Are you always telling yourself you need to be more productive? Or maybe you find it hard to focus on the task at hand and get distracted by something else easily?
Guess what! If you’re not productive you’re not going to be able to effectively get shit done that takes you that step closer to reaching your goals.
I hear so often about people getting stuck in their inbox for 3 -4 hours a day…what a waste of time! Shut your email now!
So how do you take yourself out of the productivity rut? By implementing a strategy know as time blocking, which is essentially blocking set times in your diary for completing specific tasks.
The Benefits of Time Blocking
- It’s a useful way to help stop you from becoming distracted. It’s designed for focus!
- During each block, you focus on one very specific task and ignore everything else, which can make you up to 80% more productive than if you were splitting your time across several tasks.
- Time blocking allows for maximum efficiency and ensures that you cross off all the priority items for the day.
You simply fill your calendar with the tasks you need to do, and yes it will make your calendar look full, but this is so you can manage your tie effectively. Here’s what my calendar generally looks like.
To note:
- I schedule in a lunch break as well as personal time/tasks.
- There are set times for checking email and doing admin tasks, once that time is up I close my emails down
- My schedule is the same every week! BUT I do have space to move blocks around if I have meetings etc.
From my time blocks I then refer to Asana, which I use for task management to identify the specific tasks I have to do in that set block of time.
Studies have shown that working in 90-minute blogs is best for maximum productivity, so I ensure I have 5-10 minute breaks in between. By doing this it:
- Limits fatigue.
- Allows recovery during the rest time.
- Keeps your mind sharp and stress levels lower
Once you’ve started time blocking, ensure you go back and reflect on your calendar and change where necessary. I have changed mine a few times this year to allow for outsourced tasks I no longer do, adding more strategic work and less one on one client work. So it makes sense that I made change to my calendar…it needs to be flexible and change as your business does.
As a small business time is our most valuable resource and if we don’t take control over it, it’s easy for it to be gobbled up elsewhere.
We Are Emersyn uses an inclusive definition “female” and “women” and we welcome trans people, women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who identify, have identified, or have been identified as female, women, or non-binary.