The Differences Between Time Blocking and Time Boxing, and When You Should Use Them

The difference is slight, but important.

I've been pushing the concept of time boxing to better manage your day and be more productive for a while now, but the world of time management methods is vast. When searching for just the right technique, you might even run across the term "time blocking" and think it's the same as time boxing—but it's not. They do each have their uses, however. Here's the difference between the two approaches to time management and when you should use each.

What is time boxing?

Time boxing is a way to take on tasks that involves setting aside a fixed period of time—a "box"—to work on it. You only work on it for the duration of time you've allotted yourself, then you're done, at least for a while and until you set aside another box of time for it.

You use this when you need to focus on something, whether it's a routine task you schedule for a certain time every day, week, or month. Time boxing creates a space for you to completely commit yourself to just one task, engaging in deep work and avoiding distractions until your time is up.

Think of it like a heavy-duty Pomodoro technique: Where Pomodoro asks you to work for 25 minutes and take a break before getting back at it, time boxing asks you to work for however long you want or need, but understand that when the time is up, you're done. In both cases, you know respite is coming, so you focus and work hard to get to the end and accomplish as much as you can in the allotted time. Time boxing is especially handy for resource-heavy work that has some kind of deadline, but it's on you to schedule the time boxes correctly from now until when the deadline occurs.

What is time blocking?

Time blocking is used when you have a variety of tasks to take on and need to schedule your day precisely. Often, these tasks are unrelated, coming from your professional, home, academic, and social lives. Your day is full of duties and activities related to all the areas of your life, so your calendar should reflect that and make time for all of it. Using time blocking, you block out the time you'll spend on each task, usually in a calendar or planner, and stick to it, using educated guesses to estimate how long each will take within your schedule. The most important part of time blocking is sticking to the schedule you create, which can include time boxing, since you may need to cut a task short if its time is up in your schedule and it's time to move on to another one.

You time block everything you need and want to do, plus all your breaks, downtime, and everything in between. Your entire calendar or planner should be filled with blocks, which are visual reminders of exactly how long you have to do each task. Make sure to include blocks for things you enjoy, like watching a favorite show or meeting up with friends, as these act as rewards for getting everything else done. Using this system also allows you to see exactly how much time you really have for those pursuits. If there's something special coming up, like a concert, game, or date, always block that into the time blocking calendar the minute you plan it, so you can build your blocks around it, too.

When should time boxing and time blocking be used?

Use time boxing when you have a longer-term project to work on or one that never really expires, like a presentation that's due at work in a week or for cleaning your house. The idea here is that you should set aside a certain time, like 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., to work on something consistently, so when the time rolls around, you're in the habit of focusing entirely on the thing you are working on. Time boxing is more about habit-building, training yourself to focus deeply on one thing at a pre-determined time so you really get into it and start to do it regularly at that time. You can time box answering all your emails from 9 to 9:30 every morning, for instance, or cleaning your living room every Thursday at 6 p.m.

Time blocking should be used when you are juggling a lot of things and want to make sure they all get done. You should use a calendar, like your Google Calendar, to outline every single second of your day. Schedule the time boxes you use for checking and responding to your emails, cleaning, working on your kids' activities, seeing your friends, and even taking your lunch or 15-minute work breaks. Every part of your calendar should be filled up so you always know what you're supposed to be doing and exactly how long you have to do it.

They work together, in a way, since, as I said, you end up time boxing when you're time blocking, but time blocking is less about building a habit and more about building a routine. The longer you do it, the better you'll get at it. You might realize, two weeks in, that you don't need a full hour for checking inventory every Tuesday afternoon, so you can cut that back to 45 minutes and block something else into that spare 15. You may realize you need more than an hour to plan out your meals for the week on Sunday nights. You can tinker with the time blocks until you have just the right amount of space for everything. Then, just get to work. Your calendar tells you exactly what you need to be doing, so it's on you now to focus only on that task, stay distraction-free, and grind it out.