Time-Blocking for Time Management

 Time blocking.

One of the biggest challenges a bookkeeper, accountant, office manager ( and the list could on) faces is managing their time. Time is one thing that we can never get back. Heck theft of time is a reason for termination in most companies. The question is, how do you manage something that never stops moving?

Throughout my career of twenty-eight years, I have tried many different strategies to help manage my time. Finally, about seven years ago landed on time-blocking, a process that I picked up from a training session.

My process starts when I sit down at my desk. Opening my email, I quickly review any that would contain task items. Then I grab my trusty Day Designer and begin to attempt to time-block my day. Day Designer is created in a way that blocking is easy. The following 10-20 minutes are spent blocking my day.  This time blocking process works well for me.   Time blocking is not a new process by any means. It has been around for a while. Some individuals may find it daunting or not relatable to their daily tasks, saying it takes too long and the day never turns out how they plan.

My days rarely stay true to the time-blocking set at the being of the day, and that is ok. I have bookends to the day, and these are dedicated starts and ending tasks that set me up for daily success. What this process has done is brought order to my chaos of daily tasks. I am more productive and less anxious about the day ahead of me.

Here is my stripped-down version of Time-blocking. 

Start your time-blocking by identifying your bookends. Bookends are tasks that you are dedicated to starting and ending your day with, i.e., checking email, listening to voicemail, getting coffee, cleaning your desktop, securing files, and so on.

Once your starting bookends are complete, start creating your blocks. Begin by looking at your task for the day and Prioritizing them into 1, 2, and 3 priorities

•             Priority 1 Tasks: Tasks that must be completed by the end of the day.
•             Priority 2 Tasks: Tasks that SHOULD be completed by the day but can be pushed a day.
•             Priority 3 Tasks: Tasks that are non-priority and may be completed at a later date if needed.

You identified your daily priorities; now, you need to assign them time levels. How much you estimate the task will take to complete. 

•                Time Level 1: Tasks that take 0-30 minutes to complete.
•                Time Level 2: Tasks that take 31 minutes- 2 hours to complete.
•                Time Level 3: Tasks that take 2-4 hours to complete.
•                Time Level 4: Takes that take over 4 hours to complete.

With your task now assigned priorities and time levels, you are ready to block your day/week.

As you start blocking, think about your time and how you like to use it. There are blocks of time during the day where we are more alert and productive and times where we are just a little sluggish. I like to complete quick tasks like answering and email, returning a call, or a level 1 priority within the first time block. Then focus on stacking my priorities to get as many 1 & 2-time level priorities done in the morning. The most important blocks are my Priority 1 tasks. The rest of my tasks are stacked around them.

I know that process sounds like a lot, but it is not. You will find that it only takes minutes to complete. It takes roughly 5 minutes to block my day.   Here is an example of my day blocked using my Day Designer using the priorities and time levels.