Best Time Blocking Apps

Time blocking apps are simple yet powerful tools that help people organize their time better by dividing the day into clear time slots for specific tasks or activities. Unlike regular to-do lists that can cause multitasking and confusion, time blocking helps you focus on one task at a time. This improves concentration, reduces distractions and ensures that important work gets done first.

These apps easily connect with popular calendars like google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, making it easy to plan and manage your schedule in real time. They also come with useful features like reminders, task tracking, progress reports and smart suggestions to help you stay productive and maintain a balanced daily routine.

What is Time Blocking?

Time Blocking is a time management technique where you divide your day into specific blocks of time and each block is dedicated to completing a particular task or group of similar tasks. Instead of working from a long to-do list, you schedule when you’ll do each activity, such as work projects, meetings, exercise or even breaks.

This method helps you focus on one thing at a time avoid distractions and make better use of your time. By assigning clear start and end times to each activity, time blocking creates structure, improves productivity and ensures that important tasks get the attention they deserve.

What makes an app that blocks time the best?

• I assessed these apps based on their compatibility with my calendars (Apple, Google, and Outlook), user-friendliness, the ability to organise tasks and calendars in one location, customisation, and tool integration.
• I created accounts, synchronised my calendars, set aside time for different tasks, experimented with alternative calendar views, and adjusted settings to accommodate varied work habits. 

Google Calendar: Best for getting started with time blocking

• I've been using Google Calendar since 2016 because it's a simple and efficient time-blocking app.
• The option to create multiple calendars within the program is one of its best features; it lets me plan my entire day from start to finish.
• I value being able to see my entire schedule, with separate calendars for work, personal obligations, and side projects.
• Despite its superior simplicity, Google Calendar has many drawbacks.
• Google Tasks, the task management tool, is not very strong. When trying to set aside time for minor jobs or activities, it can be not easy since things can only be planned in 30-minute increments.

Standout features

• Shareable calendar on the web
• External calendar migration and synchronisation
• Self-booking page for appointment scheduling
• Gmail events are automatically added to the calendar.

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What I enjoyed

• The way that Google Calendar integrates with other Google apps is efficient.
• It saves a ton of time to issue meeting invitations and set up appointments straight from the calendar.
• Setting up meetings with clients or coworkers can be made easier with the premium version's appointment scheduling feature.

What I didn't like

• As previously said, I find Google Tasks' lack of flexibility to be a significant disadvantage.
• It can result in ineffective time management because I frequently have to schedule chores that don't cleanly fit into 30-minute periods.
• Additionally, although connectivity with other Google apps is advantageous, people who want to use third-party productivity tools may find it restrictive. 

Motion: Best for automated time blocking

• Motion is an automated time blocking and scheduling app. It automatically builds your daily schedule, prioritises tasks, reprioritises unfinished tasks, selects ideal meeting times, and balances your workload.
• When it comes to daily planning and time blocking, Motion is unmatched.
• The onboarding procedure is simple, and it soon becomes evident how the tool can make work management more efficient.
• Fundamentally, Motion lets you enter jobs with priorities, due dates, and estimated time needs. After that, everything is arranged on your calendar by its clever scheduling algorithm, which constantly changes as priorities change.
• This AI-powered auto-scheduling system saves a ton of time by eliminating the tiresome manual practice of cramming Tetris tasks into your day.
• To ensure your schedule accounts for all your commitments, Motion also integrates easily with both your personal and professional calendars. Colleagues can be assigned to team-based projects, and Motion will handle the coordination.
• In addition to simple scheduling, Motion provides project templates, customisable workspaces, and a user-friendly desktop application with keyboard shortcuts.
• Future features like custom fields and Gantt charts (available now!) offer even more powerful data management and project visualisation.

Standout features

• AI-driven work scheduling that takes deadlines and priorities into account
• Combines work and personal calendars for all-encompassing time management
• Features that facilitate collaboration, such as task delegation and status updates

What I enjoyed

• The main reason I keep returning to Motion is its AI auto-scheduling, which is its most notable feature.
• It is beneficial to plan my daily agenda properly. Motion takes care of everything dynamically, so you don't have to worry about when to start chores.
• I also really value Motion's consideration of both my personal and work calendars when scheduling.
• This keeps my workload reasonable by preventing me from overcommitting or double booking, which I frequently do.
• Additionally, the team collaboration tools are well-executed, helping keep colleagues informed about project progress and loop them in.

What I didn't like

• Motion is generally great; however, I would like to see some improvements in a couple of areas.
• With several workspace layers to explore, the app's learning curve is steeper than that of more efficient task managers. Although I occasionally disagreed with some of the AI scheduling choices, human modifications are always possible. 

