**Schedule your day into themed blocks & behave according to those themes.** > [!tip] The King of productivity hacks - dedicate your time ## Definition Time Blocking, also known as "Block Scheduling", is a productivity and time-management technique wherein you schedule your day into pre-allotted chunks, assigning an activity, project, or theme to each. During the block, you should work on the block's associated member of the [[Action→Task→Project→Area Hierarchy]]. That is, you can set aside a block to work on a given task, or project, or more generally spend time thinking about or attending to a given area. Take time to do a mental refresh before going into the block so you're head is in the right space ([[Mental Time Blocking]]). Include blocks for [[Scheduled Breaks]]. Don't worry about [[Time you plan to waste isn't wasted time.]], because time you planned to waste cannot be wasted. ## Techniques - [[Day Theming]] (least strict) - [[Task Batching]] - [[Timeboxing]] (most strict) There can also be different [[Types of Time Blocks]]. All kinds can be enhanced when you [[Treat Work Sessions like the Cinema]]. ## Pros and Cons ### Benefits - Assuring that the landscape of your day aligns with your priorities (and not [[Majoring in Minor Work]]) - Proper balance between P and PC work (see: [[P-PC Balance]]) - Helps you [[Know Your Immediate Task]] - Always having clarity on what your immediate task is in alignment with, long-term (see [[Antifragile Planning Method]]) - Enables [[Deep Work]], avoiding the costs of using the [[Attentional Switch]] and [[Context Loading]] - Counteracting procrastination and perfectionism - if you assign tasks to dedicated timeframes, you are less likely to avoid work, and more likely to find “good enough” (see: [[Timeboxing]], and [[Fix Time, Flex Scope]]) - Ensuring you don’t overload your plate - by forcing tasks and Projects to have their own allocation of time, you can see in a very literal sense whether you have “room” to take on something new (see: [[Less, but Better]]) - Acts as a [[Foundational Habits]], wherein you can stack on other practices, such as [[Eat the Frog]], [[3 Goals a Day]], Or [[Ivy Lee Method]] ### Drawbacks - It requires (perhaps a lot of) pre-planning - It requires a lot of re-planning when something prevents you from sticking to your block schedule, or [[Planning Fallacy]] strikes and something takes longer than you expect - It will be uncomfortable when you don't "feel" like doing what you've blocked off time to do, and if you fail to make [[Traction]] you will have essentially not time blocked at all. **** ### Source - [The Complete Guide to Time Blocking](https://doist.com/blog/time-blocking/) - [[Deep Work]] ### Related - [[Minimalism]] - [[Task Batching]] - [[Day Theming]] - [[P-PC Balance]] - [[Deep Work]] - [[Deep Work Maximization Techniques]] - [[You can't make time, you can only take time.]] - [[Mental Time Blocking]] - [[Time you plan to waste isn't wasted time.]] - [[Fix Time, Flex Scope]]