Time blocking is a tool that some of the worlds most successful people use consistently every day. Lets learn exactly how to time block to optomize your time like so many of the world's most successful people do.
The fact that you're here tells me that you're just a littleee bit insanely Type-A, just like me! Welcome! Time blocking your week like this can seem overwhelming, trust me, I get it. But if you are ultra organized and disciplined (or want to be), it will give you some peace of mind and lessen your stress because you know you've optimized your week and organized it well.
Keep reading to figure out exactly how I organized my week to optimize it & exactly what tools I use!
1. Download your planning apps - (Google Calendar & Google Keep are my favs!)
Download Google Calendar & Google Keep. I use Google Calendar to color-code & time-block my schedule down to the minute & place. I use Google Keep to keep track of everything I need to do each day.
2. Create calendars for different categories of your life & assign them a color
This is EXACTLY the color code system I have for my Google Calendar.
- Orange - Birthdays & Special Dates - Everything that is orange is someone's birthdays (duh) & special dates like anniversaries.
- Pink - Classes - Everything that is pink is one of my classes.
- Red - Doctors' Appointments - Everything that is red is one of my doctors' appointments. (Red so I don't miss them!!!)
- Blue - Events - Everything that is blue is a special or unique event that I am going to. For example, a college date party, a weekend trip out of town, a football game, a birthday party, and so on!
- Dark Purple - My boyfriend & I's shared event calendar - Everything that is dark purple is something my boyfriend & I are both expected to attend, and it is a shared calendar tab he has access to. For example, a college date party, a deb ball, a date night, and so on, OR it is a time that I will be out of town or busy that I need my boyfriend to remember, and vice versa for him. For example, "Isabella is in _____ this weekend." or "Isabella attends _____'s birthday party." This has been AWESOME for us with eliminating misunderstandings of when to plan a date night & so on.
- Yellow - Other - Random/Niche Things - Everything that is yellow is something random or really niche that doesn't fit into one of the above overarching categories. For example, "Pick up ____'s birthday cake from the store," or "Dogsitting".
- Light Purple - School - Everything in light purple is an important school deadline or assignment that I need to remember. For example, "Paper Due in English 2" or "Test in History 1".
Mold this to fit your needs, expectations, and tasks!
3. Start putting everything in your calendar, down to the minute!
Now, it is just time to start putting EVERYTHING in your calendar and being incredibly precise about the times & places. This is an example of what mine looks like for a week in my life after putting everything in!
Block out your time for everything you do, including working out, club meetings, volunteering, hanging out with friends, free time, studying, and appointments. Time blocking
4. Make a note for each day of the week on Google Keep & add your tasks to each day.
Keeping separate to-do lists for each day helps minimize the overwhelm of a single, large master list of things to do. It breaks that list down into actionable, less intimidating steps.
Additionally, it helps you when you are doing your weekly planning/time-blocking because you will be able to optimize your tasks according to which day is best for them & keep track of it easily.
Tips to optimize your time
- Pick a day/time every week to plan your upcoming week, and when you do this repeatedly, it will become a habit that will help optimize your time. Sunday nights are what work best for me!
- I spend about 30 minutes going through my to-do lists (whether it's what didn't get done last week or what needs to be done this week).
- Ask yourself: Are there tasks you can stack? (EX: Walking on the treadmill and studying.) AND, is there anything on your list that isn't truly necessary or can be delegated to someone else?
I hope this post helped break down a seemingly overwhelming organizational tool into a more manageable one to improve your efficiency in everything that you do. For more tips to organize your college life, check out Exactly How I Plan My Week As A Type-A Girl Trying To Do It All (Without Burning Out) or 10 Self-Care Habits Every Stressed-Out College Girl Needs in Her Routine.
With Love,
Isabella XO
