At my last job, I could literally go days without accomplishing anything significant.
I'd wake up with the best intentions, but then I'd open my computer and immediately feel overwhelmed by everything I needed to do. So, instead of tackling any of it, I'd escape into a game like Hogwarts Legacy or binge the Lord of the Rings extended cuts. Days would disappear.
Other times, I'd be "productive," but I would work on completely the wrong things. I'd spend three days redesigning my personal website while my actual work deadlines piled up. Or I'd dive deep into a side project and suddenly realize I hadn't touched my main responsibilities all week.
The problem wasn't laziness. At one point, I did a brain dump of everything I was working on. I had over 40 things on that list. Everything felt important. Everything felt urgent. So my brain just... froze.
This overwhelm-to-paralysis cycle is a real struggle for me. When too many priorities compete for attention at once, I shut down completely. It's like my nervous system hits the emergency brake rather than risk making the wrong choice.
Time Blocks as Brain Extensions
I've been thinking about this differently lately. Time blocking isn't just about organization. It's externalizing cognitive load.
Instead of trying to juggle 40 competing priorities, I can put most of that decision-making onto my calendar. The "what should I work on right now" question gets answered during planning time, not in the moment when I'm already overwhelmed.
This is why I'm experimenting with category-based time blocks. Rather than scheduling specific tasks, I'm scheduling types of work. Here's what I'm planning:
- Four-hour blocks every workday for PetPlace deep work
- Several two-hour blocks for important side projects like building my friend's new website theme
- Additional blocks every week for learning, like the iCanStudy or Project 369 courses I'm enrolled in
- Blocks for my daily journaling and weekly newsletter writing
The goal isn't just to get organized. It's to make sure the urgent doesn't completely drown out the important.
Right now, I have a tendency to hyperfocus on one thing and let everything else fall through the cracks. If I get absorbed in coding for PetPlace, I might forget about Monica's website deadline. If I spend all day on a side project, I feel guilty about not doing my main work.
Category blocks create boundaries. They gave me permission to focus completely on courses, knowing I'd already completed my daily PetPlace work. And they create urgency, too. If I only have two hours before work for Substack, I need to stay on task so I can tackle my other priorities during the day.
I'm also treating my time allocation as an experiment. Maybe two hours is too long to focus on a course, and I need to split it up. Maybe one hour isn't enough for daily writing, and I need two blocks instead. The beauty is I don't have to get it perfect immediately. I can adjust based on what actually happens.
Structure as Prevention
The structure isn't just about being more productive. It's about preventing the complete breakdown I experienced in my story.
Most of my past dysfunction came from overwhelm. Too many open loops competing for attention. No clear way to decide what deserved my focus. So I'd either freeze up completely or work frantically on the wrong things.
Category blocks solve both problems. They reduce the cognitive load by making decisions ahead of time. They also ensure that my actual priorities are protected instead of being pushed aside by whatever feels most urgent at the moment.
Here's what I'm taking away from this experiment so far:
Your brain can only hold so many priorities before it shuts down. When everything feels important, nothing gets the attention it deserves. Time blocking isn't about rigid scheduling. It's about creating a system that makes decisions for you when you're too overwhelmed to think clearly.
The structure prevents burnout better than it fixes burnout.
What's one area of your life where you keep meaning to make progress, but it always gets pushed aside by more urgent things? Maybe it's time to dedicate a block to your calendar.
This essay was originally published on my Substack newsletter.