Time Blocking 101

Time blocking consists of blocking time for your tasks on your calendar to schedule exactly when you're going to work on them. If your day unravels through meetings and your need to focus on your tasks, this is the right time management technique for you.

Plan your tasks

Stay on top of your tasks by adding a date and time to each one of them. This can be done easily and intuitively, whether you're creating a task using natural language or later on, by using the shortcut P.

Planning is crucial in ensuring you focus on what's most important. Start your day off right by taking just 5 minutes to plan your day during the Daily Planning session in Akiflow.

Lock your tasks

Locking your tasks, Akiflow will schedule events on your Calendar, so your colleagues will know you're on focus time and won't disturb the flow.

To do that, click on your tasks from the calendar, hit the lock icon, and select the calendar in which you want to lock your task.

Visibility options

Public: Anyone can see your task details, including the description.

Private: Your task details can't be seen by others unless they have at least the 'Make changes to events' permission for this calendar.

Busy: Your task title in Calendar will be Busy so not even the workspace admin can see your task title.

Recurrent tasks will be locked in the calendar 15 instances in the future at a time. You won't need to take further action.

Lock your planned tasks automatically

Go to Settings → Tasks → Lock automatically tasks in calendar. You can lock your tasks by default on a calendar that's not your primary one.

Leverage Time Slots for effective Time Blocking

Time Slots are not just a feature; they're a revolution in approaching time blocking. Why? Because they act as dedicated containers within your calendar, ensuring that every task has its rightful place.

Why Use Time Slots?

Time blocking is about allocating specific chunks of time to tasks, ensuring you stay on track. Time Slots take this a step further. They allow you to:

  • Organize multiple tasks within specific periods, ensuring clarity.

  • Set aside dedicated times for varied activities, be it admin tasks, marketing efforts, or personal needs.

  • Visualize your day or week, making adjustments as needed.

Use Time Slots Effectively

  1. Design Your Week: Open your calendar and start by creating Time Slots for all the activities you foresee. This could be work-related tasks, personal chores, or even leisure time.

  2. Assign Project: Enhance your visual feedback by assigning projects to your Time Slots. Akiflow will automatically change the slot color into the project one, so you can quickly understand what you have to work on at a glance, making your calendar more intuitive and organized.

  3. Task Allocation: Once your Time Slots are in place, begin allocating tasks to them. Remember, the appearance of a Slot isn't affected by the time, duration, or project of its tasks. It's all about organization.

  4. Recurring Needs: Have a regular activity every Monday? Set the Time Slot to recur, ensuring you don't have to recreate it every time.

  5. Stay Flexible: The beauty of Time Slots is the flexibility they offer. Need to adjust a Time Slot? Simply drag and drop. Want to edit tasks within a Slot? Use the Command Bar or right-click options.

  6. Pin Slots: Want to alleviate distractions and increase focus? Simply Pin the slots using F to open a separate column and work on tasks only in that slot.

Need help?

Reach out to our team at support@akiflow.com. We're happy to help!

Join our community to ask questions, share your workflow tips, and connect with other Akiflow users who can help you get even more out of Akiflow.