January 1 has come and gone and every one is still going strong with their New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you are trying to organize your home, make fitness and healthy eating a priority, or be more intentional about your time this is the time of year people find that often needed motivation. I figured there was no better time than now to share with you the concept that changed my life. Yes, I am that serious about it. Time blocking has been a life saver for me and quite literally has changed the way I view my time. Time blocking has helped me get my time back by taking control of my time in a way that helped me be intentional about everything that I do.

You have probably heard of time blocking before and have likely tried it. You’ve probably spent time trying to divide up your day by every hour to get things done and have better control of where your time was going. If you’re anything like me, you’ve also probably felt constricted by those hour blocks. Maybe it felt impossible to accomplish what you needed to in the given hour especially if you have kids at your feet all day. That’s what makes this form of time blocking different. This quite literally will be the time blocking schedule that changes your life.

How does time blocking work?

Time blocking is just how it sounds – setting aside blocks of time to complete a given task. You have most likely seen time blocking schedules that break your day up by hour. From 7AM to 8AM you are working on one task, then from 8AM to 9AM you are working on another. This form of making a schedule can be so complicated because your day to day changes so often. Not to mention, if you are operating with kids under your feet there is no telling how many times you may have to pause and take care of a kid or two. Restricting your daily tasks by hour can be overwhelming and leave you feeling like you’re racing the clock.

Batching your time into blocks, instead of hours, can be the key to making a difference in your daily schedule. By batching your time into blocks, you can be intentional with what you need to accomplish in a given day. It frees you up to follow a general daily routine, while still keeping control of your time, but not restricting you to hourly increments.

[bctt tweet=”Batching your time into blocks, instead of hours, can be the key to making a difference in your daily schedule.” username=”youaremoreblog”]

How do I create a time block schedule?

It’s easy! You don’t have to be a professional or even someone who is obsessed with planners and to-do lists. In fact, I am someone who love spontaneity and sticking to a schedule hasn’t always been something that has made me jump for joy. What I did realize though is this: if I wanted to be more intentional with my time, I had to take control of it. Time blocking freed me up to be more intentional and have more time for the things that mattered in my life.

Creating a schedule isn’t hard at all! You just start by finding out what is most important to you, listing it out, and batching out your blocks. Group similar things together in one block of time and do everything you can to accomplish that during its given block. When the block is over, you move to the next.

My Time Block Schedule

Here’s an example: my pre-kid morning block is from 6AM – 7AM. Yes, I know this is only an hour because that is as early as I am getting up. I have to start the morning block at 7AM to have enough time to get everyone out the door and get Jase to school. I want to make sure I get a work out in and have time to at least get myself semi ready for the day before jumping in to the mom thing. I have found that waking early has been worth it no matter how tired I am so I’m not being bombarded by the kids first thing.

Then I jump into my morning block of school prep. This is also restricted to one hour because I have to get Jase out the door in time for school. This time can’t change. But once I get through the morning my blocks of batched time begin. I have a list of tasks that I want to complete during that time and I do my best to get it done. If I don’t finish it all, there is always tomorrow. So I try to start with the items that can’t be flexible first. Then I don’t feel as bad if I don’t get it all done.

Time blocking has drastically changed the way my days operate. It gives our day a general flow and routine helping the kids know what to expect which makes them a little more cooperative. If you want to make your own time blocking schedule, but aren’t sure how to start, I’ve created the time blocking workbook just for you. Start putting your time into blocks and see how your productivity changes. You can download your workbook for free by signing up for my newsletter below!