How to Time Block and be More Productive

Our society values busyness. People constantly like to flex about how busy they are and how hard they work. They wear it like a badge of honour. But being busy is not what matters, it’s how productive we are that does.

The thing is, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. And how we manage those hours, and focus on our tasks, determines how productive those 24 hours are.

As wedding planners, we have a lot of tasks. We are managing several projects at the same time and often it can feel like everything is coming at us all at once. We are just constantly firefighting and surviving. It is time to take control of your time, manage all of those tasks, and not feel overwhelmed.

Time blocking is a tried and true business productivity tool. In fact, many top CEOs use it to get more done.

What Is Time Blocking? 

Time blocking is a time management technique. It helps you get more done by focusing on one task at a time and by giving your full attention to that task. With time blocking, you set aside chunks of time specifically for certain tasks, such as vendor calls, email, social media engagement, blog writing, or creating timelines.

How to Time Block:

Wedding Planners are usually “list” people We love lists, and many of us keep “to-do lists”, for all of the tasks we have to take care of. Did you know you can be more productive and actually save time if you turn that “To-do” list into Time Blocks?

1. List all of your tasks (group similar tasks together)
2. Write down how long each of those tasks should take you
3. Create a deadline for the task
4. Schedule and block off that time in your calendar for each of those tasks, just like you do for an appointment
5. Keep your tasks under 60 minutes, anything that will take longer than 60 minutes should be broken down into smaller tasks.
6. Complete each task that you have scheduled for yourself

Tips to stay Focussed

• Ignore or turn off your phone calls and emails during these scheduled time blocks. Do not even look at your phone. Turn it over so the updates on your screen do not distract you.
• Take control of the scroll! Make scrolling Social Media one of your set-timed tasks. Social Media is important for business but it can quickly turn into our biggest distraction and time thief.
• Set a timer for when each task should be finished.
• Take a short break after completing each task. You could take a 5-minute walk-about, grab a coffee, take in some fresh air, or just sit and be settled. You will be more refreshed and alert to tackle the next task, and therefore more productive.
• Outsource any tasks that do not need your personal attention. They are actually keeping you from tasks that can make you more money.

As a planner, nothing soothes our soul more than having a plan. So map out your day, week, and month in Time Blocks, and it will help alleviate your anxiety about that massive “To-do List”.