YOU GUYS! Meet the little sucker that keeps my life together.
CRAZY, but this time cube has become so life-changing that I legit bring it in my purse. Everywhere. To every meeting. So much so that I even use it to manage my time in the shower ( YES ), makeup routine, & e-mails.
I did an Instagram post on the time cube & a lot of you requested more information. SO, ta-da. More info just for you.
Michael introduced me to time-blocking when he saw that I was trying to do more than one task at a time. Pretty much, it would take me just as long, if not twice as long to complete a task because instead of doing ONE THING, I’d do ten. Hmmm.
With time-blocking, you do one thing for the amount of time of your choice.
For instance, I will only spend 30 minutes a week cleaning out my closet. 15 minutes showering. 10 minutes on makeup. 1 hour, 3 times a day on e-mail. You get the drift.
Once that time goes off you STOP.
There’s something about it that JUST works.
You should also know that you are supposed to do ONE task only for the entire time. So JUST e-mails. You can’t get distracted on Daily Mail or start a blog post. That sort of defeats the purpose.
According to this source, time blocking helps you make smart choices in regards to:
Priority of each item
Time required to complete each item
How much time is available to work on each item
They state: “A to-do list is important, but it is not sufficient. You need to prioritize tasks based on importance and then schedule adequate time for them on a personal calendar. This is called time blocking. You are blocking time on your schedule for those activities you intend to accomplish. It is a simple but powerful technique.”
Basically the MOST DIFFICULT part of working on a task… is getting started, right.
I start with my most important tasks first, ALWAYS. I wake up & immediately make a list of SEVEN, only SEVEN priorities for the day, every day. I’ve been going with lucky number 7 for the last year & it’s really worked for me. The number 7 came from Richard Branson who said he sets 7 goals to complete for the day, every day. This provides motivation to follow through with the commitments listed.
Example of today’s list of seven? Final touches on TSC Meal Plan, write a blog post, choose & edit 200 photos, plan July’s content calendar, return 150+ unread e-mails, complete some interview questions, & clean out blog-doo’s inbox.
I also make a list of 3 random things on the side. For example today: workout, clean out the laundry room, & drive to LA.
Lastly I set alarms in my phone for conference calls.
After the list is complete I write down/estimate how long each thing will take. That’s where my time cube comes into play.
This list sits in front of me ALL DAY LONG.
I’ve been doing this for the last six months every day with a time cube & it’s been game-changing for my businesses.
Let’s just say it’s helped motivation-wise & provided laser focus. It’s also helped with my stress levels. A LOT.
This article states that time blocking is ESSENTIAL: “Continuous learning should be a part of what we do regularly. But this is one of the areas in our lives that gets whatever time is left over. And there is never time left over. Blocking out time on a regular basis for education makes sure that we are always growing personally and professionally. Blocking out time for fun, sleep and physical activity also puts our minds in better condition to get the most of the time we dedicate to learning. Are you a people pleaser? Is your automatic response the answer ‘yes’ when someone asks you to do something? This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and the problem of not getting your important things completed. By blocking out time, you know whether or not you have time to do an additional task for somebody. If you don’t have the time for what you are being asked to do or it is not important, let your calendar be your excuse to say ‘no.'”
There are really no cons here. It just works.
Also a fan of the lemon timer but I feel like the white is cuter, right?
Little update: a new podcast episode went live this morning. It’s called THE BREAK-UP EPISODE. Enjoy — I hope you listen to TSC Podcast while doing your makeup… and of course, with your time cube ON. A tiny bit of multi-tasking never hurt a flea.
Oh, & if you have ANY TIME MANAGEMENT tips, PLEASEEEEEEEEE ( LIKE please ) send them my way. I need all the help I can get. Books you’ve read that help? Ideas? Workshops? Toys? Help.
See ya tomorrow, lauryn x
+ be sure to check out my game changing calendar tips to really get yourself in gear.
+ a sweet reader wrote an amazing post on time-blocking too. Check it out! Love sharing your posts, send them my way via Twitter.
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I’ve been practicing a variation of time blocking, which has been revolutionary for me, that is //doing only one thing at a time//. This great book I’m reading Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz has been so influential in providing excellent nuggets of information, such as the importance of only trying to do one thing at a time. The author explains, sometimes we unconsciously, actually, try to do our entire to-do list at once, which is crazy right. Time blocking, doing only one thing at once, can be revolutionary to working habits if you’re not someone who normally works that way. Love this post! Very affirming to hear you do the same thing.
