3 Ways to Keep the Unexpected From Derailing Your Day

We’ve all been there: you start your day with a clear plan and excited by the potential for what you might accomplish. Then something arises that needs your attention and suddenly your day is thrown off track. By the end of the day, you’re left wondering where the time went.

Time blocking is a powerful strategy that can help us stay on track even when the unexpected happens. One of the many benefits of time blocking is that can help us stay focused on our outcomes.

By being intentional about how you schedule your day and week, you can create a solid structure that will keep you on track even when life throws you some curveballs.

It may sound paradoxical, but in some ways we can plan for the unexpected.

3 Ways to Time Block for the Unexpected

Here are 3 ways to plan for the expected when implementing time blocking.

(1) Define Time Blocks By Outcome Rather Than Task

Even when you plan specific tasks, you want to define the time block by the outcome, or result, you want to achieve.

On a high level, this will allow you to see how much time you’re allocating to a certain project and whether it’s more or less than you want to be giving. It also grounds the tasks in a purpose that is meaningful to you.

When you get stuck implementing a specific task, having a clear outcome can help you pivot to a different outcome-related task.

And when you get interrupted in the middle of a task, having the time block defined by outcome can help you refocus on your agenda.

(2) Create Time Blocks for the Unexpected

No matter how well you plan, events may arise that require your attention within a given day or week. Sometimes you can capture these tasks on your to-do list and time block them for a later date. Other times, you need to handle those things on that day or in the same week.

This can happen in any realm of life, but it’s especially the case in certain types of work. For example, in my real estate business, I never know when a new client will call or when a client will be ready to make an offer on a property. Those are situations that require more immediate attention.

Similarly, a parent can’t plan when their kid will get sick and need to go to the doctor.

These unexpected events are the type of things that can derail your day or week — unless you have pre-planned for them.

Depending on the situation, there may be things you can do to pre-plan so you’re ready for the unexpected. For example, when I work with clients, we have their supporting paperwork ready to go from the beginning, which reduces the work required to prepare an offer.

But it’s also crucial to have time blocks set aside for the unexpected. If it turns out that nothing unexpected arises, you’ll be in the envious position of having found “extra time” in your day or week.

(3) Create “Catch-All” Time Blocks for Life Admin

Somewhere in their house, everyone has a “junk drawer” — that drawer that has various odds-and-ends that don’t have another place to go.

As much as you want to define time blocks by outcome, not everything on your to-do list is tied to a major outcome or goal. If you just block time for your outcomes, you will eventually have many things fall through the cracks.

Phone calls. Follow ups. Doctors’ appointments. Taking the car to the car wash.

Scheduling time to deal with all of those little random things in a proactive manner can prevent them from falling through the cracks and disrupting you when they become urgent situations.