Time blocking didn’t work for me. Here’s what did.

This blog started life as an episode of my podcast, Unfrazzle. You can listen here if you prefer (8 minutes 10 seconds).

I knew I wanted to talk about time blocking this week, but wasn’t sure where to start. So I asked Claude to give me a quick overview.

Here’s what it came back with:

“Time blocking is a time-management method where you divide your day into dedicated slots for specific tasks or types of work. Instead of working from a to-do list, you plan in advance what gets your attention and when, so the work itself ends up on your calendar with a real time slot, alongside the meetings. The idea is to trade reactive, in-the-moment decisions for a plan made in advance.

There are a few common variations rather than one single "correct" way to do it: day theming (assigning a theme to each day of the week), task batching (grouping similar small tasks into one block), and energy management (scheduling demanding tasks for your highest-energy hours).”

Have you tried any of those methods to help you get stuff done?

And have they worked for you?

Like accountability, time blocking is often presented as THE solution to help you stay focused and make sure the right things get done.

But like accountability, time blocking doesn’t work for everyone.

I wanted to talk about this today because when I hosted my round table in the summer, I got the sense that people were hoping that once they’d sorted out how to structure their weeks, all their problems would be solved. That they’re holding out for a fixed rhythm that’s going to make everything fall into place.

And I understand that. Because for the longest time, I was hunting for that too.

I tried every version of time blocking you can imagine.

I’d create a new google calendar and block out chunks of time that I thought would help me get things done. I tried it with different activities that needed to happen in my business. Then, when that didn’t work, I got interested in archetypes and tried to block out my time using those. In theory it made a lot of sense. I’d figured out what sorts of tasks fit into each archetype - this was a long time ago so my memory might be off here, but I do remember there being a Queen, Warrior and Sorceror archetype - and I’d figured out which tasks fit the energy of each and the blocked time in my diary where I would step into each of those archetypes.

It made a lot of sense at the time – it’s true that doing tasks that require a similar energy together is more efficient, as you don’t need to switch from one energy type to another (for example the energy I need to record this podcast is not the same as the energy needed to schedule emails, so it makes sense not to bounce back and forth between the two.)

So energy blocking in that way made sense on paper. But it didn’t stick in reality.

In fact none of it stuck. At least not when I was over-engineering things to within an inch of their life!

I can see now that I really wanted to feel in control of my time, and truly believed that imposing such a rigid structure would give me that. It cuts out in-the-moment decision-making, because you’ve already decided what you’re doing ahead of time.

But actually, when you think about it, imposing that sort of structure actually gave me less control. And when I didn’t do what past me said I was going to do, I felt rubbish.

It took a few years of trying to figure it out before I gave up trying to time block my way into being more productive.

Now, I guess you could say that I use a form of time blocking, but it’s WAAAAY less rigid and much lighter touch.

Here’s what’s been working for me over the last few years.

On Mondays and Fridays I block out my calendar so nobody can book calls with me. I protect those days so I have plenty of time to work on whatever’s most important for the growth of my business.

My client calls always happen in the mornings, because that’s when I’m at my best.

I’ve structured the calls in Make It Happen Club to make sure I’m not delivering every week of the month, so I’m able to take time off easily.

And I block out an hour every afternoon to rest, because I tend to lose my mojo around 3pm, and then get my second wind after a cuppa and an episode of something fun.

Everything else falls in around those key things.

The great thing about this – and what makes this work for me when more typical time blocking didn’t – is that it’s incredibly simple, and can flex depending on what’s going on.

For example, over the summer I gave myself permission to take the afternoons off. That doesn’t mean I took EVERY afternoon off, but because I’d set that intention, I was able to take naps, hide from the heat or do something fun when the mood struck.

Things are ramping up again now, though, so I’ve given myself permission to work during the weekends if I choose to. That’s not normal for me, and I know that being happy to do that every now and then – just until the summit I’m running in November is finished – will take the pressure off and allow the next few months to feel a little more spacious. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but if working on a Saturday morning means I’m not running around like a headless chicken all week trying to cram everything in, that works for me!

I’m sharing this with you not because I want you to do what I do. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that I’m very much against telling people what to do, because you are not me, and what works for me won’t necessarily work for you.

I’m sharing this to inspire you.

To tell you it’s ok if you’ve tried time blocking and it didn’t work. It’s not YOU. It’s because you’re trying to force yourself into a rigid way of being that doesn’t allow for your brain, your humanness, your shifting energy levels, your shifting priorities and all the other things that are going on in your life.

So if you’ve been holding onto the hope that all you need to do is find the perfect rhythm or structure for your days and then everything will be fixed, consider this some gentle encouragement to ease off a little. Go back to basics. These things don’t need to be over-engineered. Sometimes just knowing your non-negotiables (for me, that’s call-free days where I get to work ON my business) and working around those can be enough.

As always, I hope that this helps. And I look forward to seeing you again soon.