can be overwhelming. Like me, I’m sure you have 1,001 things on your to-list at any given moment. By scheduling these tasks into my time blocking schedule, I never have to worry about “What am I supposed to be working on?” I review my time blocking and make adjustments on a regular basis to include tasks that pop up that need immediate attention. It helps to keep me focused on my business and avoid being overwhelmed.

Pink

In my opinion, we should always be working to improve ourselves personally. I use pink for time I spend working on myself. The time I work on trainings and tasks for my business coaching group, personal development reading time, my miracle morning time. You might not need a category like this or include these things under “me time”, but I like to separate them out.

Tools for Time Blocking

I am a big time lover of paper and pens. A paper calendar and planner has always been a big part of my life, even though I use the calendar app on my phone to track appointments. When I began time blocking, I knew I needed something that I could have with me at all times and would help me with reminders to stay on track.

The Google Calendar app has been a lifesaver for me.

• I can easily color code the different areas of my life.
• Using reminders at a time interval I choose before my next task is set to begin which help to know when I need to switch gears or get ready for something.
• It’s on my phone, which is always with me, so I can always keep on track of my plans
• Its easy to use

How to Time Block

Now that you know what tool you plan to use, and what categories you want to include in your time blocking, you’re ready to get started!

Start with the most important tasks

Those important Red, non-negotiable tasks need to be added first. Prioritize the most important things into your schedule first before you add anything else. Some of these may be able to be adjusted later if you have a time conflict with another category, but you’ll want to begin with these.

Add in Your Work Time

Next, add in your out of house work that you are committed to. This is a lifesaver for me, because I work so many per diem jobs! It helps me keep track of where I’m supposed to be and when. Even if you have a daily grind out of the house Monday through friday 8am – 4pm, block it out on your calendar.

Schedule the Rest!

Time blocking is almost like a puzzle piece you get to fit together. Once the non-negotiable tasks are in, you get to see where the other things important to you can fit. Schedule in when you plan to go grocery shopping or clean your bathrooms. Make a time slot to read a book, watch a show or go get a pedicure or have lunch with friends. Plan out the times and tasks you plan to work on for your work at home business. Get in everything you want to take care of with the other hours of the day.

Why Time Blocking Works

Having time blocked encourages you to prioritize and determine what the most important things in your day are. It ensures that you are doing exactly what you need to or want to get done, since you have decided ahead of time what needs to be included in your plan. It prevents you from wasting time thinking about what needs to get done that day. You already have your plan laid out, and a reminder to your phone when it’s time for the next task.

Be Flexible

There are things that will come up. A task that wasn’t in your plan for the day, suddenly needs to fit in, so you skip something else that is scheduled. You blow off your good intentions one day for a fun day at the park with your family or to binge watch a show during nap time. You can always adjust your schedule, replace tasks or change the times you complete them as needed. This is a system you need to work consistently at to make it become a regular part of your life.

Time blocking has been a sanity saver for me. I’ve found myself being more present during time with my family since I know there is blocked off time to complete my other to-dos later. I feel like my head is more clear, and not holding onto that mental to-do list that most people carry with them. It’s still a work in progress as I work to stick to my schedule and be consistent with using my time blocking strategies. You can improve your goal setting & time management with this amazing Goal setting and time management video course and join me on instagram to see me work at balancing it all. Practice makes permanent, and I’m getting there!

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