Block Time: setting up a flexible day by day schedule
Last week I described how taking a time inventory is the first step to learning to make better use of the time you have available. I did this myself. I won’t go into all the exacting details but here is a breakdown of what my days look like:
A typical weekday (i.e. Monday through Friday)
Work: between 7 to 8 hours
Gym: 1.5 hours
Eating (including meal prep): 1.5 hours
Morning prep: 15 minutes
To bed prep: 10 minutes
Sleep: 6 hours
Driving: 10 minutes (the joys of a small town)
Tidying up (e.g. dishes): 30 minutes
Writing: 1.5 to 2 hours
These figures are not the same every day but they average out to the above. Adding it all up comes to 19 to 20 hours leaving 4 to 5 hours of discretionary time.
During the weekends the work hours are not there and I only train at the gym on Saturday. This gives me a total of 12 to 13.5 hours of discretionary time.
Captain Routine.
The way I live my life is pretty routine. I get up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time, train at the same time, work the same hours. At least, I do this to the best of my ability. Sometimes circumstances (e.g. work schedule, gym closures) require me to adapt my routine. If it’s in my control the routine stays intact.
Blocking out segments of behavior.
Having inventoried my time the next thing I did was take some graph paper and block out all the routine activities of my day. I did this for three distinct days:
- Monday through Friday (because every day is the same)
- Saturday
- Sunday
It looked like this for Monday through Friday:
- 5:00 Up, prep, eat
- 5:30
- 6:00 – Gym workout
- 6:30 – ” “
- 7:00 – ” “
- 7:30 – Home, shower, eat, prepare for work
- 8:00
- 8:30 – Work
- Etc.
Each square of the graph paper represented a half hour of time. I started at 5:00 (when I get up) and ended at 22:30 (when I go to bed). Once I could visually see when I was doing all my activities it struck me how little discretionary time I actually have in a day. There was literally no time to waste.
Fit in the new behaviors.
Seeing the available gaps in my schedule I started filling them with the new goal behavior. I decided when I would be doing my Stealth-Wealth training. I chose an appropriate time to study the lessons of Stealth-Influence. I shifted the writing to it’s most effective time slot. I scheduled laundry time, when I would buy groceries, when I would prepare meals for the entire week. I did this for each of the three “days” (i.e. the weekdays, Saturday, and Sunday).
Now I had all my behaviors blocked in my schedule.
Referring to The Plans I have for each Goal, which leads to The Week and The Day, I now have a structure into which I can simply plug behaviors. I check what I have planned for The Day and I know what I will be doing and when.
Too much regimentation?
Does it seem as if this is a very strict, regimented way of living life? It can seem that way.
The reality is that in order to achieve a goal certain behaviors must be enacted. The more often I can get myself to do what is necessary the sooner I will achieve my goal.
I accept that reality. For me to choose to make these behaviors routine is how I make myself more effective. Perhaps you want to take a more relaxed approach. That’s another way of living life. I am just showing you what I have chosen to do.
Flexible structure.
The beauty of blocking my time this way is that I can shift these time blocks around. If I have to start work at 7:00, instead of the regular 8:30, I know that I can still get my 1.5 hour workout in after work. Since I will then have some free time before work begins I may choose to do my daily one hour Stealth-Wealth training before work instead of after. Or I might choose to write for an hour before the early work start. It’s like water. The time blocks fluidly shift to fill in any gaps that are created by a change in plans.
Because I know how long I have committed to each behavior daily I am free to mess around with the timetable when it suits me. Maybe one day I only end up working for 5 hours. Now I can get all the training, studying, and writing done early and reward myself with a movie or a trip to the park or I might take a nap.
Tools are supposed to help you.
Often time management techniques create as much stress as they relieve. Time management is a tool. If the tool becomes too cumbersome it will be set aside. It is only when the tool makes your job, your life, easier that you gladly pick it up and put it to its proper use.
The time management techniques I have come up with seem simple enough to me. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I designed them according to who I am and what I like. There are many systems and techniques that a person can try. Find one that you like and fiddle with it until it becomes your very own. Then you’ll have your own ultimate time management system.
