Time Blocking for Balance
How identifying priorities and working is everything else is life-changing
The first time I heard about the concept of "Time Blocking," it was on a podcast about women entrepreneurs. The hosts and their guests conversed about the amazing process and how it helps them get more accomplished. They each used the idea differently, but the big take away was that it could be adaptable to the office.
So how has that helped me as a working mom, and how can it help you. Here are 3 tips that won't take much time, but do require you to change your outlook on planning your day, week, and month.
#1 Start with the BIG things
We've all read or been told the story about the professor who stands before a class of freshmen with a jar. Throughout his lecture, he loads in rocks, pebbles/marbles, and eventually sand. Here is where it applies to our lives, those big rocks are your non-negotiables. They change each day. They are the school day drop-offs and picks up. The appointments for our children. The school plays and soccer games. Rocks can also be the sales presentation, a business launch date, or an interview. The pebbles or marbles are the routines that fall around them. Packing lunches and laying out of school clothes. The bedtime routine. And let's not forget about breakfast and dinner - because everyone has to eat... even you! The bits of sand are our chores. What we do when we find ourselves alone. The coffee cup in hand walks through Target. That booklist that we are always trying to check off.
So this is great, but how does it work? Start with those big rocks. On the day and time of your choosing, pull out your planner, or your digital calendar and start scheduling. This process will need to become a habit. A habit that will lead to a dose of probably needed self-care. Record all of those rocks. Then move onto the pebbles and last the sand. Schedule each minute of your time. Here is where you can find the pockets. Here is where you learn what is important to you.
#2 Make a list
There are a million apps to help you make a list. I prefer the good ol' note app found on every iPhone. I can access it on the go or using a computer. My notes fall into categories, so they are easy to find and add to. These notes help me maintain my rocks that don't have set dates and times. It helps me identify the goals that are weighing the most on me. It helps me conduct research for work and brainstorm for my next great project. I pull these notes out during my weekly planning date with myself, so I know where I need to shift my focus and feel accomplished, not overwhelmed by things that just aren't important.
#3 Theme your time
Remember that podcast that I mentioned at the top of the post? One of the hosts remarked that she splits her work weeks by using a rotating schedule. Now, since she's a small business owner she can use this method a bit differently than the way I am going to suggest. She stated that she would only schedule client calls and meetings during pre-selected weeks, and during the off weeks, she would focus on the backend of her business, while leaving some time for emergencies.
So, how can you block your weeks with themes, particularly when it feels like everyone's emergency must be addressed in their time? With the help of my PowerSheets, I have goals set for the month. I (using those lists) have identified where my focus needs to be in both addressing my goals for the year and being attentive to the never-ending needs of my immediate family ( which I'm juggling as I write this with a strep throat infected almost 2 year old in my lap). I find the things which have similar to-dos and I schedule them to happen cohesively. It helps me work smarter, not harder, and faster.
Another way to think of this process how you structure your time grocery shopping. You make a list by the sections of the grocery store: produce, deli, meat, dairy, frozen, misc. Then you work through your items by placing each item into the area that you can find it in the store. Then when you get to the store you move in a natural progression checking off the things from your list. In the end, due to this preparation, you only spend 45 minutes there, instead of 3 hours.
While at work I block time on my schedule to allocate for attacking my inbox or answering voicemails. I set my phone to only accept calls 30 minutes after my time of arrival and stop taking calls 30 before I am scheduled to leave for the day. One could say that I am using these 60 minutes for my self-care as an employee. The goal for those minutes is to evaluate what I have on my schedule for the day and to tie up loose ends before I leave the office. I wouldn't say I like working later than I have to, so this time forces me to stop my workday and only focus on those short tasks that I've been ignoring and to process my next day's schedule. Those 60 minutes are my emergency minutes in my day. By taking this approach home from the office, I have been able to find more time to fit things into my personal life. I don't always feel like I am running from task to task.
When I take the time to apply this method at home I find that I am more calm and that I have more patience for the unexpected "emergencies". Last week, my husband was out of town for a work trip. I was slightly nervous that the week would overwhelm me and that I would just fail. I took the time to really dig into what my rocks, pebbles, and sand were and I was able to make it through without losing my mind. The kids got ready each morning and cooperated. I was able to get out of the door 30 minutes earlier than on the school days where everything is chaos because I didn't spend the time to set the house up for success.
I dare you to apply time blocking to your personal life. Just try it for one week. Not 30 days, or 90 days. Just 7. I bet you will notice a difference.
