For Mom's Business Sanity

S E C O N D A C T M O M S . C O M

T IME BLOCK SCHEDUL ING

Did you have a career previously?

Have you been out of work for many years?

Do you have children who are older (middle or high school)?

Do you have an urge to use your education and work

experience again?

Do you want to work a part-time flexible schedule?

Willing to work hard and use your skills in a new way?

If so, you may be a Second Act Mom!

Twitter: @SecondActMoms

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Website: Second Act Moms

Email: info@secondactmoms.com

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Being organized is key to having a successful business and a happy

family. Scheduling everything is key. From business tasks to kids

activities to even “me” time – all these items must be planned – or

something inevitably falls by the wayside.

As Entrepreneurs with kids, our schedules vary from regular business

owners. My schedule is not based on the fiscal year or calendar year -

but the school year. And there are big shifts depending on the time of

year (school vacations, summer, etc.)

I have not always been a natural scheduler. Sure – doctor appointments,

dentist, etc. But not everything. When I started my business – I realized I

couldn’t just “remember” everything anymore. So I read over 80 books on

scheduling, productivity, etc. The easiest way I found to slowly start with

scheduling was the Time Blocking method. (Note: I am not the originator

of this method. I took the main ideas and adapted it to a part-time, small

business owner and mother’s schedule. Check in our “Resources”

section for experts on Time Blocking.)

[In this booklet, there is a sample time block schedule. Also, on the

download page, there is a template – in Excel or Word. Use the template

as a starting point for your schedule.]

The idea of Time Blocking is to mark off different parts of your day with

different types of activities that you have in a day. For instance, mark the

block of time you spend getting your kids ready in the morning.

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It's important to determine your kids' schedules - bus times, after-school

activities, sports practices and music lessons.

Either on paper or in a spreadsheet, block off all the time that you'll be

involved in your kids' activities, including morning time spent on getting

them ready for school (use the template).

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Next block out time for your morning routine. And other times for meals,

exercise, and sleeping. Usually there's not that much time left over (most

likely less than you realized. I know it is for me). All the more reason that

you need to focus on priorities for your business.

I work part-time from 10am-2pm. I usually am able to find some

additional time for work in the evenings (at soccer, piano, etc.) So in

broad strokes I block off 10am – 2pm for work. Decide on your “open for

business” hours. Block those off.

The next step is to then decide the types of activities you would like to do

each day. For instance on Monday, I usually work on my business. That

could be something like developing a plan for the next quarter, larger

business strategies, reviewing workload, etc. On Fridays I spend some

time doing invoicing. Wednesdays, Thursday, and Friday morning are for

client work. Tuesdays may be for scheduling social media for the week,

writing blog posts, etc.

In other words, plan out your time in large

categories or themes. Do what works for

you and your business. I find that having

the broad themes in my mind, allows me to

easily distribute any tasks that arise. I also

put in a "buffer" time - in case I need to

catch up if I get behind. (Tues afternoons and Friday late mornings.)

Don’t forget to add time for lunch, or short breaks, a walk, etc.

In addition, if you know that you work most effectively first thing in the

morning – put your priority or most focused tasks then. If you trail off

during the day, add your social media or “easier” tasks then.

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Usually Sunday night (or sometimes late Friday) I look at the tasks for the

next week and schedule them.

And you need to stick to your schedule. Now that doesn't mean that

there's no flexibility. I understand that unforeseen events arise. This

block system does allow you to swap out blocks if necessary.

For instance - if a client needs a meeting but can only do so on Monday -

I swap this client's time from Thursday to Monday. It's not always an

even swap. But that's why I schedule in my "buffer time" - that can

usually help me catch up.

In addition, I always make sure to

have my Mobile Biz Kit so that I

make the most of any "down

time". If I’m waiting at my son’s

music lesson, or at sports

practice, I’m usually able to write

blog posts, catch up on reading

articles, etc.

Since I work part-time I need to make my work time extremely productive!

Thinking of your potential plans and strategies in advance will help to

alleviate too many issues and too much down time.

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I recommend using either a calendar and/or tasks program to help. Quite

honestly it doesn't matter what specific app you use - you just have to use

it.

Calendar App

Once you have your time block schedule, then you will need to transfer it

(and or your actual tasks) into a calendar program. Google Calendar is

one of the most popular.

Google Calendar is free and easy to set up. A great feature is the ability

to share different calendars with people (they usually will need to have a

google account as well). I have created multiple calendars. One for my

kids’ activities, one for each of my business ventures. Each one is color

coded. The kids’ calendar I share with them and my husband - so we all

know what's happening and when. It’s available on mobile devices – so

you can take it anywhere.

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I even create a separate “Time Block” calendar with just my broad

categories. I then will create a different calendar of “Activities,” “Work”,

etc. I then show other calendars at the same time.

Simple Task Apps

While you have your time blocks set out you will still want an app to keep

you on track and completing tasks. (Note: Some use their calendar for

that...though if you're working with someone else, a task app is useful. In

addition, I like clicking boxes when I finish a task - there's something

satisfying and motivating about it.)

There are a lot of simple task apps - Todoist, Wunderlist, Any.co etc. I

tried many and like certain features of several. While they are free, many

require a payment for some features (reoccurring tasks).

1. Todoist – a free app with a browser and mobile version. (Some

additional features are available for a fee.) The simple, clean

interface is nice. And if I have some really quick tasks – I like using

this type of task manager.

