How to use time blocking as a busy mum

If you ever feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions, or you need some help tackling your to do list, then time blocking could be just the thing you need to finally feel on top of it all.

But what is time blocking, and how can it help busy mums feel productive at the end of the day, instead of worn out by it?

Here I’ll share some information on what time blocking is, the benefits of time blocking, how to use time blocking with an example, as well as tips to make time blocking work for you.

If time blocking is something you’ve been thinking about, or that you’d like to start but don’t know how, then this post will steer you in the right direction.

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What is time blocking?

Time blocking means breaking your day up into blocks of time, and allocating certain tasks to each time block.

Once a time block is finished, you move onto the next block of time, and start to work on the tasks assigned to the next time block.

Time blocking is a great productivity tool for busy mums, as it allows you to focus on tasks that you need to get done, in the amount of time you have available for them.

What are the benefits of time blocking?

Some of the benefits of time blocking include:

• You can group similar tasks together
• You work on tasks that are a priority, so you can finally tick them off your to do list
• You gather an understanding of how long tasks actually take, so you can dedicate enough time for them in future time blocking sessions
• You can block tasks according to your energy levels. For example, if you have more energy in the morning compared to at night, you can block out time for exercise in the morning, so you have the energy needed to complete a workout
• You’re less likely to be distracted by tasks that aren’t in a time block, because you know you’ll do them in the time block you’ve allocated to them
• Time blocking allows you to have more balance in your day, because you can block work tasks, household tasks, and family time in separate time blocks

How to start time blocking

Here are the steps you can follow if you’d like to start time blocking.

1. List down everything you want to get done

The first step to time blocking is to make a list of everything that you want to achieve in a day.

Some examples of the types of things this may include are:

• Work commitments
• Booking appointments
• Household chores
• Out of home errands
• Grocery shopping
• Kids morning routine
• Making beds
• School run
• Meal planning and cooking meals
• After school commitments
• Bedtime routines
• Self-care routine
• Exercise

2. Create your time blocks – plus an example

On a piece of paper, in a notebook, or in a daily time planner, write down the hours you have in your day going down the page.

For example, if your day is 6am to 10pm, write 6am on the top, 7am underneath, then 8am, all the way down to 10pm.

Next, create blocks of time that you can allocate your daily list items in.

Here’s an example of how this works using some of the items in the above list:

Morning time block 6am – 9am

• Make beds
• Kid’s morning routine
• Get ready for school
• School run

Mid-morning time block 9am – 11am

• Tackle priority for the day
• Book appointments
• Household chores

Afternoon time block 11am – 3pm

• Work commitments
• Lunch

Afternoon time block 3pm – 6pm

• School run
• Kid’s homework
• Cook and eat dinner
• Play with kids

Evening time block 6pm – 10pm

• Kids’ baths and showers
• Bedtime routine
• Exercise
• Self-care routine

3. Assess your time blocks

Regularly assess whether you’re allocating enough time, or too much time for certain tasks, and change the size of your future time blocks to accommodate this.

For example, you may discover that you need less time for household chores than you first thought, so future time blocks with household chores in them can be smaller than they were when you started time blocking.

However you decide to block your time, make sure your time blocks work for you, make changes to them whenever you need to, and remember that not every day will look the same.

Tips for successful time blocking

Here are some tips to make time blocking work for you:

• Don’t get distracted by tasks that aren’t in a time block
• Set a timer (your phone timer, or a timer like this productivity timer) and stay focused on the tasks in your time block. Once the timer goes off, move onto your next time block, and move anything that wasn’t completed in a time block to another day
• Block out time to rest, time for family, and time for yourself, so your day is balanced
• Stay flexible and change your time blocks if needed

How to use time blocking – a recap

Time blocking means allocating blocks of time to tasks that you need to get done, which helps you to be more productive, and work on the things that really matter.

There are many benefits to time blocking, from allowing you to work on similar tasks at the same time, tackling priorities that you may have put off, and even helping you to not get distracted by things that aren’t important.

The best way to get started with time blocking is to list down the hours in your day, then block the hours into time periods that you can work on similar tasks.

For example, blocking off a morning time period of 6am – 9am and allocating morning related tasks to it like making beds, kid’s morning routines, getting ready for school, and doing the school run is a great example of a time block.

Assessing your time blocks regularly, and changing time blocks to an amount of time needed for the tasks within it, ensures that time blocking works for you.

I hope you’ve found some information here that encourages you to try time blocking, and if you do, that it’s something you’ll continue to use, especially when you feel overwhelmed by everything you’ve got on your plate.

What tasks do you each day that would work well with time blocking?

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