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Time Blocking (Deep Work Method)

time-management · medium · 10-15 minutes planning per day

What is Time Blocking (Deep Work Method)?

Cal Newport's signature productivity method. Assign every minute of your workday to a specific block of activity. Research shows time blockers accomplish roughly twice as much as people using reactive to-do lists. The key insight: a task list is not enough — you need a schedule.

Is there evidence for it?

EVIDENCEstrong

How do you do Time Blocking (Deep Work Method)?

  1. 1.At the start of each workday, draw a grid on paper or use a time-blocking app for every 30-minute slot
  2. 2.Assign each block a specific activity — deep work, email batch, meetings, admin, breaks
  3. 3.Protect 2-4 hours of uninterrupted deep work blocks for your most important cognitive tasks
  4. 4.When interrupted or plans change, cross out the old plan and re-block the remaining time immediately
  5. 5.End each day with a 'shutdown ritual' — review what got done, time-block tomorrow, then completely disengage from work

How long does it take?

10-15 minutes planning per day.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

> how Shift handles procrastination

Source: Cal Newport — Deep Work (2016); The Time-Block Planner (2020)
time-management · deep-work · productivity · planning · focus
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This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.