Time Blocking: What it is and How it Helps
In pursuit of my existential, never-ending goal to maximize my own productivity, I’m always looking for the best way to use and organize my time. I’ve tried a lot of stuff y’all. Some of it’s worked well and some of it isn’t my jam, but this one is definitely here to stay and I’m excited to share today!
A while ago, I stumbled onto the idea of time blocking. According to The Todoist, “time blocking is a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks” (Scroggs). Among other well-known business high-achievers, this method is used by Elon Musk and Kyle Newport.
Not too long ago, my best friend Doyle noticed I was stressed out at my new job. I’d been here about 5 months and mentioned offhand that I hadn’t worked out in a week. He pointed out that it wasn’t just the job that was stressing me out, it’s that I wasn’t being intentional about taking time I needed for my own self care.
I realized he was right, and that evening, got to work reorganizing my priorities. First, I reviewed my previous week’s calendar. Working out wasn’t on it. And that’s why it didn’t get done. I found some time and added it in, marking that time as busy.
Then I thought about how I’d felt during the week. What stressed me out? What meetings was I particularly anxious headed into? I saw things on my calendar back to back to back, meaning that I didn’t have time to prepare or take a break between meetings. Looking at my next week, I blocked off 20 minutes before each meeting to review and prep. I marked that time as busy as well.
After that, I looked further ahead at client meetings. I knew I wanted to be more prepared for these in general. I then blocked off two two-hour time slots to prepare for a client meeting. Now, my schedule was looking more full, but began to stress me out much less, as I knew I’d have time to prepare, I didn’t have to worry about what was next.
The big idea is…
I want to be more productive. Productive people use their time intentionally. How should I structure my time so that it’s intentional and productive?
It’s no secret that we waste countless hours every day moving between tasks, distracted by this email or this call or the missing information we forgot to give so-and-so last week. At some point, I realized I was spending so much time being anxious about how much I had to do, I wasn’t producing the quality of work I wanted. Since I know there are structured methods others high achieving people use to combat this, I decided to look at people who have a higher output than I do.
Many high achieving people use time blocking.
After some research and testing in my own life and schedule -- there’s definitely more than one way to skin this productivity cat -- I found time blocking to work best for me. It helps me get more sh!t done, be intentional about planning my day and week, and significantly reduces the anxiety I feel on a daily basis.
In particular, it’s an underutilized tool that can be extremely useful for sales reps.
What You Need
In order to practice time blocking, all you need is a calendar, either physical or digital. That’s it! In my experience, a well-organized calendar is a sales rep’s greatest (and often least utilized) tool. Sure, we all put meetings and calls on our calendar, but we often don’t hold ourselves accountable for that mysterious in-between time, which is where time blocking comes in.
What You Do
The first step for time blocking is to block off half an hour to 45-minutes in your day in order to organize your calendar. Yep, you’ll get started right away. You’ll use this designated time to block off key activities with specific intent toward a certain high-level goal. For sales reps, this goal can be to close more deals and hit higher numbers. (Like how I blocked off time to prep for meetings -- better prepped meetings mean I’ll close more deals!)
Some things you might put on your calendar include:
Prep for forecast meeting
Workday Warm-Up (Details in a future post!)
Follow-up calls
Update CRM
You want to block off as much time as possible so you know how you’ll spend your time each day. Both simple and complex tasks deserve time on the calendar -- as well as self care. If exercising makes you less stressed and more productive (and research shows that it does), then put it on your calendar!
It’s been definitively proven that people are more likely to do things that are on their calendars. If it’s written or typed, you’ll be more intentional in accomplishing the task and have a higher chance of succeeding.
What does it look like?
Based on my own self-awareness, as well as scientific research, I know that the human brain can’t switch tasks immediately. It takes time to settle in, to transition from one task to another, and to reach that peak productivity state of flow. To “get in the zone”, as they say. That’s why I prefer to schedule my time in 1.5-2 hour blocks for key tasks.
