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Olle Lindholm

The power of time blocking

Published almost 3 years ago • 1 min read

Do you underestimate how long it takes to do something?

Are you not making enough progress on your goals?

Join the club. You're human.

I am not a "naturally productive person", so I've had to learn more about time and energy management.

One of the most useful techniques I've come across is time blocking.

Time blocking is a better way to organise your day. The system is simple. If you've ever played with any type of building block system (think Lego), you're already familiar with how to chunk, link and sequence time and projects.

Here are the four basic blocks:

Focus blocks are 90–120 minute blocks of time where you’re especially creative, inspired, and able to do high-level work that requires focus.

Admin blocks are 30–60 minute lower-energy blocks of time where you’re not in the zone to do the work that requires heavy lifting, but there are still other types of work you can do effectively.

Social blocks are 90–120 minute blocks of time where you’re primed and energetically in the right space to meet with other people.

Recovery blocks are variable-length blocks of time that you use for exercise, meditation, and self-care.

Try this: Plan next week in your calendar using the four different blocks. Pay close attention to your energy levels throughout the day. This will teach you when it's optimal to schedule your time blocks.

With practice, you'll discover your "prime-time" slots when you get your best work done. For some people that will be early mornings. For others, it'll be late evenings or nights. There's no "right" answer here, there's only your answer. Guard these time slots to make steady progress on what matters most to you.

Give time blocking a try and let me know how it goes.

Have a great week!

Cheers,
Olle

More on this topic:

Be More Productive Using Time Blocks

Too busy? Read this

PS. I have two coaching slots open in June. Hit reply if you're interested in learning more about that.

Olle Lindholm

A Sweden-based author and coach.

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