This post is all about the best planner for time blocking.
You might already be a time blocking master, orrr you’re just wanting to give it a try to see if it actually makes you more productive. Either way, you need to have the best planner for time blocking to set yourself up for success!
Personally, I found it SO much easier to stick to my time blocking schedule when I got a planner that was actually designed to help me plan my day with time blocking.
I’ve tried a few different time blocking planners and have also researched what’s out there to help you with effective time blocking.
What is time blocking?
In case you’re new to the concept of time blocking, let’s go over what it actually is!
Time blocking is a productivity method using a calendar or schedule where you divide your day into specific blocks of time. You assign a task, or a group of similar tasks, to each block. For example, you might schedule a block of time for responding to emails, a block of time for working on a particular project, another for chores/tasks around the house, filming content, etcetera.
Theoretically, this keeps your brain from having to switch tasks repeatedly throughout the day which has been shown to make people lose focus and ultimately, lose time.
Time blocking is meant to help you regain control of your schedule and to-do list by minimizing distractions and keeping you motivated with focused work sessions.
How to actually follow schedule/time blocking?
The great thing about time blocking is that if helps you visualize the way you’ll spend time throughout your day because you’re actually able to see how your day breaks out.
The goal of time blocking isn’t to be productive every minute of your day nonstop; it’s to be productive during the specific blocks of time that you have set out for yourself. This actually makes it easier for you to enjoy downtime 100% guilt-free because you know that you’ve finished your “blocks” for the day or reserved your remaining tasks for other “blocks” of time. It clears a lot of mental energy!
Remember that everyone gets distracted or off track sometimes; it’s just part of life. When you notice yourself getting distracted, simply try to steer course to get back on track or address any distractions that you can reasonably remove.
Having the right planner where you can both time block AND brain dump your to-do list and schedule will also really help you stay on track. I find time blocking planners so helpful because you can lay out your specific tasks in a to-do list and visually divide your day into specific time blocks to see how much you actually have to get done and how long it might take.
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BEST PLANNERS FOR TIME BLOCKING:
I used The Dailee's paper planner for YEARS. If you're looking for a paper time blocking planner, this one is a great option (probably even the best option, in my opinion).
Not only does it include a place to plan out your daily schedule and daily routine; it's also got a habit tracker as well as monthly and weekly overviews to help you keep track of due dates, new tasks, and bigger to-dos.
If you've got a busy schedule and need a planner you can just dump EVERYTHING into, this company thought of everything when they designed this planner and in my experience, it really will skyrocket your productivity levels if you use it consistently and to its full potential.
The Dailee digital planner is the time blocking planner that I use now. It's the same as the paper planner listed above, but this one can be used on an iPad or tablet (which does make it a little more affordable to purchase).
I love how much easier it is to change and adjust my schedule in the digital format. If you're someone whose schedule is constantly changing or who prefers to have a digital version of your daily plan, this is the perfect planner for you.
This spiral bound time blocking planner has space to plan out your day from 7am to 11pm. It also has space to write your daily tasks and to-do's so you can see all your work tasks at a bird's eye view while planning out your deep work sessions throughout the day.
If you want a time-blocking template that gives you tons of space to write details about each work session or event you have planned, this time blocking planner is a great option because you get a full page dedicated to each day. It also has yearly overview pages.
The only downside I can see is that it only has lines for time blocking from 8am to 8pm. So, if you tend to like working earlier or later than that, this planner might limit you!
But if you mainly want a time blocking planner to schedule your important work throughout the work day, then this might be the best planner for time blocking.
Looking for a more minimalist approach to learning this time management technique? This minimalist time blocking planner also gives you an entire page for each day but along with a time-blocked schedule, it also has space for your to-do list and "follow ups" so you can keep track of any emails you have to send, calls you have to make, etc.
This time blocker has space for you to plan out your day from 5am all the way to midnight which is great for anyone who has long, busy days or a schedule that changes daily!
It's also undated, so it doesn't matter whether you're starting this new habit in the new year, midway through the year or even midway through the month.
If you like having a weekly planner built into your daily planner, then this is one of the best paper planners for you. It gives you space to create an overview of the entire week along with planning your daily life schedule.
It's got space for everything from your to-do list to a habit tracker, weekly and daily priorities, and notes. This is a simple way to keep your life organized and view everything in one place!
If aesthetics are important to you, this leather time blocking planner is STUNNING. You can even customize it with your name to make it more personal and choose from five different colors!
Aside from the aesthetics, it also has space for your entire planning process from your time blocked schedule, to daily to-do lists, your top three priorities, and even a section for a brain dump. This might be one of my favorite planners I've seen in my search (aside from the one from the Dailee that I'm currently using!)
8. Google calendar
You might feel like a digital time blocking planner would give you easy access and the ability to update your important tasks on the go… and that’s fair! I actually started my time blocking journey using Google calendar and it was the best way to get me into the habit of time blocking every day of the week.
What I like about Google calendar is that you can customize the colors of each block, so you can color code your schedule if you want to assign different colors to different blocks. This will give you a better visual representation of what you’re spending your time on each day!
9. Motion AI
Looking for a digital time blocking planner with more advanced features? Motion might be the way to go.
Motion is a digital AI time blocking calendar that automatically time blocks each day for you and rearranges your schedule when something new pops up. All you need to do is add in your tasks, their priority level, and how long you think each task will take you. You can set your work hours so the software will only schedule tasks within those hours. This saves you tons of time because it literally plans your entire day for you.
I actually used Motion for over a year and a half and LOVED it. Ultimately, I stopped using it only because I got into a really good rhythm with my physical time blocking planner and felt like I didn’t need both. But I used to rave about it to all my friends about how much more productive it made me.
There is a cost associated with it, and I am not affiliated with Motion, but if you simply put in your new tasks at the beginning or end of the day, it will literally schedule everything for you and make your life so much easier!
How to organize your planner for time blocking
As someone who has been religiously using planners for YEARS (like, almost my whole life), I have tried it ALL when it comes to finding the best way to organize a planner.
Whether you’re using your planner for all your long-term goals or just to achieve a little work-life balance in your daily life, there are so many great planner organization methods that will help you actually stick with it and make your life more organized.
Read this post on how to organize a planner for tons of ideas and exactly what I’ve learned works best over the years!
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