Time Blocking Vs. Time Boxing With Examples

Feeling confused between Time Blocking and Time Boxing? Don’t worry, everybody does initially.

Time Blocking and Time Boxing are scheduling techniques. Both are used for time management, and both almost serve the same purpose.

What makes them different is their core features. While Time Blocking organizes your day, Time Boxing sharpens your focus.

In this article, I have compared Time Blocking and Time Boxing to clarify their differences. 

Discover their usage, benefits, and tools to find the best option for you.

What Is Time Blocking? 

Time Blocking involves dividing your day into blocks and booking them for specific tasks. 

Those tasks could be anything from grocery shopping and work meetings to socializing and outdoor errands. 

By breaking down your time into smaller blocks, you set a defined path for the day, making it easier to accomplish multiple tasks step-by-step.

How Does Time Blocking Work–With Examples

Sunsama

Time Blocking mainly needs a calendar with alarm or reminder features. You create a plan for the day and reserve a period of time for each task.

Let me give you an example.

Suppose you have a set morning routine. You start your day with emails and follow it with team meetings. You also have several projects to look after before five. 

How do you manage all that? Through Time Blocking. You allocate half n hour to emails, one hour to team meetings, and subsequently schedule time for projects by priority. 

This essentially is called Time Blocking.

You can use a simple pen and paper for scheduling and a cellphone alarm for reminders. Alternatively, You can get a digital planner or a scheduling tool to make tracking easier. Whatever works for you.

(I have included five digital apps that offer a Time Blocking feature. You’ll find them at the end of the article.)

Benefits of Time Blocking

The major advantage of Time Blocking is multitasking. 

We on average spend 57% of our time on work communication alone. The rest is spent on checking emails and low-priority tasks, postponing large projects for later. 

With Time Blocking, you can define clear goals and avoid time wastage. This method helps you save up to 2 hours daily, and eliminate procrastination. 

What Is Time Boxing? 

In Time Boxing, you allocate a specific amount of time to a certain project or errand. Outside the set timeframe, you avoid working on that particular project.

The idea is to set boundaries, so you spend only the designated time focusing on the job.

How Does Time Boxing Work–With Examples

Pomodoro

For Time Boxing, you only need two things–A to-do list or a calendar for scheduling and a timer for tracking.

You start by jotting down the pending tasks and reserving specific periods for those projects. When your task is due, you turn on the timer to set a limit. Once the time is up, you stop working on the current task and leave it for the next day.

Here’s a quick example.

Suppose, you have taken up a new hobby, like drawing, but you can’t find time to practice your skills. By reserving 5:pm to 6:pm for the drawing, you practice your skills each day.

Another great example of Time Boxing is teaching. Classes typically start and end on the schedule, even if you are in the middle of the lecture.

Benefits of Time Boxing

Time Boxing increases your work efficiency and helps you create realistic goals. 

How?

We typically stay productive for only two hours before we lose focus. Tons of things distract us from work, such as socializing, browsing, and even daydreaming. 

Time Boxing gives you a limited time to complete your task. It drives you to focus on the task, boosting your productivity. It also gives you a clear goal, reducing work anxiety.

This is just one advantage. Time Boxing offers several other benefits, including motivation and creativity. If you have a limited time to get things done, you find ways to be more productive.

(Scroll down to the pros and cons section to get a summarized version of its advantages and limits.)

Time Blocking Vs. Time Boxing 

Time Blocking and Time Boxing are designed to target different areas. The first provides clarity, and the second boosts your focus.

The differences are subtle enough that you can use both together. But they also work well as standalone time management methods.

Here are three main differences between Time Blocking and Time Boxing. 

1. Time division

Time Blocking breaks your day into small chunks of time, assigning blocks to different activities. We apply this method to set clear goals, so we don’t have to think about what we are going to do next, effectively avoiding distractions.

Time Boxing targets specific tasks. The goal is to set a cap on the time to avoid investing all your efforts in one task only–like setting 30 minutes for exercise.

New York Times

2. Flexibility

In Time Blocking, you typically schedule tasks with tentative deadlines to keep a buffer for unexpected events. 

If you, for some reason, can’t meet your goals in the assigned period, you can extend the time or reschedule them for later–like rearranging the meeting.

Time Boxing is comparatively more restricted. The method requires setting starting and ending times, giving you less flexibility. The idea is to eliminate procrastination and make the most of your time.  

3. Time Period

Time Blocking is perfect for day or week planning. It’s applied over a large period to help you organize your time. 

The best example is an appointment calendar. While you allocate small blocks to different clients, you are essentially scheduling your entire day. The breaks in between also give you a little reprieve to refresh your mind.

Time Boxing, on the other hand, is best for project-based work. If you have an ongoing project with longer deadlines, you can manage it by breaking it down and assigning it one hour each day. It works for short-term projects as well. 

Where To Use Time Blocking And Time Boxing

Time Blocking and Time Boxing can be used for anything. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to productivity techniques, and you can customize them as you see fit.

But there might be some areas where Time Blocking works better than Time Boxing–and vice versa.

For example, if a major part of your job requires collaboration, Time Boxing might not work well for you. 

However, if you sell hand-made products, Time Boxing is an excellent productivity tool for you. You can take an hour out from your operations each day to work on the new product line. 

To summarize, Time Blocking is best for morning routines, team management, and multitasking. While Time Boxing is suitable for focused work, skill development, and engagement activities.

Mckinsey

Pros and Cons 

Below, I have summarized a few advantages and limitations of Time Blocking and Time Boxing. 

I have covered the broad areas to share my general observations.