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Todoist: Best for to-do lists

• I was guided through the app's functionality without feeling overwhelmed, and the onboarding process was easy from the start.
• Todoist's flexible task organization is one of its strengths.
• To fit my workflow, I could make custom views, labels, filters, and projects. It was easy to add tasks thanks to natural-language input; there was no need to fumble with numerous fields or menus.
• The simplicity and intuitiveness of Todoist are its main advantages.
• Without more clutter, the simple UI helps me stay focused on my work. Nevertheless, it offers strong tools such as priority levels, reminders, and repeating activities to help me keep track of my obligations.

Standout Features

• Simple, uncluttered user interface
• Strong sorting and filtering capabilities
• Using natural language input to add tasks rapidly

What I enjoyed

• I valued Todoist's flexibility in meeting my ever-evolving requirements.
• My workload might fluctuate significantly from week to week (really, day to day!) as a freelancer.
• I easily managed multiple projects thanks to Todoist's robust filtering and sorting features. I quickly switched between viewpoints, which made it easier for me to focus on the most critical tasks.
• The app's cross-platform compatibility was another feature I liked. My tasks were always accessible and synchronised, regardless of whether I was working on my smartphone, tablet, or desktop. This seamless experience allowed me to maintain productivity irrespective of my location or device.

What I didn't like

• Even while Todoist is fantastic in many ways, I ran into a few obstacles.
• The absence of sophisticated project management tools was one drawback.
• As my company expanded, I realised I needed more powerful tools to handle complex projects involving multiple team members and dependencies.
• Compared to more complete productivity suites like Motion, Todoist's options were a little more constrained, despite its links with well-known programs.
• My workflow was occasionally interrupted when I had to switch between apps to do specific tasks. 

Planyway: Best for teams that use Trello or Jira

• Planyway is a Trello calendar enhancer. I only had to add the Planyway power-up from the Power-Ups section to my already-existing Trello board to get started.
• After it was activated, Planyway turned my Trello board into a visual calendar that let me quickly drag and drop tasks (represented by cards) to schedule specific times to work on them.
• The weekly view showed me the duration of each activity, so I could see exactly how my days would go.   With this visual scheduling, I was able to create realistic time plans much more easily. 
• Planyway's calendar view would automatically display any activities I have scheduled in my Google Calendar.
• On the other hand, my Google Calendar would sync with the time blocks I made in Planyway for my Trello jobs.  This prevented double-booking and made it easier for me to view my entire itinerary quickly. 

What I enjoyed

• I was pleased with how well Planyway worked with my current Trello process.
• I could time-block directly within the project management application I already use regularly, saving me the trouble of learning an entirely new app.
• Scheduling was much easier using the drag-and-drop calendar interface than with my old approach of simply listing things.
• I was able to prevent double bookings across my personal and professional lives thanks to the two-way Google Calendar sync. 
• I could quickly identify opportunities to block time for tasks while still keeping track of obligations like dentist appointments or children's activities because everything was in one location.
• I was able to be more realistic about my daily goals thanks to this single calendar view. 

What I didn't like

• Overall, Planyway performed admirably, but I ran into a few minor annoyances.
• Instead of being able to rapidly alter the card preview on the calendar itself, editing the specifics of a scheduled job required opening it in a new window.
• This occasionally interfered with my workflow by adding an extra click.
• Additionally, some of the calendar options lacked the necessary intuitiveness. 
• For instance, to determine how to display past-due tasks differently from forthcoming ones, I had to comb through the documentation.  Customising the view would be easier with more intuitive settings. 

TickTick: Best for scheduling tasks

• For time blocking my schedule while I'm testing, the task management app TickTick is a good fit.
• Although it's not a calendar app in and of itself, TickTick easily connects to the calendar accounts you already use, such as Google, iCloud, and others.
• This lets you see your current appointments and meetings in addition to your TickTick tasks.
• Simply dragging and dropping tasks from your to-do lists into your calendar is TickTick's primary time-blocking feature.
• Drag and drop high-priority items into open windows on your agenda to quickly block out time for them.
• Additionally, TickTick offers a sidebar view of unplanned activities, which makes it easy to see what still needs time blocking.

Standout features

• Dedicated calendar-integrated task manager
• The ability to drag and drop assignments onto a calendar to block time
• Information about scheduled and unscheduled tasks

What I enjoyed

• By keeping tasks and calendar events distinct, TickTick lets you be far more deliberate about what is a hard calendar commitment and what gets time-restricted.
• This allows you to rearrange time slots when priorities shift without making your calendar appear overly full.
• The visibility into scheduled versus unscheduled tasks is also hugely valuable. In TickTick, I can easily identify work that still needs to be accounted for on my calendar at a glance.
• And if I don't complete a time-blocked task in its scheduled window, it simply remains on my to-do list to be rescheduled, without any errant notifications.

What I didn't like

• However, compared to an app like Motion, there is some inherent friction with time blocking because TickTick is not a full calendar software itself.
• You must continuously switch between TickTick and your usual calendar app to see the complete picture of your day's responsibilities, even though TickTick already integrates with your calendar accounts. 

