How to Time Block

Organize Now - Time Block

Are you rattled by deadlines? Do you think you cannot possibly get everything done that needs to be done in a specific amount of time? The concept of time blocking or estimated time usage is a great way to determine if your To Do List is doable in your available time or if it is completely unrealistic. To get the best possible results you will need to be honest with your estimates regarding the amount of time needed to achieve each task. Now get to work on your Time Block! That sound you think you hear is the Tick Tock of a clock as time disappears and nothing gets accomplished.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Suggested Tools
• •A notebook or blank paper
• •A calendar
• • A pen or pencil
• •An hour or two to create your Time Block - a Time block can be for any amount of time. – One Day, Several Days, One Week, Several Weeks, Etc.

1. Write a complete To Do List. You will then be able to block it effectively by determining the total amount of time that you have to complete the total number of tasks on your To Do List. Determine how many days per week you want to commit to completing your tasks. Be realistic about the days you have available to complete the tasks on your To Do List. If you determine you have the option to only work on a task from your To Do List on a few specific days, block these days and detail the aspects of the task you wish to complete.

2. Review and prioritize your list. For example, if you want to write a short story, write ten articles, reorganize a home desk, put business contacts into a new database, organize the work in process file, and shread everything in your "Shread It file", put all of these items on the To Do List. Then, decide which items are your priorities and time block accordingly.

3. Determine the blocking details. For example, if you decided on writing ten articles, reorganizing the home desk, and putting the business contacts into a new database, and that you only have six weeks to complete the tasks, you must first determine how many days you want to commit to each. Consider how many hours per day you will commit; as well as the total hours each of the tasks/projects will require.

4. Multiply the total days committed times the total hours per day committed to get the total available hours for completing your projects. Add together the estimated hours of all three projects. Compare these two totals. If you have more hours available to use than hours needed to complete the projects, move onto the next step. If not, you will either need to commit additional days/hours or move a project or partial project into the next available block. Proceed to the next step.

5. Get your your calendar and determine how you’d like to spread your projects over your available hours. Perhaps you’d like to write the articles one day, work on your database another and work on the desk organization another. Maybe you’d like to commit three hours per day to each project. Or perhaps you’d like to commit as many hours and days as necessary for one project, before moving onto the second or third project. The best part is that you will know that you have determined a time frame for completing each project.

6. Write up your Time Block and post it where it will be available for reference every day - on a bulletin board or perhaps on a clipboard. Or, if you use a personal or electronic organizer, put all your information into the organizer. Check the device every morning.

Tips & Warnings

• I’ve used this process multiple times with great success.