How to Create a Block Schedule You’ll Actually Stick to

PodcastLeadership

Feb 24

Episode 929: Show Notes

If you have pressed play on today’s podcast, I’m almost certain it’s because you want to make a block schedule work for you but it just hasn’t stuck in the past. I know it’s changed my life and I can’t wait to break it down for you!

Just know that when I started my business, I wasn’t always this productive. I let other people dictate what my days and weeks looked like.

There’s a lot of research on how much more you’re capable of getting done when you’re doing similar tasks together. But how do you create a schedule that’s flexible enough? Block scheduling breaks up your day into dedicated blocks of time for specific types of tasks or activities. This reduces decision fatigue and stress and saves a ton of time!

Listen on your favorite podcast player

Listen to the Strategy Hour Podcast on Spotify

Listen to the Strategy Hour Podcast on Apple Podcasts

How I Structure My Week with a Block Schedule

Every single day follows a similar flow, and every day of the week has a specific theme. Before starting work, I get my coffee and water ready and do a little check-in on my email, calendar, Slack, and to-do list. I like to do this to be able to map out my whole day and respond to messages before jumping into dedicated work.

But, the shift that has made the biggest impact on my schedule is realigning my theme days. Mondays are my dedicated meeting days. I call them ‘connect, learn, and inspire!’ Over the years, I’ve noticed that meetings really disrupt my entire day and mean that I don’t get much work done.

Tuesdays are dedicated to social marketing. I attempt to get a week’s worth of content done, including all paid adverts. This gives me a great head start and lets me start the year off strong.

On Wednesday, my focus is on long-form content. So, I prep, record, and produce my podcast and do blog writing. I actually switch off weeks with these tasks; so I record podcasts one week and write blogs the next.

On Thursdays, I focus on email marketing and product development – which are both focused on writing. As most of you know, I don’t really work on Friday because we do a four-day workweek! Before I finish up for the day, I do a little sweep through Slack, check emails, answer urgent ones, and then check my to-do list and make sure I write down what I need to get out of my head.

The Power of Flexibility

When I switch to personal time, I try not to go back to work. Nothing is an emergency and things can be done the next day. Sometimes, at night, I get this urge to be creative. And instead of forcing myself to wait until the next day, I let myself write for an hour while my husband gets his downtime.

I also occasionally post on social media in the evenings when I know engagement is best. I used to think that I had to start my day with the most important task because that’s when my energy would be best. But that isn’t the case for me! I’m not a great sleeper and I tend to feel quite lethargic until after lunch.

Allowing myself to have a slow morning easing into work and prioritizing tasks in a specific way has made me really productive. There will be days that don’t go to plan but I have a lot of buffer time planned into my schedule to make up for that. Ultimately, it’s all very flexible!

How to Implement a Block Schedule

In terms of doing this for yourself, I think you really have to identify what your priorities are. What are your non-negotiables? How are you willing to and not willing to work? And beyond that, what are the three to five things that you want to prioritize every week?

There’s likely a pattern in the kind of work you’re doing and while the work itself may not be the same, you can usually identify when you are most productive doing what. Create your focus themes around this. Some people like to do different themes in different blocks and if that works for you that’s great, but I love the simplicity of my theme days because I always know when something is going to land and so does my team.

I do recommend that you have things in place that help you stay focused. During the day, I have a ‘work’ focus mode on my computer that helps prevent me from getting distracted by things like notifications. There are going to be things that you can’t anticipate so I don’t want you to fill up every single second of your day! You’re also allowed to take a break.

The first time you try this, it probably won’t be perfect and if it isn’t working, change it and check in with yourself on it to reevaluate your themes! This is a guide, not a rulebook! I want you to have more focus and I think structure can be a huge aid in helping you achieve this! I want to hear about your personal block schedule so pop me a DM on Instagram!