Let’s think about a typical work day in your life as a small business owner …

You probably wake up, check your social media, eat breakfast while reading some emails, and then remember you have to order some supplies online. You finally get everything you need in your cart and click ‘buy’ when another to-do item pops into your head, but you never finished your emails!

It’s a constant game of back and forth for a lot of entrepreneurs because you have 5 million things on your plate at once. And the reality is, if you always bounce back and forth between action items then nothing really gets done (and especially not in a timely manner). Constantly switching between tasks is the best way to lose focus, lack attention, and makes your productivity take a serious nosedive.

So, how can you combat this? Well, there’s no way to do everything at once. It makes sense to prioritize and group tasks which is where block scheduling comes in! And trust me, it’s a lifesaver.

What is block scheduling?

Block scheduling is a way to set up your daily work schedule that allows you to prioritize and categorize the items on your to-do list.

Rather than looking at your (likely overwhelming) to-do list every morning and deciding which tasks to complete on the fly, you’re able to set aside time for each category of work without feeling the need to bounce around. Instead, you’ll have a set time during your workday to tackle each task, so if you can’t get it done as fast as possible, you can relax knowing that you have a block to work on any problems that arise and address the task fully.

Not only will it take away the feeling of constant switching between tasks, you’ll also be able to better manage your work time. Adhering to your schedule will allow you to feel much more calm knowing that you’ve already set up your schedule to work for you.

How to Create Your Block Schedule

Now here’s the fun part – setting up your schedule is a great time to really think about the items on your to-do list and figure out a way to best address your needs. And it’s super simple which is a huge bonus. All you need to create your block schedule is a calendar or meeting scheduler.

Decide which major tasks need to have assigned time on your schedule (i.e. client meetings, emails, client projects, etc.) and then build your schedule around those items.

You can also choose whether you’d like your daily schedule to look the same throughout the week, or if you want your schedule to change depending on the day. Here’s an example of a schedule where your daily tasks change depending on the day. I created a schedule this way to allow client meetings only 2 days per week, but it’s all about what works for you!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9:00-10:00	Emails	Emails	Emails	Emails	Emails
10:00-12:00	Client Meetings	Project Tasks	Client Meetings	Project Tasks	Project Catch-Up
12:00-1:00	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00-2:00	Social Media	Social Media	Social Media	Social Media	Social Media
2:00-3:00	Business Work	Business Work	Business Work	Business Work	Business Work
3:00-4:00	Consultations	Consultations	Consultations	Consultations	Consultations
4:00-5:00	Misc. Tasks	Misc. Tasks	Misc. Tasks	Misc. Tasks	Misc. Tasks

The beauty of making your own block schedule is that it’s 100% customizable to how you run your business. Your schedule will look different based on whether you’re a solopreneur or have a team behind you, whether you sell physical products or online services, and the list goes on and on!

Quick Tips for Mastering Time Blocking

1. Plan time in your schedule to work on growing your business – I know sometimes that it feels like you should ONLY be working on client projects, but you need time for yourself too! Growing your business can mean finally taking the time to finish your website, working on blog posts, or hiring new team members. Whatever it is, just make sure you give yourself the time to do it.
2. Set aside time to respond to emails – I know that it’s super tempting to check your email every 10 minutes to make sure that no one else has reached out. We’re living in a society that’s made us feel like we have to respond to someone immediately because we always have our phones! But that’s not the case. – carve out some dedicated email time in your day, and once it’s over, give your full attention to the next task. I promise that you won’t ruin your business by leaving your emails alone until the next day.
3. Schedule your breaks! Listen, you need to take the time to take care of yourself throughout the day and that means BREAKS! If you worked at a company outside of your home you would have a dedicated lunch time, so why should working from home be any different?
4. Assess all of your client projects and create a plan for tackling everything. I think it’s smart to create longer time blocks for client project work because you can barely dig into anything in one short hour. But do you! Whatever works for you should be how you schedule your time. You can also set due dates for deliverables to have finished at the end of each time block to keep yourself on track.
5. Make a list of all of your leftover tasks and work on them during a “miscellaneous” block. That way you still have time to get things done that didn’t fall within your earlier blocks in the day.
6. Don’t be afraid to change up your schedule to find the perfect fit for you! That also means that as your business grows and you add team members, you can change your schedule to manage your tasks and help your other team members create their own block schedules!

Block Scheduling and Its Benefits

In my opinion, the benefits of block scheduling are unmatched. Not only will you stay organized and have improved focus, but you’ll make sure that every task that needs to be completed gets done each week. Nothing will get forgotten or slip through the cracks!

Knowing that everything you needed to do is done will lift a weight off of your shoulders and allow you to clear your mind of work when you’re off-duty. It’s not healthy (or productive) to be thinking about work 24/7, and you need to allow yourself time to relax and recharge.

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If you’re still wondering how to manage everything on your plate even with the help of time blocking, it might be time to find an online business manager! That way, you can focus on your clients’ projects without having to schedule in business management as a time block. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed and working tooo many hours in the day, reach out! I’d love to discuss how an OBM can make your life easier and make your time work for you.

Let me know in the comments how you like to schedule your work days and if you’ve heard of block scheduling before!