Make your Calendar work for you
A few years ago I read an article about time blocking, changed the way I used my calendar and ultimately changed my level of efficiency. Charlie Gilkey is the founder of Productive Flourishing and self-proclaimed Creative Giant that helps creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders be more productive in a way that feeds your soul.
What is Time Blocking?
Time blocking is that next level scheduling tool that allows you to actually get things done. Ever get to the end of your week and feel let down that you didn’t get more done or maybe the things that mattered the most to you didn’t even get attention this week? Been there.
Most of the time, we underestimate how long something takes to finish. Beyond that, we don’t factor in the time of day, the emotional toll, creativity drain, etc. that a simple task can have. Charlie points out that “our productive energy ebbs and flows throughout the day…”. Have you ever noticed that you have peaks of energy at certain times, maybe it's first thing in the morning or late at night? We also need a variation of tasks to keep us engaged throughout the day. Lastly, what we actually end up spending our time on is largely based on what our desire to work on is.
Time blocking solves all of these issues by understanding how much time you can realistically spend on certain tasks and what time of the day is best for you.
Blocks make everything easier
Charlie outlines 4 blocks that he uses to schedule each day. Now, at first I thought this was a nice suggestion but no way would I continue this. I would need to change this up and adapt it to me. I was so wrong. These blocks changed everything...stick to it for a couple of weeks and watch your life be changed drastically.
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
So here’s the go, Focus, Admin, and Social blocks are all energy outputs and Recovery blocks are your recharge time. So when you look at your current schedule, when are you most drained? If you’re more of an introvert you may find that you need a small recovery block before and after a social block to let yourself prepare for your time with others and then to take time to reflect and decompress.
How to get started
I recommend planning your focus blocks first. These are where you “fuel your highest-value deep work”. If you don’t have focus blocks in your schedule, you’ll never finish your deep work. During a focus block, all my notifications are off, my phone is face down and I am ever-present in that work. It allows me to have 90 - 120 minutes of uninterrupted work. This changed my life!
Pro Tip: Most people can’t have more than 2-3 focus blocks a day. Start small and increase as you feel you can.
Next, I schedule in my social blocks where I know I can be present and in the moment with my clients. Social blocks for me are rarely 90 - 120 minutes; however, I personally always extend the block by 15 - 30 minutes to ensure that I have enough time to write up notes, draft an email or maybe execute a small task that was talked about. After each social block, I personally have a 15-minute recovery block. This allows me to decompress and move forward to the next task. Without this block, I have a really hard time getting into the next part of my day.
Pro Tip: Social blocks can be personal or professional. If part of your work requires you to be with people in real-time then that part is still a social block.
Admin, Admin, Admin. Oh how I love the Admin block. I personally start every day with a 30-minute admin block to check my emails, adjust the to-do list if need be, respond to emails that I can within that block, and set the tone for my day. I then have a couple of admin blocks throughout the day to make sure I do the tasks that support the deep work in my focus blocks. I also wrap every day with an admin block to make sure nothing gets left behind. When you set a time for 30 minutes to do the “little things” in your day and then move on, you get so much more done!!
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the admin blocks. They may be boring and not what you want to do but by doing a bit of it throughout each day means that you get it all done in the long term.
Lastly, Recovery blocks are my own little slice of heaven. They are essential for me so that I take a break, walk away from the computer and let my brain rest. I will use this to make sure I eat lunch, take my afternoon break when my brain starts to become mush, etc. It is a true lifesaver and makes the other time during the day so much more productive.
Pro Tip: Recovery blocks don’t have to be for meditation only, you can have a dance party! Find an activity that lets you rejuvenate and energises you.
My Weekly Block Schedule:
I recommend downloading the weekly block scheduler from Productive Flourish to get you started.
