Rewrite Your Hustle -With Time Blocking

When it comes to time, two things pop into a mom’s mind:

There is never enough
Guilt about how she spends it

Time Blocking addresses both!

Why Time Blocking

After having two kids and in the midst of my “there-is-no-possible-way-I-can-get-everything-done-I-will-never-sleep-again” crisis, I tried a TON of time management strategies. But I kept coming back to time blocking. For three reasons:

It’s simple
Kids come into the world with their own natural time blocks. Which makes a great starting point!
It reduces mom guilt (yaasssss!)

As much as I love a good old fashioned multi-task, running in circles from morning to night is NOT a good look! If you are doing 3578 things a day but never feel like you’re TRULY ‘getting it all done’…..read on!

What is Time Blocking ?

Time Blocking is a time management system that divides your day into blocks of time, each one focusing on a different category, e.g. work, family, health. Each block is assigned a specific time range in your day, e.g. 7-9am. (example below)

This instantly lays out your day so you can see what is do-able - and what isn’t. It also forces you to reflect on how you are spending your time…Feeling run-down? When was the last time you included a self-care block? Or a date night block??

My favourite part is that Time Blocking gives you permission to give your FULL attention to one area at a time. This lets you go ALL IN. Equally as important… it removes the guilt around not doing or being ENOUGH!

If you know that 6-8pm is ENTIRELY focused on reading to your 4 year old or helping your 9 year old with his train project - then working late twice a week becomes wayyyyy less stressfful! Or if you are considering joining a running group but feel guilty taking every Sunday morning to yourself, time blocking quickly shows that you not only can, but NEED, to include time blocks for your health.

Time Blocking in 3 Easy Steps

Start with the Non-Negotiables
Most days come with a few basic requirements. This might be the morning routine, or your work schedule, or nap schedules. Whatever these are - use these to kick-off your blocks and build from there.
While you’re at it, this is a great time to re-assess the non-negotiables - is everything that you are treating as absolutely necessary, actually necessary?? Make sure that your days aren’t simply filled with the most urgent items…but also with whats most important for your long term goals.
“If everything is important than nothing is important”
Patrick Lencioni
Create Balance
As a mom it’s VERY easy to focus 10000% of your energy on your family - and laundry ;) But we all know that this isn’t feasible long term. When creating your blocks notice how many blacks are for family or work or home. And how many are for health and fitness and socializing. It’s helpful to view this from a weekly perspective rather than daily - if you are working 12 hours on Monday then don’t knock yourself out trying to also squeeze in a workout and quality family time. Similarly, if your partner is away for the week then expect to focus more energy on the kids knowing that there will be time to catch up with your girlfriends next week.
BONUS TIP: Check out Pick Three by Randi Zuckerberg to read more about balancing your time - tons of great info!
“You can have it all (just not every day)”
Randi Zuckerberg
Modify as Needed
Creating balance and increasing productivity is an art and takes a LOT of practice. It’s going to take trial and error - give yourself permission to follow your gut. Only you know how much time you need with your family to feel grounded. Only you know how often you need a sweat sesh to feel your best. Tweak your blocks until they feel right. Soon you’ll be time blocking without even noticing!