A few years ago, I had one of those days that looked busy on paper … but somehow ended with me wondering what I actually did.
You know the kind: ten tabs open, inbox pinging, laundry buzzing, a quick dog walk squeezed in between Zoom calls — and still, the needle didn’t move on the project I really needed to finish.
There wasn’t anything special about that day. I’d had many (too many, I realize now in retrospect) just like it.
And maybe it was an accumulation of too many days like that. Maybe my subconscious had been working on the problem in the background of my mind.
Whatever prompted it, that day I realized that I wasn’t proactively managing my time — I was just reacting to it.
I realized that working from home blurs the boundaries between deep work and everything else.
And I realized that unless we intentionally make space for real work — the kind that requires focus, creativity, and decision-making — our days get consumed by task-switching and surface-level productivity.
That’s where time blocking comes in.
What Time Blocking Actually Is
Time blocking is a simple scheduling method where you assign specific time slots to specific types of work — not just meetings and appointments, but also creative focus, admin, email, and even personal time.
Think of it like creating containers for your day, similar to doing meal-prep for the week and having containers for each meal (day) prepped ahead of time. With time blocking, instead of a running to-do list that stretches into the void, you decide when and where tasks live on your calendar.
And you put them there. In their assigned blocks.
This is more than just a planning trick — it’s a mindset shift. It’s you stepping into the CEO role of your own workweek and choosing where your focus goes.
A sample day might look like this:
- 9:00–11:00 AM: Deep work (client project, writing, strategic planning)
- 11:15–12:00 AM: Admin tasks, respond to emails and other communication
- 12:00–1:00 PM: Lunch and reset break
- 1:00–2:00 PM: Follow-ups and low-energy tasks
- 2:00-4:00 PM: Coaching calls (or deep work continued)
- 4:30–5:00 PM: End-of-day recap and plan tomorrow
It’s flexible — but intentional.
And when you work from home, it’s one of the few productivity tools that actually helps create structure where there is none.
The key, though, is to make those deep work blocks non-negotiable. Just like you wouldn’t cancel on a meeting with a client, you don’t cancel on yourself.
Why Task-Switching Is the Real Productivity Thief
Let’s get real … being busy isn’t the same as being productive.
And even worse, we lose precious time every time we switch between tasks. Research shows that task-switching can cost you up to 40% of your productive time.
That’s not just inefficient — it’s draining. Especially when you’re trying to be the whole marketing department, content creator, admin team, and CEO rolled into one.
Time blocking protects you from the mental exhaustion of juggling too many open loops.
It says: This is focus time. Everything else can wait.
When you don’t protect space for deep work, your day fills with low-impact busywork — responding to messages, posting on social, updating a spreadsheet — and the important-but-not-urgent projects get pushed back again.
That’s how you end up feeling behind even when you never stop moving.
Time Blocking Works Especially Well for WFH Entrepreneurs
When you work from home, your day doesn’t have built-in structure — no commute, no visual shift between meeting rooms and solo workspaces. That freedom is powerful, but it can also be productivity quicksand.
Time blocking gives your day shape. Specifically, it does the following:
- Reduces task-switching and mental clutter
- Helps you resist the urge to multitask
- Builds momentum by keeping you focused longer
- Reinforces boundaries (especially for solo entrepreneurs who are always “on”)
And it makes invisible work visible — all the things you do to run your business that don’t show up in billable hours, like writing, planning, and thinking.
Why It’s Even More Crucial in Summer
Summer disrupts routines. Kids are home, the sun is out longer, vacations throw off your rhythm. It’s easy to slide into “catch up later” mode — but that only builds stress and decision fatigue.
Instead of trying to cram your usual workflow into a summer schedule, time blocking helps you adapt.
You might shift your deep work to earlier mornings before the heat (or the kids) ramp up. You might shorten your workday but protect the most essential 90 minutes with a no-interruptions block.
And when you pre-decide what those blocks are for, you avoid the energy drain of always figuring out what to do next.
Time blocking makes your summer workflow sustainable.
Common Time Blocking Myths (and What’s Actually True)
If you’ve tried time blocking before and found it hard to stick to, you’re not alone. Let’s clear up a few common myths:
- Myth: You have to time block every hour of your day.
Truth: Start with just 1–2 deep work blocks per week. You’re not building a prison — you’re building protection around your priorities. - Myth: It’s too rigid for creative work.
Truth: Time blocking supports creativity by giving it uninterrupted space. Flow states need time and boundaries to emerge. - Myth: I can’t predict how long something will take.
Truth: That’s okay! The goal isn’t perfection — it’s progress. If something runs long, adjust. The act of planning still improves your focus and clarity.
You don’t have to do this perfectly. You just have to do it on purpose.
Start Small and Protect the Block
If your calendar is already packed, don’t try to overhaul everything. Start small. Here’s how:
- Identify your natural “power hours” — the time of day you feel most alert or creative.
- Block just two 90-minute windows this week for deep work. Choose high-value tasks you’ve been avoiding or postponing.
- Put those blocks on your calendar in ink. Treat them like sacred time.
That means:
- No meetings
- No email
- No “I’ll just do this one quick thing”
Let the people around you know, too. Set a boundary. Use a “do not disturb” sign if you need to. The more you protect those blocks, the easier it becomes to train your brain — and others — to respect them.
You’ll be amazed what happens when you give one task your full focus for even an hour.
Time Blocking and The Tenacious WFH Productivity Planner
If you’re using the Tenacious WFH Productivity Planner Page, you already have a structure for this.
Use the planner to:
- Identify your top 1–3 priorities for the day
- Map out your time blocks visually
- Color-code your deep work vs. admin vs. breaks
- Reflect at the end of the day: What worked? What didn’t?
This builds both rhythm and resilience into your workflow. And when life throws curveballs (which it will), you’ll have an anchor to come back to.
Action Step: Pick Your Two Deep Work Blocks This Week
Here’s your move:
- Open your calendar.
- Find two 90-minute windows.
- Name them. Claim them. Protect them.
And if 90 minutes feels like too much? Start with 45. The power is in the commitment, not the length.
You’re not behind. You just need space to focus.
And with the right blocks in place, your “real work” doesn’t just get done — it starts to flow again.