Time Blocking

Pros

• Time Blocking is a perfect stress reliever. By planning everything in advance, you avoid overthinking and accomplish more.
• This technique increases your organizational skills. You learn to prioritize and make smart decisions.
• You can use Time Blocking to personalize your schedule. You alone know what works for you and what won’t. You can organize your day accordingly to increase productivity.

Cons

• Time Blocking might be too much for people who struggle with scheduling. If you block time for deep work in a row, the idea of the upcoming tasks might make you feel tired just thinking about it. 
• This technique can be a great tool for day planning, but you can’t measure individual task progress.
• Time Blocking is best for busy professionals but can be a bit rigid for creative individuals. 

Time Boxing

Pros

• Time Boxing reduces distractions and improves your focus.
• The timer minimizes the need to procrastinate, developing better time management skills.
• With rigid deadlines, you can monitor your progress and adjust your deadlines accordingly.
• The short period often inspires creativity, keeping your mind active.

Cons

• Perfectionists may find Time Boxing unsuitable. On the one hand, it helps you escape perfectionism. On the other hand, rushed work might hurt your work quality.
• Some might feel undue pressure to complete a task within a deadline. While the purpose of Time Boxing is to create a balance, it might stress out people who struggle with anxiety.
• Time Boxing is specifically built to improve your focus, but for some, the ticking time can be a bit distracting, making the entire method counterproductive.

Five Time Blocking and Time Boxing Tools 

Time Blocking and Boxing are manual productivity techniques, But you can use some digital tools to make things easier for you.

If you are interested in exploring them, I have reviewed the five best software products offering one or both features. 

Explore their core functions and prices for comparison.

1. Sunsama

Sunsama has amazing features to boost work productivity. You can plan your daily routine, schedule tasks, and integrate Slack and Gmail to collaborate.

With tools like task import, you can convert all priority emails and messages into tasks, making it easier to track important messages.

Sunsama’s core function includes Time Boxing as well. You can add estimated periods to daily tasks and drag them to your calendar. Plus, you can turn on focus mode for deep work.

With analysis and weekly reviews, you can measure your progress and tailor your schedule.

Core Features

• Task management.
• Time boxing.
• Calendar syncing.
• Auto-scheduling.
• Email and Slack messages into tasks.
• Focus mode.
• Analytics.
• Integration.
• Mobile app.

Price

Sunsama charges $20 per month. If you go for its annual plan, the monthly subscription would be $16 per month.

A 14-day trial is available.

2. TickTick

TickTick is perfect for both work and personal chores. It’s a to-do list app that offers Time Blocking and Boxing features.

Here, you’ll get task management tools with a voice add feature for quick task creation. For Time Boxing, you’ll receive a Pomodoro timer and a white noise filter.

With calendar filters and reminders, you can time block tasks, track projects, and complete priority jobs on time. The app has advanced reminders, including a built-in location alert specifically for outdoor errands.

Core Features

• Quick tasks.
• Voice add.
• Calendar widget.
• Scheduling.
• Kanban and timeline view.
• To-do list.
• Pomodoro timer.
• Advanced reminders.
• Collaboration.
• Integration.
• Mobile app.

Price

TickTick’s basic plan is free. For premium features, it charges around $3 per month.

3. Clockify

Clockify is a time-tracking app for managers. Via this tool, you can record your team’s billable hours and create schedules.

Tons of interesting functions are built into the app.  For example, you’ll get a stopwatch to log work hours and a timesheet to calculate payroll. For accurate tracking, you can use punching and idle time detection.

Through the dashboard, you can oversee your team’s activities. If you work independently, you can track your personal work progress as well.

Overall, if you are looking for monitoring tools with Time Blocking and Boxing features, Clockify is the best option.

Core Features

• Stopwatch.
• Pomodoro timer.
• Timesheets.
• Idle time detection.
• Calendar.
• Reminders.
• Team features.
• Analytics and reporting.
• Integration.
• Mobile app.

Price

Clockify is free for individuals. The basic team plan starts at $4 per month.

4. Morgen

Morgen is a smart calendar. It automatically plans your week to save time.

The app uses artificial intelligence to create time blocks. You can also manually add blocks to schedule ad-hoc tasks. 

Recurring tasks, task splitting, and breaks are included to create realistic schedules. If you spend most of your day outdoors, Morgen offers a time travel scheduler for that as well.

For team leads, collaboration tools are available. You can syn individual calendars and use Morgen Ai Assist to find the best times for meetings.

Core Features

• AI planner.
• To-do lists.
• Time blocking.
• Task management.
• Calendar integration.
• Time travel scheduler.
• Reminders and time zones.
• Booking page and scheduling links.
• Team feature.

Price

Morgen’s basic plan is free. The premium package costs $15 per month. 

5. Forest

Forest is one of the best Time Boxing apps. It improves your focus through gamification and accountability.

The app is user-friendly and visually appealing. You receive trees to grow and get rewards for achievements. 

You can invite friends to plant trees together and measure progress through states. You’ll get several modes to switch between individual and group efforts.

All in all, it’s a good app for deep work.

Core Features

• Time boxing.
• Gamification.
• Team collaboration.
• Statistics.
• Deep work mode.
• Integration.
• Widgets.
• Mobile app.

Price

Forest costs $4. 

Conclusion 

Time Blocking and Time Boxing are both great methods to boost your productivity. 

They help you reduce distractions and keep you focused on important tasks.

If you are still not sure which method to follow, try them together. Or, you can check out the tools I have listed above and take free trials to measure their effect on your productivity. Good luck!