An important thing to drive home is that this isn’t dogma. You’ll have to find what works best for you. Elon Musk famously parcels out his day in 5 minute increments. Wow! That’s intense. And definitely doesn’t work for me personally. You’ll be most productive if you find what works best for you, not carbon copying someone else’s high achieving practices.
Things I’ve Learned
In practicing this, I’ve devised a few strategies that are particularly effective for sales reps working from home. They help me focus, prioritize my day, and ultimately - close more deals and hit those numbers!
Build in Buffer Time
One of the biggest things I’ve learned when implementing time blocking as a strategy is that personally, I need buffer time. Life happens. Dogs need to go outside. You get a call from your kids’ school. You’ve got to go to the bathroom. Whatever it is, buffer time helps you stay on task while also giving yourself breathing time in between. I like to schedule an hour for every 45 minute task. This allows me to get into flow and gives me time to warm up and cool down between each activity. Plus, then I’ve got time to stretch my legs, make a cup of tea and recalibrate before I dive into whatever’s next.
Always Reschedule
Each day I review my schedule to make sure everything on it takes me closer to my goal of hitting higher numbers and closing more deals. Occasionally, I’ll find I need to rearrange or readjust something. This is fine for me -- being flexible is allowed in time blocking. However, it’s important not to skip key tasks or miss anything important entirely. Make sure you reschedule immediately so everything has a place on the calendar.
Hold Yourself Accountable!
Before I got serious about time blocking, I thought I was actually pretty intentional with my time. I arrogantly thought I’d just be doing some tweaking but really I was doing pretty good. I mean, I’ve written about productivity for over a year...oops. Turns out that thinking about and researching productivity doesn’t mean we’re always implementing it! Keeping yourself accountable is key. Just because you’ve reviewed your calendar once doesn’t mean you’ll never have to do it again. Make evaluating your time a habit that you do everyday, not just once. Keep prioritizing and readjusting as you go. Things have a way of changing with the seasons.
What’s Next?
Moving forward, I’m interested in seeing how a more integrated calendar affects me long term. In practice, I’ve found it really does help me stress less and feel more prepared for aspects of work. I’ll be checking my numbers in a quarter for SURE. Has time blocking really helped me hit better numbers and achieve those goals? There’s nothing better than cold, hard facts and data.
Plus, I’m not sure about some elements. Does every week need to be the same or could I make an A/B 2-week cycle work with my current job? What about weekly hours? What’s my personal ideal and optimum time for me weekly? Of course I know sometimes I’ll have 70-80 hour weeks when working on a deadline, but that’s not something I can personally sustain over a long period without burning out. Typically, should I shoot for closer to 50 or 60 hour weeks?
And the biggest question I’m pondering: How does this work into my life long goals? If I’m more intentional and efficient with my working hours, what am I more free to do? Travel? Cook? Try a new hobby? I want to use my time well, and I want to use the time I save well too.
What about You?
Ultimately, how can you make this work for you in your sales position? Are you still working from the home office? What are your needs now as opposed to a year ago? Life has changed -- your calendar should change too.
Do you need rest time? Do you need a walk every afternoon? How can you be the healthiest and most mindful YOU? Work stuff is already on your calendar. What’s missing? Add that afternoon break. Factor in lunch time.
The goal is to succeed in more than one area. We’re not just money-making machines, we have lives to tend to as well.
Being in a sales office can be a boiler room -- everyone’s constantly stressed out and anxious. Time blocking can lead to a less-anxious work day, one that’s more intentional, and deliberate. It’s easy to implement and needs no real training.
Ask yourself this: Does my calendar look like a sales rep’s calendar? If not, it’s time to close this tab, block off half an hour, and start taking some small steps in that direction. You got this.
Comments? I love ‘em. Pop them below!
Sources:
Scroggs, Laura. The ToDoist. https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/time-blocking.
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It's time to wrap up our Q2 blog series on productivity! These past three months have FLOWN by. Summer is in full swing and I'm feeling more productive than ever. I'm less stressed and taking better care of myself physically and mentally. AND I'm still hitting those numbers and closing deals like wildfire. Woohoo!