Three Myths of Block Scheduling
Block scheduling is a quintessential time management strategy. It inevitably comes up in every time management and productivity book, blog, and article about how the most efficient people get their work done.
But in my coaching, so many people are resistant to block scheduling. They are worried that it's not realistic as they deal with multiple responsibilities and life that often interrupts their blocks. For a long time, I thought this approach was monastic (a great description I picked up from Katie Wussow), meaning that you needed to go dark to everything else to focus on the work in the block. While truly being able to block everything out would be ideal, it's not realistic when your boss may come in with an urgent project or when you have a family and need to be available for emergencies.
My schedule has changed dramatically recently. As a result, I've leaned on block scheduling to better track hours for client work, prioritize work on my business, and be present with my husband during our limited time together.
I've found that resistance to block scheduling is usually due to these three myths.
It's impossible to predict how long things will take.
One of the key tenants to block scheduling is estimating how long a work block will take you. For example, if you block out two hours every Monday to create content, can you realistically write a blog post, a newsletter, and 3-4 Instagram posts in that time?
Start by tracking your time for a week to get a baseline for how much time you spend on admin work, how long is your morning routine (and how much faster it would be if you didn't look at your phone first thing - guilty!), how long is your commute, etc.
You can also experiment with when you're doing certain types of work. For example, maybe you're super focused in the morning and can write a blog in 30 minutes if you do it at 8 am, but if you save it until 3 pm, it will take an hour because you're losing steam. So be patient and have fun experimenting!
Estimating time is going to take practice. Start blocking your schedule with a reasonable guess, and then adjust from there. You're not going to get it right the first time, and that's OK! This strategy gets easier over time, and you shouldn't expect tremendous results right away. Your ability to determine how long a task will take to complete and your resolve to hold the boundary of the block will improve the more you practice building a weekly blocked schedule.
2. A block schedule is set in 15-minute increments.
Some of my clients have seen examples of hyper-blocked schedules where every 15 minutes is a new single task and get intimidated. Unfortunately, this approach is a recipe for stress because as soon as one thing gets off schedule, your whole day is thrown off.
When I coach my clients on block scheduling, we start by brainstorming all of the "blocks" of life and work they have throughout the day. We always start with the life blocks: sleep, self-care, morning/evening routines, family time, and exercise. Then we think about the work blocks: client work, marketing, admin work, and meetings.
The blocks are often a minimum of an hour-long, and we don't get more specific about what needs to happen within the block on your calendar. However, there should be plenty of white space on your calendar to account for unexpected delays or new, urgent tasks.
The goal is that the blocks keep you accountable and on track so that if something does come up, you know exactly what you need to jump back into and can adjust accordingly.
3. A block schedule is the same every week.
I'm always curious about people who say, "I only record podcasts on Tuesdays." What if they have a guest that only records podcasts on Wednesdays - do they just never do the interview?
When we hold hard lines on our schedule, we will miss opportunities. So there needs to be some flexibility. Let me be clear, you do not need always need to accommodate other people's schedules, and I strongly encourage clients to practice the phrase "that time doesn't work for me, could we meet at this time instead" but at the end of the day, you're going to have to make adjustments along the way.
Once clients have the blocks (type of work + duration of time), I recommend they plan out a week and build their schedule a week at a time.
What I love about Google Calendar is the flexibility of moving the blocks around every week. For example, I know I need to work on creating content for 2 hours every week, but sometimes it's on Monday, and sometimes it's on Wednesday. Do I try to keep it on the same day every week? Of course! Do I encourage my clients to try to keep it on the same day every week? Definitely!
But I don't want anyone to not try block scheduling because they think they have too rigid about doing the same thing every Monday for the rest of their lives.
Block scheduling has been a game-changer for my schedule because I know exactly what I should be working on at any time and can quickly jump back in if I get off track.
Check out my free Block Schedule Template to help you get started!
