Previously we talked about time auditing your day – where are you spending your time and is it actually aligning with your goals or not.

Today we’re going to talk about time blocking.

This is a skill that is learned and needs to be practiced, and I do this with my clients. If you have a busy schedule from day-to-day, you especially should be doing this!

However, I find that this is one of the most over-looked pieces of planning that people don’t take enough time to implement.

Time blocking means that you’re going to start with a blank slate to your day. We’re going to go through the list of things you do in your day from the non-negotiables to the fun stuff.

Here’s how to time block out your day:

• Start by writing out the times of your day down a piece of paper on the side. My day starts at 5AM and ends at 9PM, but use your own time windows.
• The first thing you’ll put in are your non-negotiables. This is stuff like work, for example. Usually you have a set schedule that you have to work, and there’s not much you can budge on that. So throw that down first. This will probably take up the majority of your available hours.
• Next, let’s do the other essentials. This is stuff like kid’s activities, your hobbies, etc. Groceries might fall here. Errands, etc. Your workout should fall in here. So toss that 30-60 minutes into your day where you’re going to look after yourself. This is an essential – arguably a non-negotiable.
• The next is the other important things but less urgent things – when will you get your daily movement in? Time block in that time you’ll walk your dog, or play outside with the kids. Schedule it in!

Whatever time is left after that, that’s for the fun stuff, the super non-urgent things, and the more flexible things.

Continue to do this for each day of your week, including your weekends. Especially the weekends, because I find with clients this is where the grey area begins, and we slip up when we don’t have a plan! Just because you have a little less structure without work on the weekends, doesn’t mean you should skip over having a plan with how you’ll tackle and prioritize your day!

The weekend should include your hours to grocery shop and meal prep. I log these Sunday morning for myself, as that’s the best time to shop and the house is generally a little more quiet at this time. Put yours in there.

The last thing I’ll add is that this won’t be easy to implement immediately. Sometimes our schedule is set for numerous weeks ahead. If I’m going to make change to my structure, I’ll start planning today for the next month, and that way I’ve bought myself a few weeks to schedule meetings in where I want them.

Have some leniency with how quick you can implement it, but at least go through the motions of mapping it out for yourself!

If you are struggling to find how to map out your day or what to prioritize to make it work for you, book with one of our coaches. We sit down with our clients all the time and help them structure their routine so they can get their priorities in!