Minimal Notion Time Tracker
Time blocking is the practice of allocating specific blocks of time to intentional activities, whether they be related to work, leisure, personal entertainment, nothingness. This last one sounds especially compelling. By pre-emptively deciding what we spend our time on, and when, we "upgrade" from a reactive approach to life to a proactive mindset. This can be particularly valuable if you are a maker. Blocking time on the key activities that move the needle might feel uncomfortable and cognitively fatiguing. This is the way to go. Time blocking can start with a clear definition of your essential life buckets. These can change over time. Buckets, as author and professor Cal Newport would put it, are the areas of your life you aim to develop. In the PARA method of project management, buckets would be called Areas. Examples include "fitness", "maker's work", "admin work", "family".
In a world currently dominated by "hyperactive hive mind," ad hoc communication (e.g., constantly checking our email inbox and Slack channels, trying to always keep up with instant messages from acquaintances and make ourselves available 24/7), time blocking can turn out to be an even more valuable practice. By intentionally deciding what you will do now, you can take back the power of "making time", rather than feeling hyperactively busy all the time. In such a state, instant messages do not have to be instant. Communication tools are made for effective communication. Effective communication does not have to be instant. Sometimes urgencies are arising, and being quick at responding can make a difference. You may set a rule for yourself, telling everyone you collaborate with that "if there is an urgency that needs my intervention quickly, call me". In this way, you have opened a preferential communication channel for urgencies. This may unload the fear of "missing out on urgent news".
There can also be utility in separating the time you intend to spend in "maker's mode" and "administrator mode". Maker's mode means working deeply on pressing problems and tasks that need to be solved. It may mean working on building the software/app/Notion system you need in order to launch your latest project. Admin work corresponds to responding to emails, Slack messages, Discord messages, Whatsapp messages, etc. As prof. and author Cal Newport often suggests in his podcast, there is merit in framing "admin work" and "deep work" as two separate businesses. You can think of yourself as working two distinct jobs (maybe each part-time): in one, you are advancing on the projects you are part of (deep work); in the other, you are communicating, planning, dealing with the daily bureaucracy of life (admin).
This Notion daily time tracking template uses the software's latest feature, Simple Tables, to unlock the power of intentional time allocation. There is one pillar behind it: keep it simple. By clicking the template button available at the top of the Notion template, you can generate a fresh new day to track. You will first be prompted with a fundamental question: what is the one thing you intend to focus on today? This is no trivial question. You will know the answer, even if the amount of endeavors you are juggling is significant. The one thing is that task/activity that moves the needle on something important. Even if it feels uncomfortable and complex, you know, deep down, the most important thing you should be doing. You are the hero in the hero's journey. You are also your worst enemy, the villain. Your capacity to develop self-limiting beliefs and cognitive distortions that lead you astray is infinite. And so is your potential. By using this time tracking tool, you may foster the latter part within you, trumping the former, one essential task at a time.
Sign up for the Weekly Reflection >, a free weekly newsletter on the deep life
