Mattakushi432 Time Blocking
Time Block Taxonomy
| Block type | Duration | Purpose | Protection level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep work | 2-4 hours | Cognitively demanding focused work | Maximum — decline all interruptions |
| Shallow work | 30-90 min | Email, Slack, admin, scheduling | Medium — interruptions ok |
| Meetings | Batched windows | Sync collaboration | Low — others set agenda |
| Learning | 30-60 min | Reading, courses, skill building | High — protect from meetings |
| Buffer | 15-30 min | Between blocks — review, transition | Low |
| Review | 30-60 min | Weekly/daily review | High |
Themed Days Approach
Assign each day a primary theme to reduce context switching:
| Day | Theme | Example focus |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Planning & meetings | 1:1s, team syncs, planning |
| Tuesday | Deep work | High-focus creative/technical |
| Wednesday | Collaborative | Cross-functional meetings, reviews |
| Thursday | Deep work | High-focus creative/technical |
| Friday | Admin & review | Emails, weekly review, admin |
Rule: One theme per day. Don't let Monday's meeting culture bleed into Tuesday.
Deep Work Block Design
Block length
- Minimum effective block: 90 minutes (less than this rarely reaches deep focus)
- Optimal block: 2-4 hours
- Maximum before diminishing returns: 4-5 hours (most people)
Scheduling deep work blocks
- Identify your peak cognitive hours (morning for most people)
- Block deep work first, before anything else is scheduled
- Put 2+ deep work blocks per week minimum; 4+ if knowledge work is your primary job
- Never schedule meetings before your first deep work block
Deep work block setup
- Block in calendar as "Focus: [Project Name]" — specific, not generic "focus"
- Set status to Do Not Disturb on all tools
- Close email and Slack; set auto-responder if needed
- Pre-define what you'll work on (defined the day before)
- Remove phone from desk or put in another room
- Have water and snacks ready
Meeting Batching
Group meetings into dedicated windows to protect deep work:
Example: Meeting-heavy role
Morning: 9-11am (deep work, protected)
Midday: 11am-1pm (meeting window)
Afternoon: 2-4pm (second meeting window OR deep work)
Late afternoon: 4-5pm (shallow work — email, follow-ups)
Meeting batching rules
- Request meeting times within your designated windows
- For recurring meetings, negotiate to batch them on specific days
- Never accept a meeting that splits a deep work block
- Leave 15-minute buffer between meetings (no back-to-back stacking)
Calendar Audit Process
Run this quarterly to reclaim time:
- Export past 4 weeks of calendar
- Categorize every event: Deep work / Shallow / Meetings / Learning / Buffer / Wasted
- Calculate time allocation:
- How many hours of deep work per week?
- What % of time was meetings?
- What % was actual creative/strategic work?
- Identify waste: Recurring meetings with no clear value, unnecessary attendees
- Cancel or decline: Any recurring meeting you can't justify
- Renegotiate: Meetings that don't need you as attendee
Healthy calendar benchmarks (knowledge worker)
| Category | Target |
|---|---|
| Deep work | ≥ 15-20 hrs/week |
| Meetings | ≤ 30% of working hours |
| Admin/shallow | ≤ 15-20% |
| Learning | ≥ 2-3 hrs/week |
Protected Time Negotiation
When your calendar is filled by others:
Script for declining:
"I have focused work blocked at that time. Can we do [alternative slot] instead?"
Script for protecting recurring blocks:
"I block [time] for deep work. I keep that sacred for our team's output. I'm fully available [other times]."
Script for reducing meeting load:
"Could I review the notes from this one instead of attending? I want to free up that block for [project]."
Energy-Matched Scheduling
Match task type to your energy level at that time of day:
| Time | Energy | Best task type |
|---|---|---|
| Peak (often morning) | High cognitive | Deep work, complex decisions, creative |
| Mid (often midday) | Medium | Meetings, collaboration, learning |
| Trough (often early afternoon) | Low | Admin, email, mindless tasks |
| Recovery (often late afternoon) | Rising | Light creative, planning, reviews |
Find your pattern: Track energy (1-10) every 90 min for 2 weeks. Assign blocks accordingly.
Sample Weekly Templates
Deep worker (IC engineer, writer, researcher)
Mon: 9-12 deep | 12-1 lunch | 1-3 meetings | 3-5 shallow
Tue: 9-1 deep | 1-2 lunch | 2-4 deep | 4-5 review
Wed: 9-11 deep | 11-1 meetings | 1-2 lunch | 2-4 meetings | 4-5 admin
Thu: 9-1 deep | 1-2 lunch | 2-4 deep | 4-5 shallow
Fri: 9-12 deep | 12-1 lunch | 1-3 admin | 3-4 weekly review
Manager (many meetings, some strategic work)
Mon: 9-10 planning | 10-12 meetings | 12-1 lunch | 1-4 meetings | 4-5 follow-ups
Tue: 9-11 strategic deep | 11-12 admin | 12-1 lunch | 1-3 meetings | 3-5 1:1s
Wed: 9-12 meetings | 12-1 lunch | 1-3 meetings | 3-4 strategic | 4-5 review
Thu: 9-11 deep work | 11-12 admin | 12-1 lunch | 1-4 meetings | 4-5 follow-ups
Fri: 9-11 deep work | 11-12 admin | 12-1 lunch | 1-3 light | 3-4 weekly review
Tracking and Iteration
- Review calendar blocking effectiveness in weekly review
- Ask: Did I honor my deep work blocks? What caused them to be broken?
- Adjust next week's blocks based on what actually happened
- Track deep work hours per week as a metric (target: increase by 10% each month until healthy)