Time blocking

Time blocking (or time boxing) is the practice of taking a larger section of time and dividing it into several smaller blocks that each can be assigned a task. Time boxing is often done with pen and paper but can also be done with a digital calendar.

The benefit of time blocking is that each moment has a default action assigned to it before you get to it. Most of the planning is done beforehand which saves the need to decide what to do moment to moment.

For example, taking the morning from 8 to 12, one could assign tasks like this:

• 08:00-08:20 Breakfast
• 08:20-08:35 Check emails
• 08:35-10:00 Write about productivity
• 10:00-10:15 Break (short walk)
• 10:15-11:00 Write about productivity
• 11:00-11:35 Exercise
• 11:35-12:00 Reading

If unforeseen things come up, the plan can be adjusted as needed.

External resources

• Article on time blocking by Todoist