Dear SAHM or wahm block schedule days of the week to organize your life and stay sane! Use the blank time blocking chart to track your next project.
Time Blocking (TB) is a time management strategy for getting more done in small amounts of focused time. With this method of staying productive, you boost your efficiency as well as your effectiveness.
Time blocking for moms or homemakers is essentially this: just like you already know the starting time for your tasks (i.e. your regular daily schedule), with time blocking, you also work to stick to your task’s ending time.
It’s like a boundary, a finish line, a cap-
You cap the task and prevent it from overflowing onto other tasks on your schedule like ketchup flows from one thing on your plate to the other which didn’t need ketchup. (lame but true example)
Time blocking means you:
- break a larger project into small pieces, then use small time blocks (25 min. each) to complete a piece of the task
- give dedicated focus to one and only one thing during a block
- rush to complete it
Now, a while back I made a printable when I was struggling with finding time for my blog work with a small baby. So I and a couple of friends held each other accountable to time blocking.
You can signup above for the efficiency booster Time Blocking Sheet I made for myself back then.
I think it’s a good starting point and when you become a pro at setting deadlines to your tasks, you can apply it to your entire day but I certainly can’t stay very tight roped like that all day right now.
So I pick the most important task that is constantly getting pushed back and use this sheet for that one task alone to get it done.
For the ones who want to kick their productivity up a notch by using the printable, here is a detailed walk through of how you can get more work done faster.
You have to try it once before your reject the idea ?. I know it works. I’m just silly not to use it more often.
- Pick an important task.
- find an empty time block in your day. One standard time block is 25.min long. (Say whaa..? How do you even start work in such a small time bracket? But everyone across the world uses this number so when I use TB technique, I roll with the punches, it works.) Fill the first column with block number #1 and add the date if you want to.
- Decide in your mind how many blocks you will take altogether to complete your task.
- Then you actually pull out a physical timer. The timer gave this technique its actual name i.e. pomodoro. So you won’t wing it. Use. The. Timer. The second column on the sheet will ask you, did you wing it or actually use a timer? Takes one second to circle wings or the timer icon on the sheet. Using a physical timer takes you to a whole new level of productivity. So, don’t wing it and…. did I emphasize enough? Don’t wing it. I’m watching you, okay?
- The third column asks you (to circle yes/no) did you actually stick to the work during the entire 25 min., working uninterrupted or without giving away your focus throughout the entire time block.
- The next column asks to fill in the task you assigned to the block. Like decluttering toys or whatever you’re doing…
- The fifth block asks you did you actually get the task done? This is different from the third block. In the third block I asked you ,did you stick to your task for the whole time block. In this block I’m asking you, did you actually complete the task during that time.
- In the last column you will write observations on why you did or didn’t complete a task on time. This will help you make adjustments and setting so you can counter problems for your next block. For example, if you couldn’t complete a task because kids kept interrupting you then maybe you’ll select their quiet time for your next block.
If you’re super frustrated with your time or any unfinished big project right now, just give Time Blocking one try, it really really works. The only question is, why don’t we use it more frequently??
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