The *Huge* Problem With Timeblocking: What I Do Instead

[@bobbynewman6129]

“A balanced life is so much more fulfilling than one chasing an impossible standard of productivity.” You’re spot on. I hadn’t heard this idea articulated so clearly. This is great work man!

[@FromSergio]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@morganica]

Completely agree: energy management > time management The Tim Ferriss + Sam Corcos podcast went over this too: avoid digital task management lists that become infinite inboxes that are hard to triage. Focus on the important, eliminate/delegate the unimportant and surf waves of flow. Rian Doris also talks about 'chronotypes' and assessing the seasonality of your 'time of day flow' Great video - thanks!

[@FromSergio]

100%! :)

[@baptisteArno]

Sam Corcos is hard-core on time blocking though!

[@PH4L4NXX]

"Eisenhower's Matrix has entered the chat" ;-)

[@youvegotwings]

Great video. Time blocking never worked from me because as someone who works in a support position, most of my day is unpredictable and my to do list changes all day

[@Benjibo]

One of my key areas of research is personal energy management and it's a really important discussion. It's really valuable that you're talking about it - but for anyone else that has tried this and failed: it's not as simple as knowing your energy trends. Your 'energy level' isn't purely physical as you may likely feel, so it's really important to manage your emotional/motivational energy and exploit it as well. Chronotypes are a guide, but it really depends on your personal relationship to the work itself as well - eg you feel energised when doing work you enjoy - exploit those trends where you are manipulating your own energy by doing tasks you enjoy!

[@FromSergio]

Thanks for chiming in! Great points!

[@brendalg4]

I would be interested in your research. I have a chronic pain condition that gets in the way of getting things done.

[@MilesBLewis]

@Benjibo, I would also be interested in hearing more of your research. This is a personal nut I'd like to crack, so to speak.

[@roncanfil]

I love the rant, always necessary to hear these words from people who has systems in place and are above tools

[@FromSergio]

The rant was severely shortened! Didn't wanna make it too long!

[@eisi6219]

Rarely writing a comment but but your videos are just awesome. The first videos I saw were your Obsidian ones which were by far the best ones explaining the matter and making my start easy. But also videos such as this one are very understandable and just well made. 10/10 can and will recommend!

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! It means a lot, especially from those who rarely comment :)

[@harlee886]

This is me too. First comment ever!

[@EdoPortugal]

This video made so many things make sense! I’ve always struggled with time blocking, especially because of having to switch off from flow states. And frankly, KZbin is littered with one-size-fits-all productivity videos that can really mess up with your lifestyle. Optimising activities to energy levels (and not the opposite) makes total sense. Thanks for the insights

[@brendalg4]

That's my problem too. I don't like putting myself on a schedule because the arbitrary time limit might interrupt my flow state. But then I go until I burn out which probably isn't good either

[@steffima2949]

I sure block my calendar days and weeks ahead, because it gives me a plan and peace of mind, when every to do and deadline that ever comes around is allocated its time for now and will not be missed. But I also am free to move or delete or add in stuff when the plan doesnt fit anymore. I just dont kill myself over this.

[@Jules-740]

I will stick to time blocking. I use it as a guideline to make sure that i am hitting the areas in my life that i need to on the daily. I adjust and do things and I do allow myself to not do a task on a certain block or to add or switch tasks to a time block if needed to adjust for the day or season of life and energy levels. I know exceptions are okay and we can sometimes not color inside the lines and we can color outside the lines when need be. It is not a schedule.

[@jackypacky13]

Love your videos Sergio! Great rant - agree that we need to view ourselves as more than task-completing robots, downtime and gaining value outside of productivity are key!

[@FromSergio]

Hi, was away all of last week. Thank you :)

[@sthecommenter76]

Dear Sergio I think your approach towards spending time to create anything (YT videos in your example) is super cool and unique . to give time to tasks as new ideas might come around when you're not doing that specific thing and you have enough time to mention them in the videos . Thank you for sharing this approach.

[@XOAliciaMarie]

LET'S ADD IN: Biohacking for women and doing "big work" during our most productive time of our cycle. Our hormones are different than men each week thus creating a different level of productivity output that we can even handle.

