Timeblocking or ''time blocking'' (also known as ''time chunking'') is a

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

technique for personal

time management Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. It involves of various demands upon a person relating to work, ...

where a period of time—typically a day or week—is divided into smaller segments or blocks for specific tasks or to-dos. It integrates the function of a

calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physi ...

with that of a to-do list. It is a kind of

scheduling A schedule or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order in which such things are i ...

. When done properly, timeblocking can help eliminate distractions and discourage unproductive multitasking.

History

The practice of timeblocking is nearly as old as the use of calendars. Evidence suggests that

calendars A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a physi ...

during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

corresponded to a particular agricultural action. This enabled farmers to plant and harvest at the right times, reducing crop spoilage. As the standard definition of a calendar gradually evolved to the Gregorian one that is widely used today and each unit of time became subdivided into smaller and smaller segments, timeblocking evolved to a more detailed scale. Benjamin Franklin's Schedule

While the first known user of timeblocking is unknown,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading intel ...

was known to be an early adopter. Franklin avidly detailed the activities he would undertake every hour of the day, including rest and chores. He blocked off hours at a time to engage in deep work and allocated two hours for lunch. Since the advent of

personal digital assistant A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in partic ...

s in the 1990s and later

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

s in the 2000s, timeblocking has transformed from a paper-and-pen format to a digital format in the form of

calendaring software A digital calendar is a collaborative or personal time management software with a calendar that can be used to keep track of planned events. The calendar can also contain an appointment book, address book or contact list. Common features of di ...

and

time-tracking software Time-tracking software is a category of computer software that allows its employees to record time spent on tasks or projects. The software is used in many industries, including those who employ freelancers and hourly workers. It is also used by p ...

. Digital calendars enable users to share meetings and send meeting invites, furthering collaboration. This has reduced the need for paper calendars, though users still remain.

Benefits

Timeblocking aids in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning. It is based on a single-tasking mindset, promoting devoting one's full attention to a task for a specified duration of time. The main benefit of timeblocking is that it helps users achieve more in the same amount of time. Cal Newport, author of ''Deep Work'' and assistant professor of computer science at Georgetown University has stated, Timeblocking can help users be more realistic about what can be accomplished in a day and help them structure their day more productively. Additionally, timeblocking personal time such as breakfast in the morning or vacation time can help alleviate workplace-induced stress. Timeblocking encourages allocating deliberate time away from the desk, reducing the chance of employee burnout. This can help workers feel more rejuvenated and more productive when they are working. Finally, timeblocking creates a sense of artificial urgency to get each task done in a predetermined amount of time which may help some users accomplish more in the same time period, with one study finding that professionals who timeblock accomplish 53% more tasks than otherwise.

Criticisms

David Allen, author of ''

Getting Things Done ''Getting Things Done'' (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen and published in a book of the same name. GTD is described as a time management system. Allen states "there is an inverse relationship between things on yo ...

'', once espoused a no-frills approach to calendar organization, advocating for only putting deadlines on calendars. However, in recent years, he has expressed doubts about his previous approach to calendar management, reneging on his previous ideology. In an interview in 2014, he has supported timeblocking by stating, "yesterday I blocked my calendar for two different time slots to work on a project."

Relationship with other methods

Timeboxing In agile principles, timeboxing allocates a fixed and maximum unit of time to an activity, called a timebox, within which planned activity takes place. It is used by agile principles-based project management approaches and for personal time man ...

is a variant of timeblocking used in

project management Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. Th ...

. * The Pomodoro technique is a productivity framework that espouses that professionals should focus without distraction on work for 25 minutes then take a break. Its interval-based technique complements timeblocking, though the Pomodoro technique is more of an ad hoc measure for unspecific work whereas timeblocking is a proactive planning methodology for specific tasks.

Notable users

timeblocked his day by the hour, allocating time for sleeping, meals, and recreation. *

Jack Dorsey Jack Patrick Dorsey (born November 19, 1976) is an American Internet entrepreneur and programmer who is a co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, Inc., as well as a co-founder and the CEO and chairperson of Block, Inc., the developer of the Squa ...

, ex-CEO of

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, an ...

and CEO of Block, Inc., is known to block entire days thematically. He described his schedule as: * Venture capitalist

Marc Andreessen Marc Lowell Andreessen ( ; born July 9, 1971) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and software engineer. He is the co-author of Mosaic, the first widely used web browser; co-founder of Netscape; and co-founder and general partner of Silicon ...

timeblocks free time, "time to think", as well as his sleeping time. * Cal Newport spends 20 minutes each evening timeblocking his next day. He attributes this to allowing him to focus on "deep pursuits" and achieve more in a day. *

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

utilizes timeblocking as well to schedule his day.{{Cite web, last=Kruse, first=Kevin, title=Why Highly Productive People Use 'Time Blocking', url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2017/04/19/why-highly-productive-people-use-time-blocking/, access-date=2020-08-04, website=

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...

, language=en

References