What Do I Want to Achieve?

Dan lists the following objectives in his Medium article, which shaped my workflow:

- Define your goals, priorities, and commitments. I embraced this concept fully and created a mind map. I could have used a word processor or a spreadsheet, but the focus here isn't on formulating SMART goals; you can explore that concept here:

Managing your plans in the S.M.A.R.T. way :: Vorakl's notes

Time-blocking is about allocating time effectively to achieve these goals while managing your daily responsibilities.

- Create a scheduling template using colors to categorize time blocks. I initially attempted to design templates using Vectornator and Numbers but soon realized I was merely recreating a calendar. iOS already provides a functional calendar, and reinventing the wheel is unnecessary.

- Include your daily rituals—those tasks you perform consistently. These can be set as repeating tasks in your Calendar. For example: - 8:30 to 9:00 AM: Review emails and plan the day. - 10:00 to 10:30 AM: Coffee break and another email review. - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM: Lunch. - 3:00 to 3:30 PM: Coffee break and progress review.

I didn't mark these as "busy" in my calendar, allowing more critical work to take precedence.

- Allocate time for focused work. I create these by dragging reminders into specific time slots on the calendar. They are marked as "busy," as I need to concentrate on them. I don't adhere to fixed time blocks; if I estimate a task will take 45 minutes, that's what I allocate.

- Group similar tasks like checking emails or grocery shopping. These can be added as repeating events in the Calendar.

- Regularly review and adjust your plans. I set aside time each Friday afternoon for this purpose.

This strategy is intentionally straightforward, as I don't want planning to become more complicated than the actual work itself.

How Do I Use Reminders?

Start by creating a document outlining your goals and specifying how you plan to achieve each one. These will evolve over time, serving as the foundation for your reminders.

Reminders previously offered simplicity to a fault, but with iOS 13, they've significantly improved. Here's my approach: - Create a group for each life area (e.g., work, hobbies, home). - Develop a list for each goal (e.g., lose 8 kg, write a book on singing). - Use reminders and sub-reminders to illustrate how you will reach each goal.

How Do I Use Calendar?

I established a new calendar for time-blocking, which I display alongside my work and family calendars. You can select which calendars to show by tapping the icon in the upper left corner of the Calendar app.

This setup allows me to manage my professional commitments alongside personal obligations.

To finalize my calendar setup, I created recurring events for my daily rituals. With this framework in place, I run Calendar and Reminders side by side on my iPad. Simply find the tasks you wish to schedule and drag them into your preferred time slot.

When you release the task, a new event is generated. You can then determine how long to spend on it, whether to set alerts, and add notes.

This method also works seamlessly with Fantastical.

An Example Week

Here’s a fictional representation of a week in my life.

When I created this work plan, my rituals were already established. I always begin my day by checking emails and adjusting my plans accordingly. I have lunch at noon and a coffee break at 3 PM. Each task recurs every weekday indefinitely.

I review my week and progress every Friday at 4 PM. By then, I've typically accomplished a significant amount during the workweek. When I complete tasks, I add notes to the schedule and check off the reminders. Any necessary adjustments can be made during my daily planning and review.

Despite its simplicity, this approach is effective. I have a clear understanding of what I aim to achieve each week, and once the plan is in place, it becomes difficult to overlook.

How Effective Is It?

This method has proven to be a significant improvement: - I have clarity on my goals and can validate them with stakeholders. - I know precisely when I plan to accomplish tasks and how long I estimate they will take. - If unexpected events arise, I can assess their impact on my plans. - I'm in control, as I decide how much time to allocate. While I may not always be accurate, regular reviews help me learn and improve.

With this structure in place, I've alleviated much of my anxiety and stress.

What Challenges Exist?

• It's essential not to shy away from your schedule. If you designate that a report will be worked on at 10 AM on Tuesday, that's when it must occur. Any changes need to be reflected in your plan.
• I'm finding it challenging to plan further than a few days ahead since much of my work relies on others completing their tasks. Delays from others can stall progress.
• Some may perceive this approach as overly rigid. You'll need to become accustomed to that.

Utilizing Calendar and Reminders proves effective due to the drag-and-drop features available in modern iPadOS. I see little difference between using specialized apps and Apple's native applications. Moreover, both are integrated into iOS, allowing for seamless information sharing, and Apple continues to enhance them.

I'm also exploring how to use Shortcuts for automation. For instance, I created a shortcut that sets up my general plan for writing a Medium article. You can create lists in Reminders and then execute this Shortcut, which will prompt you to choose the list for task addition.

What Would I Change?

• The color coding for time blocks in Dan's original article captivated me. It provides an instant visual representation of how time is allocated. I can't easily replicate this in the Calendar app without creating a separate calendar for each task type.
• Reminders lacks a section for documenting goals and the reasons behind them. This is why I maintain a separate document. Integrating this information into Reminders would strengthen the connection between goals and actionable steps, though it's not a dealbreaker.

Finally Free

I've battled with and become fixated on task managers for a long time. Confronted with a constantly expanding workload, I turned to these tools because they were readily available. Upon reflection, I realized I overlooked something significant:

> "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." > — Albert Einstein

In essence, I was mistaken in believing I could conquer an ever-growing workload simply by organizing tasks better. Time-blocking has provided me with that elevated awareness.

It involves setting clear goals, distinguishing between goals and actions, and budgeting time in a practical manner to move toward those objectives. The act of budgeting fosters ownership over what you're striving to accomplish.

I avoided wasting time searching for the perfect app for time-blocking. It turns out that iOS equips you with all the necessary tools; it’s simply a matter of devising a plan for their use. It's critical to follow through, as the real impact comes from actively implementing these strategies!

While nothing is perfect, what I've outlined here offers a straightforward yet effective approach to time-blocking within the Apple ecosystem. You might expect that a tightly structured calendar would feel constraining, but in reality, it feels liberating.

Thank you for reading my article; I hope you found it insightful.

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