WEBVTT - Time blocking: How to get more done

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about how to use time blocking to

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<v Speaker 1>achieve great things with your schedule. While there are lots

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<v Speaker 1>of opinions on the rules or definition of time blocking,

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<v Speaker 1>fundamentally it means setting certain times on your schedule for

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<v Speaker 1>certain activities. If you don't have to make these decisions

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<v Speaker 1>in the moment, you can ensure that you're spending enough

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<v Speaker 1>time on anything you think is important to you. You

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<v Speaker 1>no longer did there about whether you should be making

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<v Speaker 1>phone calls are writing blog posts. You no longer transition

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<v Speaker 1>inefficiently between these two activities. Instead, you know what sort

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<v Speaker 1>of work goes where. While this sounds regimented, it can

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<v Speaker 1>actually be a great system for people with more spontaneous personalities.

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<v Speaker 1>A business owner who decides to do marketing from two

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<v Speaker 1>to three d p m. Every afternoon can decide each

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<v Speaker 1>afternoon what kind of marketing she most feels like doing.

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<v Speaker 1>But by giving this time a label, she knows that

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<v Speaker 1>she will devote time to marketing and it won't get

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<v Speaker 1>ignored in the bustle of daily life. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>people who time block well can handle quite complicated lives.

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<v Speaker 1>On my blog recently, I profiled a woman named Catherine

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<v Speaker 1>who had managed the feet of working thirty to thirty

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<v Speaker 1>five hours a week while homeschooling five children and exercising

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<v Speaker 1>every morning except Sunday. This was possible through the miracle

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<v Speaker 1>of time blocking. She homeschooled from roughly eight am to

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<v Speaker 1>noon each day, then she worked from twelve to six

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<v Speaker 1>while the kids were with a sitter or her husband.

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<v Speaker 1>She generally exercised from six thirty to seven thirty AM.

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<v Speaker 1>She blocked out time on Saturday for creative writing. Some

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<v Speaker 1>email happened elsewhere, but by sticking to this schedule she

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<v Speaker 1>was able to fit all kinds of things in her life.

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<v Speaker 1>So as you think about your skip, think about what

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<v Speaker 1>tasks deserve a regular time, what blocks would work best.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you always work on business strategy from eight to

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<v Speaker 1>nine am. You meet with and coach employees. From nine

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<v Speaker 1>to eleven, you travel around to meet with clients and vendors.

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<v Speaker 1>From eleven to three. You work on marketing from three

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<v Speaker 1>to four, and wrap up everything by five. You can

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<v Speaker 1>do this with your personal life too, as Katherine did

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<v Speaker 1>with exercise. Maybe you block out six to seven am

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<v Speaker 1>for exercise and eight thirty to ten pm for reading. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, not everyone's life allows for this sort of blocking,

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<v Speaker 1>though I note that the blocks don't have to be daily.

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<v Speaker 1>You could decide that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are exercise mornings,

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<v Speaker 1>Monday at work is the time for long term projects,

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<v Speaker 1>and Thursdays are the mornings when you meet with potential

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<v Speaker 1>new clients. I'd also note that schedules exist to serve us,

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<v Speaker 1>not the other way around. If you get the opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to have lunch with a potent util client or an

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<v Speaker 1>old friend, that's probably a good use of time, even

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<v Speaker 1>if your official blocks indicate otherwise. But in any case,

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<v Speaker 1>there's much to be said for taking the decision making

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<v Speaker 1>out of scheduling time and energy not spent deciding it's

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<v Speaker 1>time you can devote to the stuff of your job

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<v Speaker 1>and the stuff of your life. Do you use time blocking?

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<v Speaker 1>You can let me know what your blocks look like

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<v Speaker 1>a before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.