Although working from home may seem like a peaceful way to get through your workday, it often isn’t the case.

The lack of immediate face-to-face contact, boundaries, and work organization results in a sharp increase in traffic on communication channels. Research by Next Work Innovation states that an average employee is interrupted almost 15 times per hour.

This takes a toll on remote workers. Every interruption adds 15% to the time necessary for task completion. People get stressed out, frustrated, and dissatisfied, leading to burnout and a desire to leave the company.

And the companies pay the price! Next Work Innovation found that, globally, companies lose around €58 billion a year due to interruptions, multitasking, and context-switching.

This article looks at how time blocking, a time management technique, can help your employees fight distractions. It also shows how, by relying on real time computer monitoring software, you can help them implement this technique in the most effective way to reach outstanding productivity.

What Is Time Blocking?

Time blocking is a time management technique. It boils down to staying focused on one (type of) task during a certain time block.

People often schedule their blocks depending on their most productive periods during the day.

This technique is effective in eliminating interruptions and improving productivity, but it requires a high level of discipline.

The Benefits of Time Blocking

Here is why many remote workers praise this time management technique:

1. Improved Focus & Productivity

When you fully dedicate your focus to the task at hand and eliminate distractions, you enter the state called “deep work”. This is the state of increased focus that allows you to do high-quality work in less time.

2. Better Work-Life Balance

WFH tempts you to drag out work hours, let work spill into personal time, and vice versa. A structured schedule with clear time slots for their tasks can help your employees finish everything within their working hours. This way they have more time available for personal and family time.

3. Easier Task Prioritization

When you use this technique, your main criteria is the task urgency. This will remind your employees to set their priorities each morning. When new tasks come in, it will be easier to stick to the task at hand, unless the new task is marked as top priority. That will eliminate delays in priority tasks.

4. Reduced Stress & Increased Motivation

Creating a detailed plan reduces stress, gives you a sense of structure and control, and helps you see your own progress. This will help your employees feel a sense of accomplishment and a boost of motivation. In addition, blocking time for some undisturbed creative thinking may make their solutions more innovative.

Types of Time-Blocking Techniques

For maximum results, you need to allow for some adjustments and variations in each time management technique. Time blocking method has several sub-types:

Traditional Time Blocking

Traditional time blocking involves dividing your day into several blocks and allocating each block to different tasks. The first, longer block can be set aside for deep work on a demanding project. The next one can be dedicated to meetings, and then a shorter one for checking email and company DM platforms.

Task Batching

Task batching consists of analyzing your tasks and creating groups of similar ones. Then, each group gets its own time block on your schedule. For example, one group can be emails and calls, other can be filing documentation and updating spreadsheets. This can help your workers keep their focus as it minimizes context switching.

Timeboxing

Timeboxing differs from traditional time blocking in one thing. The traditional technique involves creating flexible time blocks for certain tasks. If your workers need some more time on the task, they can extend their block.

Timeboxing, on the other hand, requires setting a limited period for a task to prevent perfectionism and unnecessary prolongation of work. These fixed timeframes give an additional boost to your employees’ focus and improve efficiency.

Day Theming

Rather than dividing your day into different slots, day theming suggests you divide your week. Each day has its own theme. Monday can be your day for meetings and other forms of communication, Tuesday for deep focus, etc. This way of scheduling can help your employees who need more time to “get in the zone”.

Energy-Based Time Blocking

This variant of time blocking suggests scheduling tasks based on a person’s natural rhythm. The most productive time of day should be dedicated to the most demanding task. Periods when you are usually less efficient can be assigned to routine activities. To help your employees create optimal schedules, you can rely on their reports from your work tracking tool.

Steps for Implementing Time Blocking

1. Set Priorities

Help your employees analyze their schedules, make a list of all their assignments and responsibilities, and set priorities. This will make it easier for them to map out their first week of time blocking.

2. Consult Activity Tracking Software

Activity tracking software can be of great help when implementing time blocking. This tool collects all info about your employees’ activities and can pinpoint their peak productivity hours. Share this info with your employees and instruct them to schedule their most demanding tasks during this time block for maximum results.

3. Leave Room for Interruptions

Explain to your employees that sometimes they will face interruptions despite having a blocked-out schedule. To be prepared for emergency tasks, advise them to always leave room for interruptions in their schedule. This flexibility will make their schedule even more effective.

4. Make Your Availability Public

Remind your employees to communicate their availability to their colleagues. In case they need to schedule a meeting, it’s convenient to have insight into everyone’s time blocks designated for meetings. This way they can immediately select an appropriate time without the back-and-forth messages.

5. Review Your Schedule & Spot Room for Improvement

After each day and week, your employees should review their schedules to see how they can improve the next plan. Share your insights with them to help them make each new plan a bit better and more efficient than the previous one.

Time blocking is perfect for remote teams, especially large teams where interruptions can be expected on an hourly basis. To give your employees maximal room for efficient work, prevent burnout, and cut turnover costs, help them use and adjust time blocking to their work style.