The Time-Block Planner: A Daily Method for Deep Work in a Distracted World
Original price was: $25.00.$20.82Current price is: $20.82.
From the bestselling author of Deep Work and Digital Minimalism comes a daily planner that deploys the power of time blocking to help you focus on what’s important in an increasingly distracted world.
Time blocking is a time management method long used by some of the world’s most effective people, from Elon Musk to Bill Gates, and promoted by some of the smartest thinkers in productivity, from Peter Drucker to Benjamin Franklin. Its core idea is that a task list is not enough to make the most of your limited time. You should instead partition your working hours into blocks assigned to specific activities. In doing so, you can more easily protect hours for deep work, while batching shallow tasks into efficient sprints. The clarity of these blocks also encourages you to focus intensely on one thing at a time, resisting the distracting allure of inboxes, social media, and idle web surfing.
For fifteen years, author Cal Newport has been extolling the benefits of time blocking. Now for the first time, this system has been captured in a daily planner that makes it easy for anyone to implement these ideas in their own professional life.
The Time-Block Planner opens with an introduction from Newport to guide you through the basics of effective time blocking. Ninety days’ worth of time-blocking pages follow, each divided into a grid that simplifies both building daily schedules and easily updating them as circumstances change. Weekly planning pages supplement the daily planning pages, each including a big idea about productivity from Newport, inspiring you to think deeply about the week ahead. A “shutdown” box sits at the top of each page so you can physically and psychologically end your workday with a check of the box–a ritual widely employed by many of Newport’s longtime readers.
You already know what work really matters. The Time-Block Planner will help you push aside distractions and other peoples’ demands for your time, and focus on accomplishing more of these deep efforts than you ever thought possible.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Portfolio
Publication date : November 10, 2020
Language : English
Print length : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593192052
ISBN-13 : 978-0593192054
Item Weight : 1.34 pounds
Dimensions : 7.66 x 0.67 x 9.33 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #109,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #94 in Business & Organizational Learning #145 in Strategic Business Planning #196 in Systems & Planning
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 708 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Rohit Sharma –
Planner with a Point of View
When the COVID-19 quarantine started, my wife and I had a tough time balancing full-time work with taking care of our energetic toddler. Time-blocking was the magic that made it all work out okay. Cal Newport’s podcast and books were a huge help in encouraging and setting up our plan, and now this new planner will make things even easier.The Time-Block Planner is great. The design is understated and it has a great system for planning the day, keeping you in flow, and building strong habits. But I think what I appreciate most is that it has a point of view. The author has spent a lot of time thinking about and refining his system, and the result is something very practical and useful.Whenever it’s revised, I think it could be improved with a new binding that allows it to lay-flat instead of close like a traditional book. The seven-day weeks are also not perfect for tracking a shorter workweek, and perhaps a five-day option would work better. But these are small points in an otherwise terrific little tool.
Customer Review –
Insight to a Genius, not a bunch of paper
Amazing value to SEE how Cal Newport thinks.How he uses a Time Block calendar. Insight to his daily focus, and weekly planning.If you are looking for a bunch of paper to write your planning, this is not for you.You are likely here because you ran across a blog or video on Cal’s use of Time Blocking.This is “nothing new” just like the amazing paradigm shift of “Getting Things Done” by David Allen was “nothing new” and David said that in his book.But both men are Genius in their application, and that is what this planner will show you.If you want a place to bang out your time blocking, I strongly recommend a search for “Oxford 1-Subject Notebooks, 8″ x 10-1/2″, Wide Rule, 70 Sheets, 3 Pack” for reasonable price but decent quality.The pages are much easier to turn and don’t get hung up in the spiral binding like the cheap Mead notebooks, yet not as pricy as the designer notebooks.
