Mastering Time Blocking: A Guide for Newcomers

Are you finding it hard to get all your tasks done in a week? Or maybe you haven’t met a quarterly goal since the early ’90s?

Well, time blocking, with a bit of a twist, has helped me accomplish more in a year than most people do. Hi, I’m AJ. After growing my business to a multiple seven-figure success, I experimented with countless productivity strategies. That’s when I discovered time blocking.

Join me on this journey to crush your goals! Let’s dive in.

### Key Points

Time blocking is a time management technique that divides your day into specific chunks, each dedicated to a particular task.

Think of your day as a giant puzzle, where each piece represents a block of time for a specific activity. Instead of dealing with a chaotic to-do list, each block has a designated task.

No more aimlessly wandering through your tasks. Time blocking gives you a clear game plan every morning, detailing what to do and when. It’s like having a personal assistant, but you’re both the boss and the assistant.

Remember school schedules with time for math, recess, and Spanish (that you might’ve skipped)? Time blocking works similarly. Instead of multitasking like a juggler, you focus on one task at a time, like giving each task an appointment.

### What Time Blocking Isn’t

While time blocking is crucial to my strategy, I use other tools to make it even more effective.

### The 12-Week Year

The book “The 12-Week Year” by Brian P. Moran introduces an efficient system for setting goals, moving away from the traditional yearly approach. Instead of annual goals, you set goals for 12 weeks, making the finish line closer and more achievable.

### SMART Goals

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives. They act as a compass for our productivity journey, cutting through vague aspirations.

### Getting Started

Before starting time blocking, arm yourself with a few tools like Google Calendar and Trello. Here’s my step-by-step guide to getting more done in 12 weeks than most people do in 12 months.

Start by envisioning where you want to be by the end of the 12 weeks, like Stephen Covey suggests. Think of it as slicing up a productivity pizza, where each slice represents a weekly task.

For example, if your 12-week goal is to start a blog and write 30 posts, your weekly tasks might look like this:

Step 3 involves putting these weekly tasks into something tangible like a Trello checklist. By outlining your weekly goals, you can easily track your progress and check off tasks as you complete them. It’s like having a personal cheerleader celebrating every small victory with you, keeping you motivated. There’s just something satisfying about ticking off a completed task, isn’t there?

With your goals broken down into manageable tasks, it’s time for our secret weapon: time blocking. This isn’t just about random scheduling; it’s about assigning specific time slots to make each task feel important.

So, open your Google Calendar and start scheduling your tasks, giving each enough time to be completed.

### Tips for Time Blocking

Now, you’re ready to see time blocking in action. Try it next week and see how it transforms your productivity. Let me know how it goes!