This planning technique increases your productivity by breaking down your day into time assigned activity blocks. By using this method, prioritizing tasks becomes easier and you can make the most of your day.
Benefits of Time Block Planning
- Improved time management: by using this technique, you can really see how much time you have available to get tasks done. It stops you from putting too much or too little on your to do list.
- Improved productivity: By seeing what tasks you have ahead of time, you are more likely to feel motivated and focused. It reduces your ability to fill your time with distractions.
- Decreased stress: This method really reduces those feelings of overwhelm. Even when you have loads of tasks to get done in a day, you can clearly see when to do each task and how much time you have allocated to each.
- Balance: Having a weekly spread of tasks in front of you, allows you to see how much time you are spending on work, hobbies, procrastinating and relationships etc. You may find you have more time to spend with your family or more time to work on a project.
How to Time Block Your Schedule
- Write a list of all your priorities and tasks that you need to complete. This includes work, chores, admin tasks, meal times, social activities, hobbies, sleeping, commuting, working out, medical appointments etc.
- Think about how much time each task takes and allocate time for each task. You must consider time to rest, eat and sleep! Be realistic and not too hard on yourself. This is a great opportunity to readjust your schedule to suit your lifestyle.
- Finally, create your schedule or plan. There are may ways you can do this, including Google calendar, Outlook, Notion or a good old fashioned paper planner. I use Notion to create to do lists such as my cleaning schedule here. I like to use paper for time blocking as it feels more personal and customisable. Finding a good planner can be difficult, my two favourite planners for time block planning are the Passion Planner and the Law of Attraction Planner. Here I will be showing you how I use my Law of Attraction Planner.
The Law of Attraction Planner
This planner is a tool to help you set goals and track the progress of them. The premise of the planner is based on the principles of the law of attraction (generally speaking that positive thoughts and positive outward energy attracts positive experiences and achievements).
The idea is that you set SMART Goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) and use the planner to integrate activities to work towards these. There are areas to reflect on your week, practice gratitude and break down goals into smaller chunks.
The Law of Attraction Planner & Time Blocking
The reason this method is so powerful is that it encourages you to revaluate your values and purpose in life. You then use these decide which goals to focus on and how you will be spending your time.
What I love about the planner is that it encourages you to think positively and believe in yourself. I would never practice gratitude if it wasn’t for the consistent reminders throughout the planner. It even comes with adorable planner stickers with motivational quotes, task stickers, monthly calendar stickers and planner prompts.
There are sections for habit trackers, to do lists and a totally customisable section on the weekly spread which I love. As you can tell, it does not have to be perfect to function. I think it is easy to get carried away wanting to make your planner look perfectly aesthetic but as long as you can read it and it work for you, I would not worry about that. I colour code the types of tasks using the pastel Stabilo Highlighters and use the stickers included, nothing too fancy!
Using the Law of Attraction planner has increased my self-awareness of how I spend my time. I am able to focus more on my work, stop spending hours cleaning my home and spend more time on worthwhile activities. My health has improved, and my stress levels have reduced immensely.
If you want to improve your quality of life, get motivated and be your best productive self I would highly recommend this tool. When you take a small amount of time each week to plan your days in advance, you can focus on what is important to you. Give it a go and see how easy it an be to transform your life.
