Time Blocking for Success 

I had big plans for tackling time wealth last month but, well…life got in the way. I started off strong with my goal of writing and/or editing five to seven pages a week. The first week I did thirteen pages. Then the second week I did none. The third week I added a measly three pages. You could say I averaged five pages a week, but it doesn’t feel like it. That’s because when I’m not writing consistently, I tend to forget where I left off, so I end of spending thirty minutes or more just getting back into that headspace. Consistency is everything when you want to get better at something.   

Lesson: I need accountability. I always start of strong, but then flounder without follow up. The outline I was supposed to knock out by August 23? I did it on September 17 in preparation for our first Five Types of Wealth discussion at Peachtree City Library on September 18. Those of us who attended shared our reasons for coming and talked about what we wanted to get out of the group. For me it was accountability. As a reminder, my goals involve increasing my time wealth and physical wealth. I committed to accomplishing a few things before our October meeting:  

Time blocking ASAP (Check – see below) 

Pack gym bag the night before (I did this last night!) 

Create workspace by 09/28/25 

Create start-up routine by 10/05/25 

My anti-goals are social media, TV, and lack of sleep.  

Time blocking 

Time blocking is exactly what it sounds like: a time management tool that involves dividing your day into blocks of time in which you complete specific tasks. Here is what I want my typical workday to look like:  

7:00 to 8:30 a.m.: Rise, stretch, coffee, write, breakfast. 

9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: At work.   

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Eat dinner, family time, social media, laundry, mail, etc. 

8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: Read, write, shower. 

10:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: Journal, then sleep. 

I tend to succumb to inertia. If I’m chillin’ on the couch watching TV, that’s where I tend to stay. Case in point: Saturday night I channel surfed while announcing every twenty minutes or so that I was going to go to the gym. An hour and a half later, I was still on the couch when my youngest son came into the living room and said he was going to go to the gym. That got me moving. I jumped up and changed into my workout clothes and off we went together. But that hour and a half in front of the TV, talking instead of doing? A total time suck. Time blocking is my answer—get it done already!       

This Thursday, I leave for the Writers Retreat at St. Simons Island presented by the Atlanta Writers Club, Georgia Writers Museum, and St. Simons Island Writers. I went last year, and it was well worth the money. St. Simons Island feels like a world away and I was able to relax, recharge, and write.  

I am looking forward to it even more this year because one of the keynote speakers is Harrison Scott Key, author of How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told (Simon & Schuster, 2023). It is truly an “insane love story,” both laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking. Key will present a talk entitled “This Really Happened: On Writing True Stories” on Friday night.   

I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with the friends I made there last year—that’s you, Edna! Thursday is my travel day, and driving wears me out, so I’ll probably just head back to my hotel room after the welcome reception. My goal for Friday and Saturday is to finish five to seven pages both days. There is an open mic night on Saturday night that I plan to sign up for—a great way to wrap up the retreat before the trip home on Sunday.    

Although I’m excited for the retreat, I’m also feeling a little anxious about all the things I need to do before I leave town. But wait—it’s 8:55 p.m.—I’m right on schedule. I think I’m going to like this time blocking stuff.    

Our second meeting for the Five Types of Wealth discussion group is Thursday, October 16, at 2 p.m. in The Writers Studio at Peachtree City Library. Sahil Bloom’s The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life is available for purchase online or for check out at your local library.