Step-by-step guide to time blocking with the Daily Planner. Learn how to protect deep work time, colour-code tasks, and build a daily schedule that holds.
Step 1: Review your priorities for the day Before opening the planner, list 1–3 things that must get done today. These become your anchor blocks and go in the best time slots first.
Step 2: Open the Time Blocking Planner The planner shows your day in 30-minute increments. The visual layout lets you see your entire day at a glance.
Step 3: Click a time slot and label it Click any 30-minute block, type the task or category name, and confirm. You can extend a task across multiple consecutive blocks for deep work sessions.
Step 4: Colour-code by task type Assign colours to categories: Deep Work (blue), Meetings (red), Admin (yellow), Personal (green). The colour coding makes imbalances immediately visible — if the day is all red (meetings), something needs to change.
Step 5: Protect your morning blocks Block your first 2–3 hours for your most cognitively demanding work. Don't schedule meetings before 10am if you can help it — protect your peak performance window.
Step 6: Review the plan before you start Take 2 minutes to look at the full day. Spot any back-to-back meetings that need buffer time, or any important tasks you forgot to schedule.