Time blocking

it makes you twice as productive as those suckers who rely on lists.
—Cal Newport

A time management and task management method that assigns periods of time to work on tasks.

The method

1. Open your planner. A calendar app can work, but paper is preferable so that you are not exposed to notifications or other distractions such as your email and Slack.
2. Draw blocks for pre-existing commitments. A block has a start time, end time, and what it's for.
3. Draw blocks for the things you want to work on
4. Commit to the blocks you have drawn. Consider using a Tomato Timer or Time timer.
5. If interruptions or delays occur, redraw your blocks. Another reason why paper is advantageous is that you can see these corrections. A digital calendar will not.
6. At the end of the day, review tasks you didn't finish, and new tasks that came in.^[1] Consider doing this as part of a larger end of work day ritual.

Why?

Scheduling can be a prison, but can also be a defensive wall against external thieves of your time.

Protect your time or it will be taken from you

• Humans are notoriously bad at guarding their time
  • PPAI study shows only 33% of americans use a schedule
  • If you do not master your own time, others will
  • https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/
• Distractions are only distractions if there was something else you had traction on

https://www.wired.com/story/block-scheduling-calendar-workflow-productivity/

• Block in personal time
  • 32% of knowledge workers in 2020 survey cited being unable to tune out of work
• Neil Pasricha recommends no-email policy between 10am-4pm
• Ask yourself honest questions
  • can you work with vague day themes?
  • do you work better with detailed directives?
  • do you have time of day you are more productive?
• 4 common methods
  • time blocking
    • plan a specific goal/task around a time slot
      • e.g. write for four hours each morning
      • if task finishes early, move other blocks earlier
  • task batching
    • set time frame to handle specific tasks
      • e.g. one hour for emails, 30 minutes for bill processing
  • day theming
    • dedicate day to one project
    • Friday inspiration day
    • Monday newsletter writing day
    • Wednesday podcast day
    • author leaves only monday to thursday open for calls
    • similarly, Neil Pasricha recommends Untouchable Days, or Untouchable Hours
    • Pasricha says day themeing and untouchable days results in increased creativity, better leading, spousing, parenting
  • time boxing
• getting coworkers to respect your blocks is easy with Harmonizely or Calendly
• author and wife use joint block scheduling to share household chores, relieves stress on marriage
• apps
  • tomato timer

Other's thoughts

Cal Newport made an unlisted 10m video

Todoist article, with no ads!

• differentiates time blocking, time boxing, task batching
• Differentiates shallow work like scrums, Slack messaging, email checking

Time blocking with Obsidian
https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/ofwcc3/timeblocking_a_personal_productivity_system_in/