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2. Wunderlist – Free and has a web and mobile (iOS and Android)

version. It’s simple, clean and easy to add tasks. You can divide

them into categories – work, family, etc.

3. Any.do – iOS, Android and web. Another simple task app with

some more advanced features (some for a fee). I like it because it

will send you a notice each morning of the tasks you have due each

day. In addition, if something is due and you set a reminder – a

popup appears where you can “dismiss” “snooze” or “done”. That’s

a nice feature.

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Advanced Task Apps

There are also more in-depth task programs such as Asana, Trello,

Nozbe, etc. These apps allow you to collaborate with others, share and

delegate tasks. Most integrate with other apps as well - Evernote,

Google, etc. I think you need to try them for a little bit in order to find the

one most suited to your business and lifestyle. Once you've tried a

couple, pick one and stick with it.

1. Asana – for Web, iOS and Android. It’s free for teams up to 15. It

has projects, tasks, sub-tasks, even a calendar view.

I can assign my tasks to different projects even to different people.

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2. Trello – another free app that is for visual schedulers. It is a

Kanban-style app with boards in horizontal columns. The tasks are

listed below each board. It’s easy to move around tasks, change the

color scheme, and assign people to tasks.

Look at this amazing board from Trello’s website! Amazing. If you’re a

visual learner/worker – this may be a good choice for you.

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3. Nozbe – It no longer appears to be free, but the cost is minimal. It

has a different interface than the others, but has the same functions

and integrations. You can color-code, have multiple projects, and

prioritize your tasks.

Nozbe is a good task app for those that collaborate. They even have

a short productivity course and a blog/magazine.

There are a lot of great task aps – both simple and more complex. Find

one that works for you – and one that you are willing and able to use

every day.

For an amazing list of task apps, check out this link from the Zapier blog.

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Capture Apps

When you're on the go, you'll need to have something to capture your

moments of brilliance. There are simple "notepad" apps, “stickies” type

apps as well as more sophisticated ones like Evernote and One Note.

Simple Note Apps

1. Notepad-type – a simple memo notepad to jot down notes which

comes with most phones and tablets. I use it sometimes for simple

things for me to remember.

2. Sticky-type – many apps with “Sticky Notes” for phones, desktops.

Useful for quick items to remember.

More Advanced Note Apps

1. Evernote - I have made Evernote my information hub for my

business. It has so many functions for complex projects, but you can

start with a simple note that captures tasks, lists, etc. For more

information, check out this free guide to get you started with Evernote.

I love the speech to text feature.

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2. One Note – A free app that is available for all your devices. Since it’s

a Microsoft product, it integrates with all of the office products. You

can clip webpages, send emails to your notebook, etc.

3. Simple Note – A very simple, free interface but available on the web,

mac, iOS, android and Kindle. It has a neat feature called “List Assist”

– that adds bullets when a list is created.

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Any one of these apps would help capture your inspirational ideas, your

quick notes, or whatever comes up…no matter where you are. Try to

create a system – so that when you do have a brilliant idea, you add it to

the app, tag it appropriately, and then schedule a time to follow up –

either to review it or act on it.

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So now that you’ve learned some of the basics of time blocking and how

to schedule, it’s time to get started.

I recommend setting aside some time for the first week to figure out your

time blocks. Once you have those set, it will be easier to fill in your tasks

for the week. At the beginning, I would set aside additional time until it

becomes easier to do. Choose the appropriate apps and get scheduling.

As far as tasks, try choosing a priority task for the day. Best to choose

something that is close to earning money for your business. A task that

moves your business forward. Or if you’re just starting – choose a priority

for the week that gets your business going.

And give yourself a break. It’s unlikely that this new regime of scheduling

will click on day one. Try it! If you get off track, don’t get down on

yourself. Instead, start over. No problem.

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About Karen

Karen struggled starting her first part-time, online business, Patent Watch

Online, in which she assists Intellectual Property attorneys with their

patent administration. She is a book author, soccer mom and linguist.

Karen is enthusiastic about helping other “Second Act Moms” find a new

endeavor for this stage in their life. The options now available because of

technology are almost limitless. Information, however, can be

overwhelming. She leans on her experience to help women find the best

small business fit for their skills and lifestyle – and skip her mistakes.

Does this ring a bell with you? Come join our private Facebook Group to

share your trials, tribulations – as well as your successes!

Would love to hear your feedback! Don’t be shy…check us out at:

Twitter: @SecondActMoms

Facebook: SecondActMoms

Website: Second Act Moms

Email: info@secondactmoms.com

Our blog has more posts: Second Act Moms Blog

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- Time Blocking Method – “Block your Time” -

http://timemanagementninja.com/2009/08/block-your-time/

- Time Blocking – “This Productivity Hack Completely Changed My life, and

It Can Improve Yours” - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249475

- Time Blocking - http://lifehacker.com/plan-out-your-day-productively-with-

the-time-blocking-1666983314

Apps

Great list of task apps by Zapier - https://zapier.com/blog/best-todo-list-

apps/

Google Calendar – www.google.com/calendar

Todoist Task Manager – www.todoist.com

Wunderlist – www.wunderlist.com

Any.do – www.any.do

Asana – www.asana.com

Trello – www.trello.com

Nozbe – www.nozbe.com

Evernote – www.evernote.com

One Note – www.onenote.com

Simple Note – www.simplenote.com

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