ā³ How to Time-Block at Work


Yes, I am that person who blocks out lunch so no one can schedule a meeting over it..

šŸ“… What is Time Blocking?

Time blocking is just adding fake meetings with yourself to your calendar. It comes from the book šŸ“š Deep Work by Cal Newport.

šŸ‘‰ Visual by @elliottaleksndr (Twitter)

šŸŒŸ Advantages of Time Blocking

  • Clear idea of what you will be doing
  • Flexible planning
  • People can't ruin your schedule

āœ What are Common Things to Time Block?

I time block right when I get up in the morning. Try to leave some gaps in between tasks. It takes 20 min on average to switch tasks (there is some šŸ“œ study out there on it).

šŸ’Ŗ Exercise

I always time block exercise first. This is my #1 priority. It impacts my mood, performance, and productivity the most.

šŸ‘©ā€šŸ’» Coding Classes

I have a goal to code every day for the next year so I always throw 30 mins of coding usually after lunch or right in the morning!

šŸ„— Lunch

I block out my lunch hour. I don't always take the full hour, but it reminds me to take a break and grab a snack.

šŸ“Š Projects

This is the hardest because sometimes my projects get stalled or some other project comes up. You can see on my calendar Overtime Tool is one of the projects I block time to work on. But I have plenty of time left over to move things around later in the week if I need to!