June 24, 2026

Time Blocking vs Time Boxing

Do you know the difference between time blocking and time boxing?

Here’s how Google defines the terms:

Time blocking is the practice of assigning specific tasks to specific blocks on your calendar. You decide ahead of time: “From 9-11 a.m., I’m writing the proposal.” It’s an act of intention and scheduling.

Time boxing is the practice of giving a single task a fixed duration — and committing to stop when time runs out, finished or not. “I’ll spend exactly 45 minutes on this email triage.” It’s an act of discipline and constraint.

(source)

As I’ve stated in previous messages, time blocking doesn’t work for me at all. Like, AT ALL. It’s comically ineffective.

Time boxing, on the other hand, is something I do as a function of the way I run my day. However, I don’t really think about it consciously.

Here’s what I mean...

When I look at my calendar, I have zero or more appointments scheduled for the day.

(And by appointments, I specifically mean appointments with another person. Something that I can’t move without messing up somebody else’s day. Not BS “appointments with myself”.)

If my next appointment is coming up in, let’s say, two hours, that means I have two hours and no more to work on a task that is on my to-do list for today.

So, I’ll start the task that 1. I most feel like doing, and 2. that I think I can complete in under two hours.

Sometimes I finish before the two hours are up, and sometimes I don’t. Regardless, it’s time-boxed to the two-hour time frame.

This gives me all the positive benefits of time boxing without ever having to actually think about it.

My calendar beeps ten minutes before the appointment, and I drop what I’m doing and shift gears.

Dead simple. No Pomodoro timer required.

Yours,

—J