[@FromSergio]

Just saw this! Definitely even more beneficial for women, thanks for sharing! :)

[@wholenesslab]

I legit felt like we were having a conversation. I appreciate this viewpoint. Thank you 😊

[@FromSergio]

That's great to hear! Thank you :)

[@PaperlessPrinxo]

This video is so helpful! I thought I hadn't found the perfect planning system because I didn't have the right app(s), but now I think my approach is the problem. I will try to implement your tips, and hopefully, I will get over this issue! Thanks!

[@itsjohnmavrick]

Epic video! I really resonate with the ideas of being more forgiving for yourself and working with yourself rather than against in typical toxic productivity fashion. And as an Obsidian/digital tool creator myself, it's also interesting to see people ask if I use x tool, but little is asked about whether I still follow the same workflow/philosophy which IMO is more important since tools only facilitate those. As from a content creation standpoint, it's interesting how you packaged all these different ideas into the central video of against time-blocking, do you have any plans of re-arranging these ideas in different ways through a published vault / personal in-depth explanations of your workflows or are you happy with just sharing your thoughts and don't want to necessarily impose/systematize your workflows for other people to allow for their own autonomy?

[@FromSergio]

Hey John! Appreciate it! Agreed, i see it in the comments at least once a day! As for re-arranging these ideas in a different way, I am not sure to be honest. I no longer make Obsidian videos so sharing a vault would be pointless :/ Also imposing workflows on other people is definitely something I try to avoid but it's hard to make content on workflows and not come across as imposing it on others!

[@BrettTheresaBoe]

@@FromSergio curious why you are not making Obsidian videos anymore?

[@andritohari5781]

So, you said you wake up at 9.30 because you are not a morning person. At 9,30, i have taken kids to school, have morning workouts, enjoy the change from the night to the day, which is exuberant, I have my breakfast at a nearby food stand, and sometimes go out walking with my wife. At 9.30 at least i have finished one of my jobs from my office. I can tell that waking up at 4.30 works best for me. When i was younger, i used to wake up at 9, so i was not a morning person either back then. I could tell the difference, trust me, you will be happier if you wake up earlier, and if you wake up late, you will feel lethargic and experience mood swing. I think waking up early in the morning is one of the best gifts from the nature.

[@alejandrovalencia4869]

This is amazingly articulated. Thank you.

[@Sub0x-x40]

I use temporal habits for this reason, just cues roughly based around what time it is as to what i ought to be doing, but its flexible. I base day around these habits

[@davishropshire5361]

What are temporal habits?

[@hayleyferguson5284]

Brilliant video. Thank you for your sincerity 🥹

[@stefmyt5062]

Great video Sergio! I hadn't considered a lot of the points you brought up, and this might honestly make me switch out my entire schedule!

[@FromSergio]

Thanks Stef! Glad you liked it! :)

[@abdullahjib]

Thank You Sergio for the video. I experienced this problem and your video gave me some good ideas. Here is my question for you: Besides trying to observe myself over some time, do you have any method of scientifically measuring energy levels?

[@tspmcfarlane]

Lots of great advice presented in a clear and concise way. Subscribed!

[@FromSergio]

That means a lot! Thank you :)

[@manuels8138]

Thanks! This is one of the best videos on time blocking

[@AmitKamboj05]

Somebody had to speak up, and you did! That resonated. Thanks!

[@MohamedMagdy-00]

This video is one of the best videos I have seen this year. For me, it's against productivity bullshit. I really needed to hear that 🙏 thanks

[@FromSergio]

Wow! Thanks so much for saying that, it means a lot! :)

[@justinchamberlain3443]

4:01 best advice, talking about using focus mode when you’re in your peak hours throughout the day! He knows exactly what his peak hours are every day! 4:30 uses hevy workout app

[@Emagrecereoutracoisa]

I agree 100%!

[@nkearney]

This video was really helpful for me, really appreciate it. I had a question about the categories you use: You had 1 that is demanding & important, but then you had 2 other categories (rather than just like admin tasks, which is what it seems like goes in there). I use tags in my todo list, so if you could share something to help me break down the "other" tasks, I'd appreciate. Thanks!

