Blocking time to work on goals?

[ero213]

I find that a lot of my projects and actions are centered around AOF and maintaining certain areas of my life. It's hard to find time to work on personal goals. Do people set aside time to work on these specifically?

In the book Renaissance Souls by Margaret Lowenstein, she recommends making a weekly plan. You start with the total number of hours in the week, subtract the time you need for sleep and the time taken everyday by your current job and figure out how much discretionary time you have left. Then you figure out how much time you have to work on personal goals and how much time you need to do all those maintenance things in your life (which will vary based on your current obligations). She then says to block out this time on your calendar to specifically to work on these goals.

What do people think about this approach? It's a bit more structured than orthodox GTD but would make sure that you are spending a meaningful amount of time on your goals. BTW, I've currently been blocking out my work hours on my calendar (an AOF) and I think that I am achieving a better work-life balance (even if I'm not getting the same volume of work done.)

It seems like this is also a good way to integrate the 20k/30K/40K HOF with your calendar, which is something that David Allen doesn't really talk about. I'm guessing because the time balance will vary from person to person.

Cheers

[ellobogrande]

Sure, people do this all the time. The most common example is blocking time out for exercise to achieve weight and fitness goals. It's a sound way to ensure that these areas of focus are getting the attention they deserve.

[cwoodgold]

Perhaps a commitment to yourself counts as something that has to be done
on a specific day and therefore can go on the calendar. That seems to me to
be a loophole that violates the principle of how the calendar is supposed to
be used.