How to use time-blocking in your business
17TH APRIL 2024 | BY HAYLEY KEEBER
Do you have a never-ending to-do list that makes you feel like your constantly playing catch-up? Sometimes running a business can be very time-consuming, especially when you are a solopreneur. A lot of the time burn out is caused by juggling too many tasks at once and never actually getting where you need to go. So how do you stop this?
The easy answer is time-blocking.
But what is time-blocking?
Time-blocking is a way of scheduling your tasks into set times in your diary. Of course, this just sounds like writing a to-do list, so I will explain step by step how to time-block, so you never get overwhelmed with your never-ending tasks again!
The step-by-step guide -
Step One - You need to decide whether you want to do this hourly, daily or weekly. Each has their benefits, but the best way to decide is to get a planner which either has one day per page or a week. Then see which you prefer. This will make you decide how you are going to plan. If you prefer to plan as you go along, then go for a daily planner with the hours broken down. If you prefer to plan a week ahead, then go for a weekly planner.
Step Two - Write down every task that needs completing. No matter how big or small, if it needs doing, write it down.
Step Three - In the planner you have, first block out the times when you have non-negotiable tasks e.g. school pick up / dentist / kids clubs etc. This will ensure you do not miss the important tasks that are not business related.
Step Four - Once you have the non-negotiable tasks set in the planner, now you can see all the time you have free in your day / week for the tasks that need completing. Now place your tasks in order - most important to least important.
Step Five - Now you know what you need to complete in what order and the free time you have to complete them, you now want to assign a time-frame to each task, eg - doing accounts - 1 hour, writing social media posts - 30 mins etc.
Step Six - Now schedule each task in your planner, leaving the required time for each. This will now help you plan your day, without missing anything that needs to be completed.
"The shorter way to do many things is to only do one thing at a time." - Mozart.
Once you have all your tasks scheduled - what happens next?
Once all the tasks are set and you are able to see how you can complete them in the day / week, you now have some essencial rules that need to be followed to make sure it works.
- When the time is up on a specific task, if it is finished or not - move on to the next task. Do not go over time, otherwise it is easy to allow yourself to get distracted if you are not focused on completing the task in the time given.
- Do not forget to schedule breaks. It is really important to allow yourself breaks throughout the day. You are most productive when fed and watered, so do not forget this.
- When you schedule your week, do not forget to give yourself an hour or two for some time. It's easy to get bogged down with the mundane day-to-day grind. Make sure you schedule on time for you!
- Have clear boundaries. If someone asks you to complete a task, but you already have everything planned out for your day, make sure they know it will be scheduled for when you can fit it in. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed and forgetting to do the tasks that need to be completed.
If you want to know more, sign up to our email list. We have our Free Ebook - Gain more time with time-blocking, which gives you free planners to download and use.
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