One mind, 50 thoughts
I am not ashamed to admit that in certain areas of my life I am not as efficient and organised as I would like to be.
In some areas of my life I have a tendency to meander because I being easily diverted into something else when an idea enters my head. I can be in the middle of putting on my makeup and then find myself on Google checking out stats for a blog post idea I just had, whilst foundation is dripping down my forehead. I can be in the middle of cleaning and find myself lost in an interesting magazine article because I picked it up to decide if I was going to throw it out.
You get the picture, I know I am not the only one.
So this is why I love the idea of time blocking.
I remember complaining to a friend about how long it took me to clean my flat and she said when it comes to cleaning as long as you give yourself that is how long it takes. She was right, my head space was just in I need to get this done, I did come at it from a time block perspective.
So time blocking for me has been revolutionary and I have passed this method on to many friends and clients because of the overwhelming nature of being a female entrepreneur, women and for many mothers we can get pulled in many different directions.
It is also a great way to get things done whilst you may have children and a partner at home. Make it a rule that until they hear the timer ring they are not allowed to talk or disturb Mum.
So what is time blocking?
Time blocking is the micro version of planning. Planning is key to be a female entrepreneur and we can get pulled from pillar to post when it comes out thoughts and the day to day quagmire of this it takes to run a home and a business.
Time blocking is short bursts of time for which you allow yourself to get something done but all your focus must be on that single activity.
How to time block
You will need some kind of timing device. Look no further than your phone, or you could invest in one. I have excellent one from Amazon, a Time Cube that gives me time chunks of 5, 15, 30 & 60 mins. See image above
Let’s say in your planner you blocked out two hours for admin on a Monday morning. But this block of time needs to broken into emails, accounts and other messages.
By time blocking a small chunk of time for each task, it allows you to be focussed on that task without it becoming endless and once the time is over you have to move on. It is a really good way to assess how long something takes you and if there are ways to improve the way you are working.
Social Media is great for time blocking because this can be the very task that can take you down the rabbit hole. So time blocking replying to comments, or liking Instagram posts or creating images, or reading posts……… are all perfect for the use of time blocking.
I can sometimes find difficult and can end up spending a day writing something that I only wanted to take and hour, so time blocking really has helped me to focus and let go of any insecurities and just write.
What ever task you find that ends up becoming endless is the task time block.
The rules
It couldn’t be easier to just have to make sure that you show strict adherence to the rules.
- Decide on the task
- Make sure you have what you need, you don’t want to be running around looking for post it notes, pens or tools to get the task done.
- Focus purely on that task, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by anything else, this means kids, phones, messages coming in.
- Once time is up move on. No just adding another minute.
The more you do this the better you will become at knowing how long to allow yourself and sticking to the rules.
So a quick post but one that can have a huge impact on your day.
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