Time Blocking - What, Why and How

What

Divide day into blocks of time dedicated to separate tasks

Why

• Open ended todo lists is less effective as you do easy tasks first, leaving frogs uneaten
• Helps to avoid perfectionism
• Helps to club shallow tasks and do more deep work

How

• Prioritise task list using a weekly review and create and rough outline of time blocks
• At the end of day, review tasks that remain unfinished and adjust time blocks of the rest of the week
• Batch shallow tasks
• Have leisure blocks. However try and be spontaneous in what leisure activity you choose to do there
• Have pause blocks/overflow blocks - or even overflow days
• Be flexible. If something does not go according to plan readjust blocks depending on priority. Time blocks are suggestions, not prisons.
• Be liberal with time allotment to tasks until you get a realistic grip on the time required for the same.
• Optional: You can combine time-boxing to test Parkinson’s law.