Time blocking is all the rave these days and it’s actually one of the trends I think are popular for good reason. The purpose of time blocking is to assign an event to each time. Events can range from classes, to work, to appointments, birthdays, and literally anything else you will be doing.

Time blocking is something that you will probably never be “perfect” at, but it is one of the most effective ways to get more done and improve your productivity and time-management skills.

Through this tutorial, we will be creating a calendar from scratch and I will show you the very basics of time blocking with Google Calendar. Very soon, you can start planning more, stressing less, and being more productive.

Time-Blocking With Google Calendar

1. Create a Gmail account

My favorite way to time-block is through using Google Calendar, (or on a regular sheet of paper). Click here for my printable specifically made for time blocking.

Onward with the tutorial! Make sure you have a Gmail account.

2. Go to Google Calendar

Once you have created a Gmail account, you can now go to Google Calendar so we can start time blocking. This is where all the magic happens.:·ﾟ✧

It will prompt you to download their Google Calendar app and I definitely recommend it. I prefer the desktop version but having the app on your phone is essential for notifications on the go.

Note: You can sync your Google Calendar with your phone app calendar if you’d like.

You should now see a clean slate like this:

A fresh start and so much room to create meaningful schedules for yourself.

3. Create Groups

This is very important. I personally don’t like to have all of my events under the same category. I want every single thing on my calendar to be intentional and meaningful to make my life easier. So we need to create groups that are personalized to your circumstances.

Go to Settings:

On the left sidebar, click Add Calendar then click Create New Calendar:

Now you should be here:

This is how we stay organized. I want you to create a calendar (group) for each major part of your life. As an example, here are my major categories:

• Get Sh*t Done – This category is for all of the random things I am doing in the day that don’t have a major category but need to be done. This category can be called anything you want, I just find get s h*t done motivating and comical!
• Work – This category will include all things that pertain to work. The times I work
• Self-Care – This includes things that I am doing to either replenish my health or just things I do that make me happy.
• Exercise – All the times I exercise. Whether that includes running (my favorite), hiking, bike-riding, walking my dog, or any other exercise I do.
• Appointments – This category includes all appointments. Doctor, nail, interviews, Zoom meetings, and anything else I consider as an appointment.
• Create – I create content, so it is imperative I plan time to make new stuff.

One at a time add a new calendar (group) with the group that it will entail. I never really put descriptions but feel free to put something there to remind you what that group entails.

Press “Create calendar” and then continue creating calendars until you feel like you have hit all the main areas of your life.

Note: Try not to make too many categories because you don’t want to get overwhelmed especially in the beginning (you won’t want to continue if you are overwhelmed with categories in the beginning).

Go back to your home screen and you should see all of your groups on the left sidebar:

4. Change Group Colors

Changing the group colors is important. You want to love all aspects of your calendar and creating custom colors helps you stay organized and it makes planning more enjoyable.

Here is a GIF that shows you how to change the colors.

Note: Find beautiful colors by googling hex codes. For example, to help create my color palette, I googled “pastel hex codes” and you can find so many amazing colors to customize your calendar!

5. Put In Reoccurring Events

The first step in time-blocking is to put in all routine events. Possible reoccurring events:

• When you work
• If you have kids, put when you drop them off/pick them up
• If you’re in school, put your classes and routine meetings with organizations, etc.
• Appointments/Zoom calls

So here is a GIF to show how I put in my scheduled and routine work hours to make sure they’re repeating:

6. Plan Around Reoccurring Events

This is the fun part. Now you can insert other tasks at times you find most convenient to you. For instance, I like to do a workout at least 3 times a week.

This is what that looks like to me:

You can keep inserting events until you’ve hit everything you want to do. This is an example of how mine turned out:

7. Leave Space Between Events

MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE SPACE IN BETWEEN EVENTS!!!

The whole point of time blocking on Google Calendar is to pre-plan your time so you don’t stress about the small things. Be mindful and kind to yourself when you plan. You know yourself best.

Don’t get too ambitious with time blocking. Leave yourself space to transition to the next thing you’re doing and make sure you don’t put too much on your schedule.

8. Don’t get down if you don’t stick to it

Time blocking is something you are always working at. You will have amazing days, and you will have days where you can’t seem to stick to your schedule.

Don’t beat yourself up. It is a constant process and it takes time to adjust to. I’ve been time-blocking for years and I still don’t do it perfectly. I’m sure no one does.

It’s all about planning, doing, and adjusting accordingly when you need to.

Leave a comment!

Well, that is it for this simple tutorial on time blocking with Google Calendar! Let me know if you have any questions about time-blocking or if anything I taught today wasn’t clear. Happy planning! ☻