The Week of Failed Time Blocking

What I did wrong last week… and how I plan to fix it.

I am a bit of a time-blocking fiend. I start with my to-do list and my Google calendar and “block off” chunks of time in my day. I sync up my personal calendar, work calendar, and shared family calendar to have an overlapping view of meetings and appointments and then fill in everything else on my list. The result is something like a color-coded game of Tetris and making everything fit.

A few weeks ago, as I embarked on a new career that involves writing for a good chunk of the day, I started planning my blocks for the entire week. If I knew that I needed to write an article for Friday, I would block out time on Tuesday and Wednesday to work on it. I thought this careful planning was working well and giving me a good view of what my week would look like.

Until I got behind… with no good way to catch up.

On Tuesday of last week, my 5th grader woke up with a cough. I have to “self-certify” him in the morning via a school app. One of the questions asks, “Does your child have any new symptoms of COVID-19 (including a cough)?” Answering “Yes” the app prompted me to keep him — and his brother — home for the day. I kept the three-year-old home from preschool also.