2.2Time-blocking: blocking slots
The essentials in 30 seconds
- What's in the diary gets done: with no reserved slot, the important gets nibbled by meetings and urgencies.
- Appointments with yourself: block dedicated slots, including at least one meeting-free slot a week.
- Reflex: 60–90 min blocks for focused work; if urgency hits, move the block, don't cancel it.
Running case — Anis “never has time” for the important
Anis has postponed his important report for three weeks: with no reserved slot, meetings nibble it. He blocks two 90-minute slots in his diary like appointments with himself, including one meeting-free morning. When an urgency lands on a block, he re-schedules it at once instead of cancelling.
Following on from case 2.1 — Anis protects the important in his diary.
1. What's in the diary gets done
An important task with no reserved slot never gets done: meetings and urgencies nibble it. Time-blocking means blocking dedicated slots in your diary for important tasks — exactly like scheduling a meeting.
What's in the diary is far likelier to get done. Anis reserves a slot for his report instead of hoping to “find a moment”.
2. Appointments with yourself
The diary must contain not only appointments with others, but also those you set yourself for background work. Reserving a “meeting-free” morning for a high-value task gives you the means to truly do it.
You treat these blocks as seriously as an external appointment: you don't lightly cancel them — you move them by re-scheduling at once.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Urgency on a reserved block
Move, don't cancel.
An urgency lands on a blocked slot? Many can wait for the block's end.
→ if you must move, RE-SCHEDULE right away, don't cancel.
Outcome: the important stops being “for someday”.Outcome: the important stops being “for someday”.
Reflex: 60–90 min blocks for focused work.
Section vocabulary
- Time-blocking
- Reserving dedicated diary slots for precise tasks, like scheduling a meeting.
Simple example: Anis blocks 9–10:30 am for his important report.
What it is not: hoping to “find a moment” with nothing reserved.
Reflex: important task = reserved slot.
- Time block
- A reserved, protected slot to accomplish an important task, with no planned interruption.
Simple example: A 90-minute block for Anis's background work.
What it is not: a 15-minute slot for a demanding task.
Reflex: 60–90 minutes to truly enter the topic.
- Appointment with yourself
- A slot blocked for your own work, treated as seriously as an external appointment.
Simple example: Anis honours his block as if receiving a client.
What it is not: sacrificing your block at the first request.
Reflex: you move an appointment, you don't bin it.
- Diary as steering tool
- Using the diary not only for meetings, but to steer all your work time.
Simple example: Anis's diary holds meetings AND background blocks.
What it is not: a diary listing only suffered meetings.
Reflex: the diary steers the week, not just others.
- Meeting-free slot
- A slot protected from all meetings, devoted to focused background work.
Simple example: One meeting-free morning a week for Anis.
What it is not: no intact slot in the whole week.
Reflex: at least one ring-fenced slot a week.
In practice — In practice — Blocking slots in your diary
- Spot your week's 2–3 important tasks (often from the “important not urgent” quadrant).
- Open your diary and RESERVE a dedicated slot for each, like an unmovable appointment.
- Protect at least one “meeting-free” slot in the week for background work.
- Treat these blocks as seriously as an external appointment: don't lightly cancel them.
Ready-to-say script — protecting your block (30 s)
“I have an appointment with myself from 9 to 10:30 to close the report — reachable after, unless a true urgency. If it overflows, we'll re-schedule the block this afternoon.”
To say to colleagues: the block is a visible commitment, movable but never cancelled.
Copy-paste template — my week's blocks
IMPORTANT TASK 1: _______________ | BLOCK: day ___ from ___ to ___
IMPORTANT TASK 2: _______________ | BLOCK: day ___ from ___ to ___
MEETING-FREE SLOT: day ___ from ___ to ___
IF URGENCY: moved to ___ at ___ (re-scheduled at once)Open-space employee
Signal your block (headset, status) and isolate if possible: an unprotected block isn't a block.
SME Algiers
Anis sets blocks outside counter hours and travel, and warns the team of the ring-fenced slot.
Remote work
Block visible in the shared diary + notifications off: remotely, the block must be seen to be respected.
Meeting-clogged diary
Start with ONE single 60-minute block a week, then extend once the reflex sticks.
✓ Best practices
- Put your important tasks in the diary, not only meetings.
- Protect at least one “meeting-free” slot a week.
- Move a block rather than cancelling it if urgency hits.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Hoping to “find a moment” with no reserved slot.
- Sacrificing blocks at the first request.
- Blocks too short to enter a demanding task.
Key takeaways
- A task with no reserved slot rarely gets done.
- Time-blocking puts important tasks in the diary.
- The diary must not hold only appointments with others.
- A protected block = an appointment with yourself, to honour.
48h Challenge — apply tomorrow
Reserve 1 block of 60–90 minutes this week for an important task (with a meeting-free slot). If threatened, move it by re-scheduling at once.
- I can turn an important task into a reserved slot.
- I protect a meeting-free slot a week.
- I have reserved (or re-scheduled) 1 real block.
Frequently asked questions
What do I do when an urgency lands on a blocked slot?
Not all urgencies are equal: many can wait for the slot's end. If the block must move, move it by re-scheduling at once instead of cancelling. A systematically cancelled block never protected anything.
How long for a block?
60–90 minute blocks suit focused work well, with a short break between blocks. Avoid too-short blocks (15 minutes barely leave time to enter a demanding task).
Anis wants to finally move his report, always nibbled by meetings. What should he do?