How to Use Theme Days and Time Blocking For Success
Time blocking…What is it?
Exactly what it says. Blocking a chunk of time out on your calendar to designate specific tasks. Sounds perfect, right!? Nope. Not if you’re a mom of four! Hear me out…if you work in an office with minimal interruptions and only have one job to do, then yes time blocking is the way to go! But let’s talk about reality here…I’m a mom, who works at home, with my kids around. I can make plans all day but those plans get thrown out the window the minute I sit down.
Picture this: I’m sitting down to write a blog post and my toddler spills his water, then the other one runs into the wall (SERIOUSLY!? How does that even happen!?), while the oldest two are fighting over what show to watch. I’m honestly shocked that I get anything done most days
So how DO I manage my schedule? Honestly, much happens after 8 pm when the house is quiet. But my saving grace is THEME DAYS.
What the heck are theme days?
Theme days are where you work on certain types of tasks on certain days of the week.
For example, Mondays are kitchen days AND client strategy/check-in days.
If a client reaches out to me and wants a certain task done…and it can wait for my next theme day…I’ll add that task to the list for that day. I also allow downtime in my day for urgent tasks as those always come up and we need to plan for them.
Advice on planning your theme days:
Choose your top 3 home goals for the day
Choose your top 3 business goals for the day
Look at your schedule and see where you can squeeze in those goals throughout the day.
Examples: Sitting in the car waiting to pick up your child from dance or wrestling, while watching your favorite Netflix show, during nap times, etc.
One thing I’ve learned is that if I stick to my shortlist for the day and utilize my theme days I accomplish more throughout the day without feeling overwhelmed.
