I love a good routine. Even the tiniest ones. They are so important for my day to day function; I give them little credit (& they deserve so much more).
Having a super structured day never sounded appealing to me. I needed some sort of flexibility. Things happen. Plans change. I am absolutely the type of person who becomes easily defeated when I don’t get that exact “to-do” done at that exact time.
That is exactly why time blocking and batching worked for me & todoist helps break it down.
Time Blocking
Time Blocking is a time management method where you basically divide up your day into manageable chunks. Instead of having a forever long to-do list that you tackle, you set blocks of time aside and add in smaller to-do’s or tasks in each block so things are more manageable and look way less daunting.
Task Batching
Task batching and time blocking go together for me. They work really well, in my opinion, and help make larger tasks more achievable. Time batching, essentially, is smaller, bite-sized tasks within a block of time. So, for example, checking emails and planning for the business lands inside my “Working” time block. Batching sections are basically the smaller bullet points within the main point.
Day Theming
Day theming is another way to structure your time blocks as well. I will sometimes do this, but not that often. When you day theme, you assign a task or “theme” for each day. For example, you could make Monday your admin day to plan and answer emails, Tuesday becomes the writing day, Wednesday photo day, and so on.
I value freedom and flexibility, but I know I also need some sort of a timeline to stay somewhat structured. For me, time blocking and task batching work the best.
What My Days Look Like
Below is my typical blocked out sections.
- 6:30/7am – 9:00am: Morning Routine
- 9:00am – 1:00pm: Writing Routine
- 3:00pm – 5:00pm: Working Routine
- 6:00pm – 9:00pm: Night/Wind Down Routine
Excited to share what all these time blocks mean and why there are some periods where there isn’t anything “designated” for that time.
Reminder: nothing is perfect.
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