Do you ever find yourself frozen in the middle of the day, overwhelmed with choices and unsure of which direction to take? You’re not alone! Even I, a seasoned Time Template and Productivity Specialist, have been there, armed with the best intentions to be productive, only to find myself adrift in a sea of possibilities. This is precisely where the expertise of a Productivity Coach like me comes into play – guiding you through the tumultuous waters of decision-making and helping you set your sights on what truly matters.
Today, I won’t just walk you through the process of crafting a time template; I’ll demonstrate how partnering with a Time Management Coach can transform your daily schedule from a puzzling enigma into a well-oiled machine.
Diving into the Details:
Time Map vs. Time Blocking Let’s first unravel the distinction between a time map and time blocking. It’s a crucial initial step on your path to becoming a productivity powerhouse. Drawing from my extensive experience as a Planning Coach, I advocate commencing with a time map. This strategic overview of your day serves as the foundation for effective time blocking.
The Power of the Time Map Why should you consider utilizing a time map, you ask?
Well, time maps act as guiding stars, illuminating your day and preventing the dreaded decision fatigue – a common stumbling block for many. As a dedicated Time Management Coach, I can attest that implementing a time map can significantly reduce the avalanche of daily decisions you face, allowing you to maintain a high standard of decision-making throughout your day.
Creating Your Time Map with the Guidance of a Planning Coach Let’s delve into the practicalities:
Choosing the Right Tools: Selecting the ideal method for crafting your time map is pivotal. As a Productivity Coach, I recommend using either pen and paper or a spreadsheet. These flexible options allow for easy adjustments as your plan evolves. Trust me; things may get a bit messy, but with a Planning Coach by your side, you’ll navigate the twists and turns towards your ideal week with grace.
Starting Out: Embarking on your time mapping journey involves determining the size of your time blocks and the categories you wish to track. Leveraging my expertise as a Time Management Coach, I advise sticking to three to five categories to maintain clarity and unwavering focus.
Setting Up Your Layout: Whether you opt for the tactile approach of paper or the digital convenience of a spreadsheet, proper setup is paramount. As a Coach with a knack for planning, I’ll guide you in creating a system that seamlessly fits your needs, ensuring you allocate time not only for work but also for essential aspects like sleep and self-care.
Getting Back on Track: Life is unpredictable, and there will be times when you veer off course from your time map. However, with the wisdom of Time Management Coaches, you’ll learn the art of adaptation and swift course correction.
Regular Updates with a Productivity Coach: I cannot emphasize enough the significance of routinely revisiting and updating your time map. As someone who has mastered Time Management for overwhelmed business owners, I recommend revisiting your time map at least every quarter to ensure it remains in alignment with your ever-evolving priorities.
Remember, your quest for extraordinary time management need not be a solitary journey. As your dedicated Productivity Coach and Time Template aficionado, I’m here to accompany you every step of the way, assisting you in transforming your time management skills and effortlessly achieving your goals.
Video Starts at the three minute mark:
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Do you ever find your self sitting there in the middle of the day knowing you should be working on something but you are unsure of what direction to go?
I have! I’ll have every intention of being productive and then I waste my time trying to figure out what I should be productive with. The possibilities seem endless and some times I feel paralyzed by all of the choices.
To narrow down the possibilities and help you focus on the important tasks I’m going to teach you how to create a time map so your daily schedule is no longer a mystery.
What is the difference between a time map and time blocking?
A time map is an overview of the amount of time you are going to spend on important work throughout the day and allows you to start time blocking.
Time blocking is filling in your time map with the important tasks and routine tasks that need to happen throughout the day.
I believe in order to make time blocking work you need to start with the overview in the time map.
Why should I use a time map?
Time maps are a general guide to how you will run your day. Why do we need a guide? Well, if we are continuously making decisions about what we have to do we will run into decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue means that the decisions we make will deteriorate in quality after a long session of decision making. In other words, the more decisions we make the more likely we are to start making bad decisions or default to the default.
Another reason to use a time map is Parkinson’s law which states that work expands to fill the time allotted for it. If you give yourself a 4-hour deadline to work on your financials chances what could have taken you two hours will expand to the four. How does it expand? We are much more likely to indulge in distractions if we do not estimate the time needed properly.
Using a time map will allow you to minimize the number of decisions you need to make on any given day.
Creating your Time Map
What to use
Choosing the method to create your time map is an important first step. Things will get messy and you will need to erase and rewrite your time map in order to get to your ideal week. I recommend two methods: paper and pencil or a spreadsheet.
Both the paper and pencil or the spreadsheet will allow you to easily make changes. My preference is to use a spreadsheet so I don’t have to erase as I need to change things.
If you are using paper you may want to consider using colored erasable pens so you can more clearly see any categories you are trying to track. You can use the fill cell option on a spreadsheet to color-code your time.
