Hey Reader

As a productivity and organisation enthusiast, I have long been interested in the idea of time blocking.

The only problem is it doesn't seem to work for me 😅 Thanks ADHD...

(Did I tell you that I got my official diagnosis? Yay 🥳)

While I love the idea of having a fully scheduled out weekly calendar to show me exactly when I'll do what and for how long, I've uncovered a few reasons as to why I find this so difficult.

One is the fact that I am apocalyptically poor at predicting how long things will actually take me ⌛

Sometimes this come with nice surprises, like realising my laundry only takes 7 minutes to put away not 45, but usually my poor time predictions don't work in my favour.

This certainly isn't ideal for time blocking; how am I supposed to schedule out all the things I need to do if I don't know how long they will actually end up taking?

Another challenge is the rigidity of a time-blocked schedule.

The most common examples we get of time blocking are fully packed calendars where every minute is accounted for, so what happens if one block doesn't go according to plan?

It could be that the tasks take longer than predicted, or an unexpected commitment gets dropped in our laps, or even just the transition periods that I consistently forget to account for.

Sure, I could then just move everything around and adjust the schedule, but now I'm spending my time and energy on replanning rather than getting things done.

There's also the issue that not every minute is created equal.

Something which might only take me 30 minutes at the start of the day when my energy and focus are higher could take me twice as long if put in the afternoon when I'm running on fumes.

Of course, then there is also the ever looming risk of Rebel Brain™️ getting annoyed at being told what to do 😝

While Monday-Jess might have thought scheduling newsletter writing from 9:00am - 10:00am on Friday was good idea, that can make my brain suddenly find literally anything else more appealing. Maybe I'll go deep clean the fridge 🧼

While I know time blocking works well for some people (I mean, otherwise why would we have all these productivity gurus telling us we should do it?), I've had to find a different strategy for myself.

Thankfully I've recently leaned into a time management technique that offers a lot more flexibility and doesn't rely on me being able to accurately predict how long things take.

Let's have a look 👀

The idea - Give yourself an order of play

Rather than scheduling out every minute of the day or week, I've taken to giving myself an "order of play".

While time blocking usually means setting up a rigid and precise schedule, an order of play is a softer and more flexible way to schedule my time.

For my order of play, I divide each work day into six rough blocks of time.

I say rough because none of these time blocks actually come with a specific duration. Some might be two hours long, while others might only be 30 minutes.

Honestly, the blocks aren't so much about time at all. They are really just tasks or categories of tasks to do, and I sequence them in the order I'll complete them in.

How I set up my "order of play"

An important part of my system is when I'm outlining my order of play.

While I love the idea of a fully scheduled week, all too often I find start-of-week-Jess has a hard time predicting what mid-and-end-of-week-Jess will actually be getting up to.

Let's just ignore the fact I'm also a persnickety biscuit, and if I set up my planner with a full weekly schedule that ends up changing, I'll riot.

Instead of scheduling out all my tasks across the full week, I only specify my daily order of play the evening before.

For instance, at the end of work on Monday, I'll review what needs doing on Tuesday and write down the order I'll tackle things in.

The process for me looks like:

1. Write my task list for the next day
2. Review the tasks and make any necessary considerations (we'll talk about those in a second!)
3. Schedule the tasks into the 6 rough time blocks
4. Write the order of play in my work schedule (which is part of each weekly dashboard in my planner)

Come the day in question, I just have to review the order of play that past-Jess made for me, and get to work.

Considerations and constraints

While some people might feel that the order of play is a pretty ad hoc way to manage time, it isn't done without consideration.

When I plan my sequence, I'll think about:

• Daily structure - I usually aim to have lunch between blocks 3 and 4; three rough blocks in the morning, and three in the afternoon.
• Weekly structure - While I don't fully plan out my order of play prior to the evening before any day, I do like to take note of any scheduled events or appointments at the start of the week. I will add these to a day's order of play in advance of the prior evening. For instance, at the start of the week, I will write down any livestreams, appointments, or other scheduled happenings which need to be accounted for in my planning.
• Task duration - While I don't try to perfectly predict how long any task will take, I do try to consider whether any task category might need multiple blocks to complete. For instance, I'll often put livestreaming or video editing down for two blocks rather than just one.
• Task importance - I aim to put my most important tasks at the start of any order of play. Those will be the tasks I start the day with, making them the most likely to get completed.
• Task energy costs - I also aim to have tasks that require more energy placed in my morning blocks when I'll find them easier to do.

Order of play > Time blocking

While I'm still practicing with the order of play system, I have already found a lot of benefits from it.

One of the biggest is that morning-Jess now doesn't have to decide what to start with.

It's no secret that I love a list, but this also means that some of my daily task lists end up putting me in a state of analysis paralysis.

Instead of starting the day overwhelmed by having to review and prioritise a huge task list, I've already planned out the order I'll be tackling things in.

The aspect that has really taken the pressure off of time scheduling though is not needing to be as accurate when I predict how long things will take.

Because the blocks in my order of play don't come with set or specific durations, I don't need to panic if something takes longer than expected.

If block one takes an hour longer than I thought it would, I don't have to rearrange the rest of my calendar. I just move on to block two when I'm done.

The whole thing is much more flexible while still giving me enough structure to actually complete my tasks.

At this stage, I'm only using the "order of play" strategy for my work-related tasks, but I'm certainly tempted to bring it over into my home and personal life too.

As someone who still struggles with making time for myself and balancing priorities, having an order of play to follow could certainly be useful in helping me prioritise the right things at the right times 💪

How organised are you?

While I find my planning-related organisation to be preeetty good (or at least constantly improving), other life areas leave a lot to be desired 😅

Thankfully though, we have the biggest organising event of the year coming up in September. Double thankfully, it's free to attend!

Get Organized HQ Virtual 2026 is an online event designed to help you streamline and simplify your home and life.

With over 100 speakers (myself included 😈) you’ll find sessions on everything organisation-related, including:

• Decluttering
• Meal planning
• Digital organisation
• Cleaning
• Paper clutter

And more! 🥳

The event runs from September 14 - 19, and you can check out the full speaker lineup (and grab your free ticket) by hitting the button below 👇

If you can't make the event, or if you want lifetime replays, worksheets, and session notes, there’s an optional All Access Pass available at a discounted rate too (time limited though!).

I've got my All Access Pass and started watching the sessions; so many good organisational tips! I hope you get value out of it too 😄

Let's take action

If you've tried time blocking and found that it just doesn't quite work for you, have a go at making your own order of play.

You don't have to use six blocks like I do, but the steps to making your own are:

1. Pick the number of tasks or task categories you'd like in your daily sequence
2. Write out your task list for the day
3. Look over what you need to get done, considering importance and energy needs
4. Decide on the order you'd like to tackle it in
5. Write your order of play down as a plan for future-you

It's okay if the planned order doesn't get completed perfectly (mine certainly don't sometimes), but through practice this could become your best time scheduling system yet 💪

Until next time!

- Jess