In today’s chapter, we’re talking about time blocking. We’re diving into how to make a plan for your day to help you stay focused and energized, especially if you’re an introvert.

If you're interested in time management, or if you're struggling with procrastination, you might find time blocking helpful. Time blocking is like making a plan for your day. You plan your day by setting aside certain times to do certain things. Like saying: “I’m going on a call from 2pm - 3 pm, then I’m going to read a book from 3 pm -4 pm.

But there’s more than one way to do it.

I've tried time blocking many times over the years, and it was tough to find a method that worked for me. One that helped me make the most of my time and energy. As an introvert who runs a business from home and has a family, managing my energy is really important.

But time blocking can be hard to do.

Some of the introverts in Productive Introvert Community that I’ve spoken with say that they start using methods like time blocking and feel good at first because they're getting things done. But after a few days or weeks, they find it hard to stick to their plan. It takes up a lot of energy. They feel tired all the time and they start procrastinating on important things. Then they think time blocking doesn't work and they stop using it.

Often, the problem is that they're being too strict with how they plan their day.

They make a plan for the day and force themselves to stick to it no matter what. Or they try one way of time blocking and if it doesn't work, they give up planning their day all together.

Today, I’m going to tell you about 3 ways to time block to help you feel more focused and energized, especially if you’re an introvert.

The 3 time blocking methods are: activity time blocking, energy time blocking, and theme days.

I use these methods myself and they work great for me. But remember, what works for me might not work for me. That’s okay!

I'll also give you tips that can help you to plan your day in a way that works for you.

— ▶️ Book a FREE call to explore if one of my coaching programs for introverts is a fit for you. I'll help you identify the habit bottleneck that's getting in your way right now and show you the best next step for you so that you get focused in the next 3 months: go.thefrankermessage.com/freecall

▶️ Join Productive Introvert Letters for a summary of new podcast episodes right to your inbox twice a month: https://www.thefrankermessage.com/

▶️ Blog and client stories: ⁠https://www.thefrankermessage.com/blog⁠

▶️ Follow me on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariellafranker/

—

Resources mentioned in this podcast (I’m not affiliated with any of the resources that I share on the podcast, I just share them out of personal interest and to give you context about these topics)

—

📖 Time blocking 101 by Jo Johansson (covers basic time blocking, day theming, task batching, time boxing, Elon Musk’s 5 minute time blocking, Eisenhower matrix & Pomodoro technique: https://resourceguruapp.com/blog/time-blocking

📖 Time blocking by Laura Scroggs (covers task batching, day theming & time boxing): https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/time-blocking#what-is-time-blocking

📖 How to boost your productivity with time blocking by Rachel Hakoune (covers traditional time blocking, pomodoro technique, time theming, energy management time blocking & batch time blocking): https://monday.com/blog/productivity/increase-your-productivity-with-time-blocking-a-step-by-step-guide/

📖 Elon Musk’s 5-minute rule: Block your time like Tesla’s CEO by Timeular: https://timeular.com/blog/block-your-time-like-elon-musk/

📖 Why theming my das has made me a better dad by Mike Vardy: https://productivityist.com/theming-days-made-better-dad/

—

🎵 Andrés Rodríguez