I will definitely have to check out that book. Thanks for the suggestion Rachel!! <3 xx
I could see this being soooo helpful for keeping me focused on one thing at a time! Great concept.
It’s a total game-changer Rachel!! xx
Love this post!Time block makes so much sense I make a to do list every Sunday its so long its actually overwhelming.Only doing 7 things a day I think will be more effective and less stressful than my current method.
I love love love the 7 things a day! Give it a shot, I think it will definitely help you out Heather!! xx
I love number 7, i could say is my lucky one.
I would try to start setting priorities, only 7.
Thank you for this helpful post.
Helene/ http://www.beautifulismyattire.com
Made my day! xx
I am buying one of these asap! Every since you first talked about this thing on your podcast, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I have the hardest time delegating my time to thing I need to get done, along with just taking a few minutes to breathe! Thank you for sharing, you are amazing! xx
Aw thanks Ashely! It has helped me SO much. I think you’ll love it!! xx
I absolutely need to try this! I’m a multitasker for sure. Also, seven to-do’s sounds great. I tend to write a huge to-do list and end up failing everyday! Ha. Thanks Lauryn x
You will love it!! Enjoy!
This is exactly what I need!
x, Sam
http://www.samanthasuarez.com
It’s amazing!! Can’t imagine working without it now! xx
Really solid advice! Can´t wait to get my hands on your time cube
Stephanie
http://ishowedupinboots.com
You will LOVE it Stephanie!! Let me know how it works for you! xx
I love learning new time management skills! I’ve never heard of this one before, but it does remind of Cal Newport’s book “Deep Work.” Multi-tasking is SOOOOO bad for your brain! So I’m a fan of anything that prevents multi-tasking 🙂
I will have to check out that book. Thanks for the suggestion Colleen! What other tools do you use for time management? xx
I highly suggest the book THE ONE THING! You choose 7 things to do a day but this book shows how ONE THING can change your life! Also has a huge chapter about time blocking! The book changed my life!
Cori
Love the post! Looking forward to looking at more of your website.
But, please remove the link to the reader’s post. In it she makes light of mental illness. OCD is NOT a cutesy way of saying I’m organized. It is a serious mental illness. Making fun of mental illness has no part in your post about being organized, empowered, and smart.
Thanks!
Absolutely awesome article–you have me SOLD on the idea of time-blocking. Beautiful blog, great post–you inspire me in many, many ways! I’m becoming an obsessed fan here 😉 Xo-
I know this is an old post but quick question, how loud is the sound when your time is up? I’m straight out of college working at a bank in a tight little cubicle and would hate to annoy my co-workers if it’s loud.
Hi Lauren! I’ve just started to time block and it has also been a real game changer for me, I’ve been so much more productive! Although I think the cube is super cute and definitely would like to get one soon, I’ve been using the app noisli to block my time. It’s basically an app where you choose a background noise or several (rain, cafe sounds etc) and then set a timer for the sound. The sound fades out when your time is up!
Definitely a unique time management tool. I might try it. Recently I’ve been having a problem maintaining and focusing on the things I should be doing or maybe I’m really bad on keeping track on my task, lol. Anyways, thank you for sharing this. It’s such a unique product. Cheers!
Thanks, Lauryn.
That was an informative indeed. I derived three points from this wonderful post.
1. Priority
2. Timing
3. Strictness
When applied then successful completion of tasks. Thanks Again
Really love this part “You should also know that you are supposed to do ONE task only for the entire time. So JUST e-mails. You can’t get distracted on Daily Mail or start a blog post. That sort of defeats the purpose.”
Lauryn thanks for sharing this amazing post.
Hi Lauryn!
I am a new TSC reader & podcast listener… I am trying to get better at my time management by using a timer because sometimes I get off task or I start to get lost in a project. I was wondering if you could send or post some examples of how much time you give yourself for some certain tasks? I feel like I am missing something here on being successful.
Thanks & you are your husband are amazing! Congrats on Baby B!
Thank you for this blog. I’ve gotten many times to see some accurate blogs that helps me regarding this matter. Thank you.