Differences Between Time Blocking and Time Boxing and When to Use Them
I’ve been promoting the concept of time boxing for a while now to better manage your day and be more productive, but the world of time management techniques is vast. While searching for the right technique, you may even come across the term “time blocking” and think that it is the same as time boxing, but it is not. However, each of them has its own use. Here’s the difference between the two approaches to time management and when you should use each.
What is time boxing?
Timeboxing is a way of tackling tasks that involves setting aside a fixed period of time—a “box”—to work on them. You only work on it for the time you’ve given yourself and then you’re done, at least for a while and until you allocate another box of time for it.
You use it when you need to focus on something, whether it’s a routine task that you schedule for a specific time every day, week or month. A time box creates a space that allows you to devote yourself fully to one task, engage in deep work , and avoid distractions until your time is up.
Think of it as the powerful Pomodoro technique : where the Pomodoro asks you to work for 25 minutes and take a break before returning to work, time boxing asks you to work as much as you want or need, but understand that when the time is up, all is ready. In both cases, you know a break is coming, so you focus and work hard to get to the end and get as much done as possible in the time available. Time frames are especially useful for resource-intensive work that has some kind of deadline, but you must properly plan the time frame from then until the deadline arrives.
What is time blocking?
Time blocking is used when you have a lot of tasks and need to plan your day precisely. Often these tasks are unrelated and come from your professional, home, academic and social life. Your day is full of responsibilities and activities related to all areas of your life, so your calendar should reflect this and make time for it all. With time blocking, you block out the time you’ll spend on each task, usually in a calendar or planner, and stick to it, using educated guesses to estimate how long each task will take within your schedule. The most important part of time blocking is sticking to the schedule you create, which may include a time frame, as you may need to cut a task if its time has expired in your schedule and it’s time to move on to another.
You block out time for everything you need and want to do, plus all the breaks, downtime, and everything in between. Your entire calendar or planner should be filled with blocks that are visual reminders of exactly how much time you have left to complete each task. Be sure to include blocks for things you enjoy, like watching your favorite show or hanging out with friends, as they serve as rewards for doing everything else. Using this system also allows you to know exactly how much time you actually have for these activities. If there’s something special coming up, like a concert, game, or date, always block it out on your time blocking calendar the minute you schedule it so you can build your blocks around it as well.
When should you use time boxing and time blocking?
Use a time box when you have a long-term project or a project that never expires, such as a presentation due in a week at work or cleaning the house. The idea here is that you should set aside a specific time, such as 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, to continuously work on something so that when the time approaches, you get into the habit of being completely focused on what you are working on . Time boxing is more about forming a habit, training yourself to deeply concentrate on one thing at a predetermined time so that you get really passionate about it and start doing it regularly at that time. For example, you could limit your response time to all your emails from 9 to 9:30 every morning, or clean your living room every Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Time blocking should be used when you have a lot of tasks to do and want to make sure they are all completed. You should use a calendar, such as Google Calendar, to mark every second of your day. Plan the time frames you use for checking and responding to email, cleaning, working with the kids, meeting with friends, and even taking lunch or 15-minute breaks from work. Every part of your calendar should be filled out so that you always know what you need to do and exactly how long you have to do it.
In a way, they work together because, as I said, you end up limiting time when you block time, but time blocking is less about forming a habit and more about building a routine. The longer you do it, the better you get at it. After two weeks, you may realize that you don’t need a full hour to check inventory every Tuesday afternoon, so you can cut that time down to 45 minutes and reserve something else in those spare 15 minutes. hour to plan your meals for the week on Sunday nights. You can tinker with the temporary blocks until you have enough space for everything. Then just get to work. Your calendar tells you exactly what you need to do, so now you only need to focus on that task, avoid distractions, and get it done.