Time block planner: free time blocking template for your day and week

The short answer

Time blocking means giving each part of your day a job on a schedule, such as 8 to 10 for your most important task, 10:15 for email and 11 for meetings. Block fixed events first, protect one or two deep work blocks in your best hours, batch shallow tasks, add buffers and move blocks when the day changes.

How to time block your day

Time blocking gives every part of your workday a job. Cal Newport, a computer science professor who writes about focus, plans each workday on paper this way: every hour gets a job, and when the day changes he revises the rest of the plan instead of dropping it. The planner above follows the same steps:

1. Plan the day before. Take 10 minutes at the end of the day, or first thing in the morning. Look at your calendar and your to-do list.
2. Block the fixed things first. Meetings, classes, school runs and lunch. These are the walls of your day.
3. Protect one or two deep work blocks. Put your most important task in your best hours, 60 to 120 minutes at a time, and mark it Deep.
4. Batch the shallow work. Email, messages, calls and admin go in one or two blocks instead of all day.
5. Leave buffers. Add 15 to 30 minutes between big blocks. Tasks usually take longer than we expect.
6. Revise, don't quit. When the day goes off plan, move the blocks for the rest of the day. That is part of the method.
7. End with a shutdown. Tick off what got done, put the rest on tomorrow's list and stop.

For the full method with common mistakes and who it suits, read the time blocking guide. To plan a whole week of lists instead of hours, use the weekly planner; for a simple daily routine on paper, the daily planner.

Time blocking examples

Four example schedules. Press Use this example to load one into the day you are planning, then change the times and titles.

Deep work vs shallow work

The header of your plan adds up both, plus the time you have not planned yet. A Pomodoro timer helps you stay inside a focus block, and the Eisenhower matrix helps you pick what deserves one.

Time blocking, timeboxing or a to-do list?

Most people mix them: a time block plan for the day, a timebox inside the email block and a to-do list for the tasks without a time yet. The To do list on the plan above is for those: press ⏱ to give one the next free slot.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a time block schedule?

Press + Add block or tap an empty time on the planner, type what the block is for, pick a start and end time and a color, and save. Put fixed events in first, then your most important task in your best hours, then batch email and admin. The planner opens with an example day you can change or clear.

Is there a time blocking template I can print?

Yes. Press Print to get your day on one Letter or A4 page, with the top priority, to-do list and notes beside the timeline, in Classic, Color or Ink saver. In week view, Print gives the whole week on one landscape page. Print blank template gives an empty hourly page to fill in by hand.

How long should a time block be?

For focused work, 60 to 120 minutes with a short break after it works for most people. Shallow tasks like email fit in 30 to 60 minute batches. The planner works in 15-minute steps, and the length buttons in the editor set 15 minutes to 2 hours in one tap.

What is the difference between deep work and shallow work?

Deep work is hard, focused work that moves your main goals, like writing, coding or studying. Shallow work is easier, often interruptible work like email, messages and most admin. Tag each block Deep or Shallow and the top of your plan adds up both, plus the time you have not planned yet.

What if my day doesn't go to plan?

Change the blocks for the rest of the day; that is part of the method, not a failure. Tap a block to move its time, shorten it or push it to another day. Leaving 15 to 30 minute buffers between big blocks makes this easier, because tasks often take longer than planned.

Can I time block on my phone?

Yes. Everything works by tapping: no dragging. Tap a block to edit it, tap an empty time to add one, and use the arrows to switch days. In week view, phones show each day as a list. Save as image gives a phone-sized picture of your day.

Can I add my time blocks to Google Calendar?

Yes. Press Add to calendar (.ics) to download the day's blocks as a calendar file. Open it, or import it in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook, and each block becomes an event at the same time.

Is my plan saved?

Yes, in this browser on this device, as you make changes. Your week is kept by weekday, so next Monday starts from this Monday's plan. Nothing is sent to our server and there is no sign-up.

Sources and evidence

1. Cal Newport (2013): Deep habits, the importance of planning every minute of your work day — Newport's own description of time blocking: each evening he spends 10 to 20 minutes dividing the next workday into blocks on paper, with room beside the blocks to revise the plan when the day changes.
2. The Time-Block Planner (Cal Newport) — The planner built around the method: a daily grid that gives every minute a job, a page to capture tasks without breaking the current block, updating the plan when you are knocked off course and a clear shutdown at the end of the day.
3. Buehler, Griffin and Ross (1994): Exploring the planning fallacy — People tend to underestimate how long their own tasks will take, which is why a time block plan needs buffers.
4. Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006): Implementation intentions and goal achievement — In a meta-analysis of 94 tests, deciding when and where you will act linked to better goal follow-through than a goal alone.
5. Masicampo and Baumeister (2011): Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals — Unfinished goals caused intrusive thoughts and hurt performance on other tasks; making a specific plan for them removed these effects.