On my morning walk I was listening to a recent podcast interview with Cal Newport in which host Andrew Huberman asked him: “Do you wake up in the morning and make lists, decide what are the key items on that list, then cross things off, etc.?”
Newport’s response was revealing: “No, I’m a time blocker. I’m not a big believer in to-do lists. I like to grapple with the actual time available.”
Newport explained that he’s been a proponent of this approach since his undergraduate days. He describes it as “giving your time a job” as opposed to having a list that is somewhat disconnected from the realities of your day. Here’s an article describing his technique.
While most of us rely on to-do lists to keep track of tasks, the magic of Newport’s time blocking approach is taking a few minutes each morning (or the previous evening) to schedule specific time blocks for your priorities. By allocating dedicated periods for important work, you’re more likely to stay focused and resist distractions.
Newport has formalized this concept in his workbook “The Time-Block Planner,” which he subtitles “A Daily Method for Deep Work in a Distracted World.” The benefits, he notes, are that “you can more easily protect hours for deep work, while batching shallow tasks into efficient sprints. The clarity of these blocks also encourages you to focus intensely on one thing at a time, resisting the distracting allure of inboxes, social media, and idle web surfing.”
One of things Newport also talks about with Huberman is a visual benefit from his paper-based approach to time-blocking. When he’s blocked time for one of his “deep work” sessions, he’ll make the box darker/thicker such that at a glance he can look back and see just how much deep work he’s been doing in the recent past. He likes that feedback aspect.
David Sparks, in his recently published “Productivity Field Guide,” also advocates this approach, referring to it as “hyper-scheduling.” He writes, “Scheduling time for important work is one of the easiest, most effective productivity techniques I have ever used. So long as you respect the calendar, it always works.” In a blog post, Jim Eager describes how he’s applying this approach to his daily planning.
Sparks notes that a schedule doesn’t have to be rigid. For him, the only truly locked-in events are appointments with others. Otherwise, time blocks can be adjusted as needed throughout the day.
He also shares a technique for overcoming resistance when it’s time to work on a scheduled task. He employs a “five-minute trick,” telling himself, “First, I’m going to give this just five minutes.” Sparks finds that “nine out of ten times, that five minutes turns into an hour or more.” This reminds me of a quote from author Louis L’Amour:
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
– Louis L’Amour
So, if you’re a list maker, consider taking the additional step of creating a daily time-blocked schedule to translate your to-do list into a focused action plan. Doing so will not only help you prioritize but also allow you to allocate tasks based on your energy levels and productivity rhythms throughout the day.
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