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Time-blocking is sometimes seen as the holy grail of productivity, and I’m not disputing that it works for some people. However, I’ve tried it numerous times; not once did it work for me. Here’s why.
1Constant Stress
Despite once telling everyone on LinkedIn that they should time-block their days, I soon realized it was causing me more harm than good. One of the biggest issues with it was that I was constantly stressed.
Because I had no flexibility, I constantly felt overwhelmed when completing tasks. Moreover, I would also get annoyed with others when I edged closer to the end of my time-block in something I had no control over. For example, my gym classes occasionally run over their allotted time. This constant stress stuck around even when I was more lenient with spacing between different tasks.
2Zero Flexibility
Sometimes, life gets in the way. For example, I remember one day when I had to get my passport renewed. The appointment went well over the time I allocated it, and for the rest of the day, I was frustrated. If I had listed a few things on my to-do list, I would probably have made more progress toward my goals.
Therefore, I think thatbuilding an effective to-do listis better than time-blocking for me. With a to-do list, I have more day-to-day flexibility, and when life happens, I’m less irritated.
Regardless of your productivity technique, you must consider external factors. Your Wi-Fi connection could drop, for example, or perhaps you have to pick up one of your kids early. Time-blocking is, in my opinion, too rigid.
3Too Much Pressure
Pressure isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, and I love having responsibilities. However, I also like to concentrate on tasks and give them my all. When I time-blocked, I felt like I was constantly in a rush. Rather than getting into a flow state, I was working on tasks with more of a desperate energy.
Because I wasn’t giving any task my full attention, the quality of my work was significantly worse. As a result, I got even more frustrated. Eventually, I realized that it’s better to take one hour and 10 minutes to finish something well than 50 minutes to rush it.
4Constantly Checking My Calendar
Admittedly, I have to take the blame here. I made my days too different from one another, which made it more difficult to keep up with what I should’ve been doing. Nonetheless, constantly checking my calendar did more bad than good.
Because I was constantly switching between windows, I found it even harder to concentrate on anything. Moreover, I hated feeling overwhelmed—knowing that I didn’t have any time to regroup before the next task.
Again, I could have solved these issues by putting some breaks into my calendar and having more consistent routines. Nonetheless, I do not feel these issues anywhere near as much with a to-do list.
5I Felt Like I Made Less Progress in My Projects
The whole point of time-blocking, or any other productivity method, is to make progress toward goals that are important to you. So, you can imagine my frustration when time-blocking made me feel like I was constantly running into a brick wall.
Because I would often not finish tasks within their designated period, I had to later revisit them. This resulted in a never-ending backlog, and I felt like I was stuck in the same place for months. I was prompted to exploretime-blocking alternativesbecause of this.
If you’re insistent on time-blocking, I suggest doubling however long you think a task will take to complete. Moreover, you should factor in some time for revisions and potential project delays.
6The Compulsion to Fill Every Second
Another reason why time-blocking didn’t work for me was because I felt the pressure to fill every second of my day. Whenever I saw a spare 30 minutes or so, I’d fill it with another task. By the end of my time-blocking phase, I had so many pointless tasks that didn’t even relate to my goals. For example, I started new projects that I didn’t care about.
You need to give your brain time to rest. This means understanding when it’s time to log off for the day and also having a couple of breaks throughout, so you can get ready for your next task.
Time-blocking is a powerful tool for some people, but every time I’ve done it, it hasn’t worked. I’ve tried different routines, adding spaces, etc., and I always come to the same conclusion. I won’t stop you from trying time-blocking but know that it doesn’t work for everyone.
