Do you ever feel like you blink and you miss it? Whether ‘it’ is a day or a year, a romantic moment or your child learning a new skill, a cosy evening at home or a long-overdue catch up with friends and family, life can feel like it is just taking you along for the ride.

All too often we have a plethora of things that keep our minds spinning including chores, work, childcare, paperwork, recommendations of what to watch on Netflix, ideas for DIY projects, planning (already!) for Christmas, birthday gift lists and many, many more. With all of these vying for our attention and headspace, it is easy to forget to embrace the moment and, instead, spend the time thinking about what you should be doing next and frantically trying not to forget the to-do list we’re foolishly keeping in our heads. It’s not too surprising that, as well as feeling like we haven’t fully ‘breathed in’ the experiences around us, we also start to feel burnt out, overwhelmed and just a little done in!

So, how do you stay in the moment without your mind wandering to the fact that you need to take a meter reading later in the day, or that you really should get on with brainstorming the kids’ next Book Day outfit for school? How can we all manage all our responsibilities without them leaving no time for ourselves and doing what we find most nourishing for the soul?

What is time blocking?

Time blocking sounds simple, right? Well, the good news is that it is! It is literally a case of ‘what it says on the tin’ - splitting your time into blocks and setting a purpose for each block.

We all know that trying to multitask and juggle many different responsibilities and projects at once normally results in less progress or subpar outputs in most situations. The purpose of time blocking is to allow you to focus on one area at a time, with the aim of actually increasing how much you can get through in a day as well as increasing the quality of your outputs.

However, a really common misconception about time blocking is that it is all about ‘getting things done’. Whilst it certainly is useful for scheduling in chores, responsibilities and work tasks, the aim of the game is to schedule in these requirements with the purpose of identifying and prioritising time for yourself, whether that be to:

• Play with the kids.
• Have a hot relaxing bath.
• Take 15 minutes to do some meditation.
• Put aside an hour for your hobby, such as painting, photography or playing an instrument.
• Ensure you schedule a drink after work with a friend or two.
• Dive into the book you’ve had your eye on for ages.

By prioritising these pleasures within your day or week, whilst also making sure everything you ‘need to do’ has a time slot to be attacked, you can start to enjoy them without the (silly) sense that you’re wasting your time. You can fully switch your brain off to relax, completely engage with your kids, entirely savour time with friends or even totally focus on mastering that new melody.

Mastering the basics

The most common way of time blocking is by listing the hours of the day, from the moment you wake up to the point you go to bed (let’s be honest, at this point that should probably be at least 1 hour before you actually go to bed at the moment!). Then simply take each hour and give it a purpose.

The easiest place to start is with the things that you simply cannot move - this may be hours you’re contracted to work, times which are already blocked out by clubs, meetings or worship, school runs or the time your favourite show is on TV. Don’t forget, if you live with a medical condition that requires intervention throughout the day, such as self-injection for Crohn’s or arthritis, or the monitoring of blood sugar levels for diabetes, make sure you schedule these in - this way, you won’t forget and you can ensure they don’t feel like they’re encroaching on the fun stuff later on!

Now create two lists:

• ‘have to do’
• ‘want to do’

Carefully consider your ‘have to do’ list. Be completely honest with yourself and put a star next to those that are a real ‘have to’. Put these into your time blocks and leave the rest for now. Next, add some items from the ‘want to do’ list. Only if there is some time left, add in some more ‘have to dos’.

If you are finding that giving each hour a purpose leaves you with way too much time for some tasks, and nowhere near enough for another, then another popular method is to start with a blank sheet of paper with the hours listed down the side. Once you have your lists of ‘cannot move’, ‘have to do’ and ‘want to do’, add an estimated time-to-complete against each item. Then simply slot the items on to your day plan for the estimated amount of time. It is likely that, by using this method, you can fit a little more things in to your day, as less time is wasted but, again, remember that the purpose of time blocking isn’t to run you ragged, it is to give time purpose, even if that purpose is to do nothing and chill for an hour!

This may all seem a little onerous at first and, we can’t lie, it may take some time at first. But, just like with most productivity methods, the more you practice it the easier it gets. It will become quicker to identify your priorities for the day, more accurate to predict how long a task will take and easier to keep your focus and enjoy the times you cherish as you hone your skill for embracing the moment.

The Golden Hour

One great trick to add in to time blocking is to choose a Golden Hour that features everyday as a time that is solely for you and you alone.

As we acknowledge that, due to COVID19, working from home and spending more time in your abode is going to be the norm for a long time to come, it is becoming much harder for many people to find that work/life balance. This was already a challenge for many people, whether it was due to feeling pulled between work and kids, multiple jobs, or caring for others, and now the problem is being exacerbated. For whatever reason it may be for you, the Golden Hour is your permission ticket to yourself to look after yourself and your mental health.

When you slot this hour in is entirely dependant on your circumstances, but it may be:

• First thing in the morning, before work
• During your lunch hour Just after you put the kids to bed
• Mid-afternoon, as a buffer between work finishing and starting the evening jobs of cooking, washing and cleaning
• Just before you go to bed

You can decide that you want to do the same thing every day, such as hula hooping to build your fitness and give your mind time to switch off, or phoning a friend or family member, or you may decide that the hour is designated to whatever takes your fancy on the day!

The final touches

So, now that you have carved out the time to embrace what life is really about, how do you ensure that you break the habit of letting your mind wander to the more mundane?

You’ve probably heard of mindfulness, but perhaps you’ve dismissed it as too hard, too time-consuming or too ‘silly’? Well, if it doesn’t sound like something you’d like to dabble in, it may be worth just taking some elements and making them work for you. For example, you may want to practice:

• Breathing technique - As our minds are so easily pulled to busyness, try paying attention to your breath as you sit quietly for a moment. This isn’t necessarily deep breathing, but just breathing normally - this allows you to feel calm and at one with yourself. It may be useful to take a moment to do this in the car just before walking into a gathering, at the beginning of any time you’ve set aside for yourself or even during an activity if you find yourself slipping into an old habit.
• Stop and count - This technique is often, but not always, done in conjunction to deep breathing. Simply count to ten slowly, with each number accounting for a breath in and a breath out. If you notice your mind has wandered, start again at one. This may seem bizarre but practicing this technique hones your ability to be present in the moment and focus on one task. Once you’ve mastered this, being in the moment during an actual moment will become easier and easier!
• Savouring the senses - This is a great technique to employ both during time alone and in social settings. The aim is to use all your senses to experience something. It may be focusing on the taste and smell of a beautiful birthday cake, rather than wolfing it down. It could be enjoying both the sound of music you’re listening to, as well as how your body feels as it sways to it. It could even be drinking in the sound of your kids playing, the smell of your favourite bubble bath, or the vibrant colours of a painting. What is important is really focusing and seeing which details you become aware of that may have previously passed you by. As an added bonus, stopping to really examine something helps to embed memories that may have otherwise not stuck with you.

So, now that you know the importance of carving out the time to do what makes your heart sing, as well as how to make the most of those very moments, only one thing is left - deciding what it is you want to be doing!

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