Utilising Time Blocking for Mental Well-Being & Time Management

If like most of us you are guilty of looking up ‘how to be more productive’ after a not so efficient week, odds are you have come across the term time blocking in your search. With some great research behind it, there is little argument for the effectiveness of time blocking on time management and productivity. However, it can also be argued that this technique can be beneficial for overall mental well-being by helping our minds declutter from multiple tasks and allowing us to view the big picture by visualising our priorities.

What is Time Blocking? Time blocking is a simple but effective technique that involves segmenting your day into defined chucks of time. One of the best things about this tool is the flexibility in design, with there being multiple time blocking variations to choose from. Some of the blocking options include:

1. Task Batching: refers to grouping similar, often smaller tasks to segment the day. eg. For a teacher these batches may be email/messages, lesson planning and homework grading.
2. Day Theming: this technique can seem more complex but involves segmenting your time through themed tasks that might require more time. Educator examples might include, report writing and homework planning.
3. Time Blocking: Segmenting chunks of time to a given task or activity. eg. I will work on marking 50% of my class’ homework tomorrow between 3.30pm and 4pm.
4. Timeboxing: similar to time blocking, time boxing involves segmenting your by a time measure, the difference being that this method imposes a direct time restriction on the tasks. eg. I will mark 50% of my class’ homework between 3.30pm and 4pm tomorrow.

Although the idea of planning out detailed chunks of your day may seem restrictive, there are many benefits to utilising time blocking, which are explored below.

1.Improved Concentration and Focus:
One of the main reasons why time blocking works so well for many people, is its ability to cut out multi-tasking. Contrary to popular belief, majority of us are not great at juggling multiple tasks at once, with multi-tasking making us less productive overall. Segmenting your day allows you to better focus on single tasks at a time and limits distractions for better focus.

2. Reduced Stress
Work can be stressful, there is no two ways about it. In the education sector specifically, there are often multiple competing tasks and children that require your attention in the classroom. When we have a clear plan for the day ahead, it provides a nice overview and guideline to reflect back on as you are working, decreasing the chances of us getting overwhelmed during the day.

3. Better Time Management
Time blocking as a tool allows us to view our time as a resource, explicitly showing us where our time is going, resulting in better use of that resource. It allows us to admit that not everything can be accomplished in one day and helps prioritise tasks by creating smaller goals.

4. Improved Work-Life Balance
Mapping out your day this way and then reflecting on those activities is a great way to see what areas take up most of our time. By setting aside specific time for work-related duties and personal tasks, we are better able to ensure we make time for both. With a better focus on our well-being, it’s easier to identify and work on personal development areas, which can lead to us being less likely to experience job related fatigue or burnout.

While it’s evident that traditional time blocking can benefit our mental wellbeing by decreasing our stress levels and improving our work-life balance, the foundational structure of this tool can be utilised to build a positive mindset overall. One example of a functional way to use this concept is by breaking the day down into time sections, as pictured below.
No matter your age, occupation or personal responsibilities, our days can often get challenging. In today’s climate of continuous change, it can at times feel overwhelming and difficult to keep up a consistently positive attitude.

The time split pictured can be modified to suit any schedule, but this method allows you to acknowledge that some days are better than others and that it is okay to have highs and lows in the short span of 24 hours.

When you break down your day, it gives us perspective that allows us to see it for what it is, making it easier to avoid thinking you are having a truly bad day. Did you wake up later than initially planned? Does that usually make you feel like you’ve had a bad morning? That is okay; you can still have a good middle day, or a great afternoon!

The great thing about time blocking is that although it locks in specific times, it is truly flexible and personalised. It allows us to refrain from writing off the whole day after one bad encounter or experience. We have all often heard that mindset is everything and if we use time blocking to our advantage, we can objectively visualise our day, break it down into small goals and wins and ultimately acknowledge the good and bad in a positive light.