A –
Excellent concept with decent enough execution to warrant purchase
Like other reviewers, I’m a big Cal Newport fan. His ideas on productivity have impacted my professional and personal trajectory for the better. So, based on the results I’ve enjoyed from his other work, I was excited to receive this planner.The good:-Another reviewer did not like the inclusion of a written section overviewing his method. I disagree – I think it walks a fine line between too-little and too-much information, hitting a sweet spot that allows one to reference his thoughts on optimum usage at will, and serves as a reminder of his recommended framework. I find it relevant, concise, and useful.-Love, love, love the double page spread for each day. The size and amount of space is perfect for making room for unforeseen distractions, to-do items, etc. I am never concerned about running out of space, a pet-peeve with notebooks like this.-In that same vein, the size of the notebook itself is perfect. I quite like the 3 month framework, and the outer dimensions fit into my backpack perfectly.-The paper stock is solid. No ghosting.-The weekly section is a great addition-Overall, the whole framework and system is excellent and dummy-proof. I’m not a “naturally” organized person, and have been struggling for years to find a system that’s effective. This one is the best I’ve come across thus far.The bad:-I have to echo the other reviewers’ disappointment about the binding. It feels solid enough, but I wish the notebook could lay flat, and close flat. I would happily pay an extra $20 on top of the price for these details – I’d prefer to have the notebook sitting out on my desk throughout the day, open. In this iteration, that isn’t possible. Then, to have it close seamlessly, flatly, preferably with a hard cover and a band – like a moleskine, or Scribbles That Matter notebook (just please for the love of god – don’t imitate Moleskine’s awful paper stock. Too much ghosting).Overall:Thanks Cal for helping us all grow and get closer to reaching our individual potentials. Like everything he does, this is a useful system that is helping me accomplish more everyday. I would absolutely buy it again, as there is nothing else on the market that nails the hourly/weekly framework – hopefully they take the feedback regarding the binding, notebook laying flat, and a band to heart. I’d pay up to $40 for something like that, with good paper stock.
Carol Egan –
5-stars always for Cal Newport
I LOVE this planner, as I love Cal Newport’s work, writing, and his old-school, grounded philosophy. Cal Newport is whip smart, as is this planner. He offers super-simple and effective guidance, with room to capture our brilliant ideas as they rise, so we don’t stop and interrupt our deep work flow. Additionally, there’s ample flexibility to personalize the structure he offers, so we can accommodate our personal needs. Yes, it is both structured and flexible = Brilliant. I’ve used the same planner for several years now, that I’ve loved, so my 5-star rating says so much more, because I’m switching over now! It’s big enough to capture everything we need to capture, but lightweight enough to travel!
Prof. Cupcake –
Book format needs work
I’m a big fan of Cal Newport’s work and there’s a lot to like about this planner, but I want to mention the one thing that makes it something I won’t buy again – the way the book is bound. It doesn’t lay flat and is difficult to keep open. If I’m using a planner that’s meant to be referenced throughout the day, and which includes sections specifically for jotting down tasks and ideas as they occur so as not to break out of deep work, the current format defeats the purpose. You have to open the book, go to today’s date, use one hand to press the book flat (the spine binding is unforgiving) and write your note, then close the book again, maybe to do it all again a few minutes later. A high-quality spiral binding makes so much more sense – you can keep the book open to today’s page to reference your time blocks and then just flip it over to jot your in-the-moment notes as they come up. It seems like the kind of thing that should have been obvious from the start, and will hopefully be changed in future editions.
Pierre Rousseau –
The album has definitely increased and improved my productivity. Only drawback: It cannot stay flat on the desk; have to use a weight to keep it open and when I write, I use one hand to keep it open and the other to write. But other than that, it is a great product.
Amazon Customer –
Really good. However, you need to manage your time to manage the book.
Bekind –
The reason I kept it was that there were weekly comments that motivated me for the coming week, the rest is just something you could write down yourself each week on a single paper. Some need these types of books I can go by with blank paper
XXXX –
Firstly, the product arrived dusty and old looking with scratches all over. But at least the pages are clean and unwritten.Secondly, this is probably suitable for you if you’re a working professional with a fixed working desk of your own. If you’re a student like me traveling to different classes, this is not functional because it’s too bulky to be carried to and fro. If you’re anyone who needs to travel, this book is likely not for you.Thirdly, I’m a fan of Newport and he explains in great detail how one should use his planner. This is great. However, I find that his planner generally doesn’t suit my needs as a student. I’ve since found other planners that are more suitable.To summarize, this planner takes a more progressive approach, that is, you plan your day out first. You can cancel/change later too. However, as I’ve mentioned earlier, carrying it around to “change” and “tweak” my schedule is not working for me, because I carry heavy books as a student and wouldn’t want to increase my already heavy load. As a student, my schedule changes pretty frequently due to class cancellations etc. It would be better if they had a portable version of this.A progressive + retrogressive approach works better for me where after planning out my schedule for the week (macro) I can reflect at the end of each day (micro).I have no regrets purchasing this because I was curious and YouTube videos did not satisfy my curiosity. However, I will definitely not repurchase. I’m not even sure if I can finish this planner.I’ve used two weeks so far. I’ll continue for another week (since I’ve already filled in the dates for three weeks) before switching to my newer planner.
Dr. Michel Trautmann –
I am a big fan of the GTD method. I struggled to get jobs out of the almost perfect system into my daily routine. The Time-Block Planer is the missing link. Yes, you should read “Deep Work*” as well!* Thank you Cal Newport for supporting me!