Glow & Grow

If you’ve ever felt like you’re juggling a hundred responsibilities and dropping half of them, welcome to my life before time blocking.

Time blocking is my secret weapon for taming the chaos and creating space for the things that matter most. It’s simple: you divide your day into blocks of time and assign specific tasks to each block. It’s not about rigid schedules; it’s about giving your day structure.

Here’s how I make time blocking work as both a mom and a professional:

1. Start with the Big Rocks

In time-blocking lingo, “big rocks” are your non-negotiables—the most important things you need to prioritize. For me, that’s family time, key work projects, and (when I remember) self-care. I block these into my calendar first and work everything else around them.

2. Embrace Theme Days

I group similar tasks into specific days to minimize context switching. For example, Mondays are for meetings, Tuesdays for deep-focus work, and Fridays for wrapping up loose ends. Even at home, I do this—like designating Sundays for meal prep and family activities.

3. Use Color Coding

I color-code my blocks to quickly see what’s ahead. Work tasks are blue, family time is yellow, and personal time is pink. It might sound extra, but trust me, it makes a huge difference when your day is visually organized.

4. Build in Flex Time

Life happens, and no schedule survives without some wiggle room. I always leave a few “flex” blocks in my day for unexpected calls, toddler tantrums, or, let’s be real, a coffee break.

5. Evaluate and Adjust Weekly

At the end of each week, I take 10 minutes to review what worked and what didn’t. Did I over-schedule myself? Did I forget to block time for lunch? This reflection helps me improve my time-blocking game over time.

The beauty of time blocking is its flexibility—it adapts to your life and not the other way around. Since I’ve started using this method, I feel more in control of my day, and I’m finally balancing my priorities instead of letting them run me.