How to start
How long should my time blocks be?
The first thing to do is decide how big you want your time blocks to be. You can go as small as 5 minutes or a large as hourly blocks. I prefer 15-minute blocks for my own planning. You may need to experiment to find what works for you.
How many categories should I track?
One of the benefits of color-coding your time map is that you can see where your time goes at a glance. It can be easy to get carried away and track too many categories. I suggest sticking with three to five categories for your time map. Make a note of what each color stands for in case you forget in the future.
My preference in setting up a time map is to use a spreadsheet so you can make your time blocks as small or as big as you want them.
How do I set up the page?
If you are working with paper on the left side of the page write down the time you wake up and then continue to write the times down to the time you go to sleep. On the top of the page write the days of the week. Now you can start filling in general categories and what you will take action on.
If you are working with a spreadsheet you will have the same setup as you had with the paper but you can choose what time to start with. For example, I start with 12 am to account for sleep.
What do I block out first?
When filling in your time blocks start with any recurring appointments you may have. Then fill in your sleep schedule along with any other self-care time you need to set aside. From there you can fill in your themes for the day if you have any and break down your day according to those themes.
Color coding based on categories allows you to see where you are spending your time at a glance. I use three categories which are self-care, family time, and business.
Can I have more than one time map?
Yes, you can have more than one time map. If you have recurring health issues it may be wise to have a time map for when you are feeling low energy. You may want to create a time map for at home and a separate one for work.
What happens if you get off track?
We won’t always be able to stick to our time map. You may need to schedule clients or a project took longer than you expected. That’s ok. Your time map is a guide to help ease decision fatigue.
If you get off track see if your task can wait until the next appropriate block or you may need to schedule a time to work on that task in your “off” hours. How you get back on track depends on the task and the deadline for that task.
How often should I update my time map?
I recommend looking at your time map at least every quarter. Our priorities are always shifting so a time map can become outdated.
Some people create a new time map for each week. Remember time mapping is a general guide to your week. Time Blocking is where you actually fill in your tasks.
I have a friend who does this daily using different colored post-it notes for different activities. I think it is very effective for him. This approach makes a lot of sense, and helps us create a rhythm for our days. I love that you suggest giving yourself freedom to have a couple of different maps, depending on what is going on in your life
Hi Seana, So important to know you can have more than one time map. I have clients with chronic health issues. If they aren’t feeling well in a particular week they can utilize their recovery time map. Thanks for stopping by!
I have to admit that in reading the description of how to time map, it sounds complicated. My guess is that this system works really well for you. And that’s awesome. I’m also sure that you have taught others to use it effectively and it works for them too.
We each have a different sense of time, and I recognize this especially when working with clients. For me, I consider my relationship to time and planning to be intuitive. I usually have a good sense of time and am able to estimate much time I’ll need to complete things. But that’s me. I realize that not everyone has that relationship to time. And so a more concrete system as the one you’ve suggested could be a great way to go.
Hi Linda, Thanks for stopping by. Some of my clients find this totally overwhelming. I get it. There are a few steps and you really have to think about how you want to spend your day. I like to think about time mapping as grouping like tasks together and putting them in a container. I love how we all experience time differently. I go in phases of needing structure and then other times I embrace my hopper tendencies and just go with what I am feeling.
Thank you for this detailed description of time mapping. When I work with clients on time management, I go through the time mapping process with them. After they put in the time for daily activities like sleeping, eating, commuting and work hours, they are often amazed by how little time remains to spend focusing on other goals.
Yes, our time is depleted quickly. I love time mapping to give a birds-eye view of where you spend your time. It also helps you to see how much time you spend on specific tasks.
This is so timely for me as I’ve been thinking about doing it but didn’t know how to go about it! I look forward to receiving your template.
I’m so happy I posted. Did you get your template? I can forward it to you if not. I created a new one in Trello today too! Thanks for stopping by!
This sounds a lot like how I teach time management to clients. And it IS more complicated to explain than it is to do, which is why I usually only explain it in person. First we use a time map to capture their Current Schedule. Then we create one that reflects their Ideal Schedule. In between, we do some exercises around their goals and priorities, and make sure they are included in their Ideal Schedule (or relegated, for now, to “the back burner”). I explain that it’s a flexible framework for making decisions more so than a rigid schedule. I also created The To-Do List Clutter Flow Chart to help them figure out whether and how a new task/project/opportunity will fit into their Ideal Schedule.
Yes, it is much easier to show someone how to do this. I’m learning that a lot of people don’t know what time blocking is. Hoping everyone tunes in for my FB Live event on Tuesday. I love my time mapped schedule because I don’t have to think about when I have to do something. I know I have a category of time blocked out for the task. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Hazel.