[@MikeMesseroff]

Great video. Thanks for a different and refreshing perspective 🔥🙏

[@damongsy3952]

Ur video quality is amazing. I was wondering what plugins do you use ❤

[@FromSergio]

Thank you! None all the "effects" are done on After Effects

[@BraksWord]

Your videos are always great ! I like the fact your bring many topics on the table in one video only. Although you could really detailed each one of them more in individual videos. Do as you want, i love them anyway !^^ Continue like that, it works perfectly fine ;)

[@FromSergio]

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it :)

[@louielightning3812]

I also do tasks based on priority only but I use the Eisenhower matrix

[@Cyterous]

your content is pure gold. keep doing what you're doing ;)

[@FromSergio]

That means so much! :)

[@dennismirza6351]

Timeblocking gives me a guideline on how to balance my day, but you're right, you never stick to the exact times, get distracted and then feel a little bit like you failed the schedule, which on a daily bases adds up in your subconscious

[@Random_Ladd__]

I never comment on videos but I just had to, this is an amazing video with really great insight and I really enjoyed the rant part keep up the good work!

[@FromSergio]

Thank you! :)

[@JoeZupko2]

Planning is not easy. I guess I'm letting my emotions dictate what to do, but it feels impossible to do certain tasks (like being creative) when I'm not fully up to it

[@tinaworldview]

As a night owl, thank you so much for making this video!

[@johndray2326]

An island of sanity in a sea of increasing business. Thank you.

[@freekkeizer7120]

Amazing video man. Finally someone sharing reality instead of productivity porn. If you're into this topic, a video from the School of Life that came to mind is "Why an Ordinary Life can be a good life". Just my two cents though, please carry on :P

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! It's much appreciated :) I will definitely give it a watch!

[@minhtringuyen1023]

thnak bro

[@thetruthseekerswithrandymc5850]

This was very helpful

[@jackcostello4377]

This was greta man, very applicable to me and my situation.

[@JD-xh3ex]

just found your channel. Great content... subscribed.

[@FromSergio]

Just saw this! Thank you so much :)

[@chaosordeal294]

You can't be in two places at once, and you gotta do what you gotta do. Everything is a maybe.

[@SirToxe]

Excellent video.

[@FromSergio]

Thank you! :)

[@FromSergio]

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[@adrienromano4774]

Thank you so much for this video

[@philippradon]

We need more content like this not more of MORE ❤

[@harlee886]

This is your best video ever. And so important for us ladies running on a monthly cycle. I feel so guilty for the days where I crash. I should just flow with it and choose those days to review movies or finish my Udemy courses in bed.

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! That means so much :) Exactly!

[@JK-vc7ie]

great video

[@tomer.nosrati]

What a great video * sigh * 😌 10/10

[@FromSergio]

Thanks Tomer! Still kicking it :) 10/10 supporter right there!

[@tomer.nosrati]

@@FromSergio I had a conversation with friends on this topic some time ago and your video is describing my story and arguments perfectly so it was a joy to watch ;)

[@tomer.nosrati]

I am a big advocate of maximizing focus potential via self observation and adjustments+tools as there are only 24h a day, so doing better can be more than just doing more as making the same hours produce more value (elevator style) has a higher potential ceiling than what a human can do with just more hours.

[@FromSergio]

Exactly! Likewise :)

[@BoofHead.]

dude why was this video so good

[@FromSergio]

And performed so bad in comparison to the rest 💀! I loved making this one though

[@BoofHead.]

@@FromSergio WHAT??!

[@JackJames-z8v]

awesome idea of time blocking

[@ottostoklund]

great vid

[@UrDreamNet]

I understand what you mean but it sounds like a different form of time blocking. Good Work tho.

[@SimplicitySingularity]

I don't allow any notifications. Don't know why you people are slaves to devices. They are only notifying you if the algo, run by humans seeking power & profit, wants you to be "notified", or, in better terms, distracted. Don't get distracted by others whims.

[@UrDreamNet]

I think KZbin the problem 🤣

[@SimplicitySingularity]

How is this guy a "creative"? He's not, he's just what is known as a yuppie. Being so called "creative" about business is just keeping one's mind on the competition, not being an artist or "creative." The world of social media and "content creators" has the world gassed up.

[@rafiki4444]

You are missing the point