If you’re going to block your time, do this, too

A few weeks ago, I wrote about blocking your time in order to get deep work done. I realized I missed a significant point about that particular practice, and I want to touch on it today.

The idea of blocking time to get deep work done has come up a lot both at work and in talking to peers. Some people are adamant about blocking their calendars, and as I mentioned in my previous post, I think given how things are going, it’s about all you can do to carve out time to get any real deep work done, but it comes with some responsiblity.

An addition to your time blocking

I think blocking time is a good thing, BUT if you are a leader of any kind, with people who might need you for something important, you MUST allow a way for people to break through your blocked time. If you can’t (or won’t) do that, then you MUST come up for air and out of your bubble of deep work at least every hour or so. Sure, you may not get the deep work in YOU want for as long as you want, but when you are responsible for others, I say “tough.”

One more thing…

Another thing you should do when blocking time is to put a note in your status saying what you’re doing, and when you’ll be done:

Between 1-4pm, I’m focused on some critical client work.

When you take breaks (you are taking breaks, right?), make sure you’re checking your direct messages and emails AND RESPOND to them. Use the two-minute rule to get through as many as you can. If you can’t give a full answer, let the person know WHEN you will be able to give them an answer. Try your hardest to NOT let it go unanswered until the next day.

Final Thoughts

I would prefer never having to block time, and instead live in a less chaotic world without the expectation of being constantly connected, BUT unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. Given that, we do what we can do.

If you’re a leader of people, feel free to block off your time, BUT do not leave your team hanging. Make sure you let your team know you’re there for them, not just through words, but actions.

---