Time blocking
A time management method that divides the day into blocks and assigns a specific task or activity to each block.
Time blocking is a time management method that divides the day’s schedule into blocks of time and assigns a specific task or activity to each block. It is closely related to the concept that Professor Cal Newport of Georgetown University proposed in his book “Deep Work” (2016), and it is used as a way to secure continuous time for intellectual work that requires concentration.
The basic structure of time blocking
Its relationship with scheduling
For people who practice time blocking, meeting scheduling matters from the standpoint of “protecting blocked time.” If a meeting is put into a time period blocked as focus time, the plan for focused work falls apart.
Another way to set it up is to combine it with buffer time and leave margins before and after meetings.
Why it does not last, and tips for keeping it going
One reason time blocking fizzles out after a few days is making the plan too precise. The tip for keeping it going is the opposite: start with rough blocks (in half-day units) and assume you will rebuild in the next block when things fall apart. Newport himself recommends rewriting the plan during the day, and the purpose of time blocking is not to move exactly according to plan but to create a state where you are always deliberately choosing “what to do with this time right now.”