A day in the life : Day 418

I tried following the recent trend of blocking time on the calendar for everything. It’s been getting popular again — people color-code their entire day, from work to meals to rest. The idea is that if it’s on the calendar, it gets done. I was curious because my days had started blending into each other, and I kept feeling like I was busy without being effective.

The first problem showed up almost immediately. I underestimated how long things actually take. A task I blocked for 30 minutes easily stretched to an hour. By afternoon, the schedule was already broken, and that annoyed me more than it should have. I caught myself rushing just to “stay on plan,” which defeated the whole purpose.

Instead of scrapping it, I loosened the rules. I kept only three fixed blocks: focused work, basic errands, and a no-work window in the evening. Everything else stayed flexible. That helped. The day felt guided, not trapped.

The weather has also been warming up, which affects my energy more than I admit. Heavy lunches make afternoons slow now, so I’ve been eating lighter — simpler meals, more water. That alone made sticking to any schedule easier. When the body feels lighter, the mind follows.

By the end of the week, I realized time-blocking isn’t about control. It’s about awareness. You see where your time actually goes instead of guessing.

I won’t plan every minute going forward. But I will keep some structure. Trends work best when you bend them to fit your life, not when you force your life to fit the trend. Sometimes a loose plan is better than a perfect one that keeps breaking.