Fantastical: Best for simple time blocking

• With the Fantastical calendar app, you can browse and manage your schedule on several different calendars.
• Creating calendar events for jobs and projects you need to do is one of its most notable features, which allows you to "time block" your day.
• In between meetings and other commitments, this is meant to help you set aside focused time for critical tasks.
• It's really easy to get started with time blocking in Fantastical.
• To timebox a task or project, you make a new calendar event for it.
• Your time blocks appear alongside your regular meetings and appointments because the software syncs with your calendar accounts, such as Google Calendar and iCloud Calendar.

Standout features

• Time-blocking calendar app
• Integrates with personal and work calendars
• Desktop apps and keyboard shortcuts for adding tasks quickly

What I enjoyed

• At first, I found resonance with Fantastical's time-blocking strategy. Setting aside specific times on my calendar was a much-needed way to regain control of my schedule, as I'm constantly juggling many projects and obligations.
• Instead of letting the day go by reactively, I felt more deliberate about how I spent it by deliberately allocating those pieces for high-priority tasks.
• From a planning standpoint, it was also beneficial to see my time blocks, meetings, and appointments all on one cohesive calendar.
• I could quickly spot any overbooked regions or gaps in my agenda that needed time blocked. The calendar integration made time blocking feel like a natural extension of how I already managed my day.

What I didn't like

• But as I became more adept at using Fantastical for time blocking, some drawbacks became apparent.
• From an outsider's point of view, my schedule frequently appeared rigidly crammed because chores were created as calendar events.
• When planning meetings or conversations with me, this made it challenging for teammates to distinguish between soft time blocks and actual availability.
  Fantastical is an excellent calendar tool, but it doesn't have enough task management features for effective time blocking.
• Frequent changes to time blocks caused the original item to send incorrect notifications. Additionally, the app itself does not provide a simple way to view or reschedule unfinished activities across days. 

Sunsama: Best for daily work-life balancing

• By combining work from several sources onto a single platform, the task management app Sunsama promises to streamline your daily routine.
• You can link many apps, including Gmail, Notion, and Slack, to easily import your tasks thanks to the simple onboarding process.
• Once configured, Sunsama offers a simple and eye-catching UI with a weekly calendar view that facilitates job planning.
• You can clearly see your schedule by dragging and dropping items onto particular days and times.  To keep your assignments and events in sync, the app also integrates with your personal and professional calendars. 
• Sunsama is excellent for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and managing your everyday tasks, though it lacks sophisticated project management features.
• By encouraging you to reflect on your day through its end-of-day routine, the app helps you prioritise your tasks and plan for the next day. 

What I enjoyed

• In contrast to some of the busy, intimidating work management apps available, I found Sunsama's layout refreshing.
• It's easy to see my schedule and organise my tasks thanks to the simple layout and weekly calendar view.
• I constantly juggle multiple projects and responsibilities, and I appreciate the ability to consolidate tasks from various apps into a single platform.
• Another aspect I enjoyed was Sunsama's emphasis on work-life balance (which I've struggled with in my career). 
• It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget to take a step back, so this feature really spoke to me. 

What I didn't like

• Although Sunsama is a good task management program, it lacks several advanced features that professionals in project-heavy roles or power users may need.
•  For example, it lacks strong project management features and the capacity to design unique integrations or workflows.  For people who require greater customisation and flexibility, this restriction can be a deal breaker. 
• Although Sunsama's weekly calendar view is visually beautiful, I found it a little laborious to manually drag and drop activities onto designated time slots, particularly when handling a lot of work or unforeseen priorities.
• This issue might be resolved with an AI-powered automatic scheduling tool, such as Motion's. 

Morgen: Best for schedule transparency

• Morgen is a time-blocking application that works well with a variety of calendars, including Google Calendar, Outlook, and others.
• The option to immediately add activities from other productivity applications, such as Todoist, to your calendar is one of its best features.
• I can clearly schedule time for specific chores using this function, which helps me stay on task and make the most of my day.
• Morgen provides native task management features in addition to task integration.
• When I don't want to use a different task management solution, the ability to create and schedule tasks within the app is helpful.

Standout features

• Blocking time while integrating tasks
• Integrated task management
• Links for meeting scheduling

What I enjoyed

• Morgen has an excellent mobile app. It functions as a day planner, allowing me to view my tasks and calendar in multiple formats, including day, week, and month.
• Another handy feature is the option to create scheduling connections, which makes it much easier to schedule meetings with clients, coworkers, or podcast guests.

What I didn't like

• Morgen offers a wide range of functions; however, the free edition has some restrictions.
• This can be a problem for people who are on a limited budget or who would rather continue using free productivity tools. 

Conclusion

Time blocking can be a huge help when your daily schedule seems disorganised and chaotic. It helps you prioritise the things that are most important to you, makes your calendar clearer, and gives you a sense of purpose as you go about your day.

After testing more than 20 apps, I realised there's no one-size-fits-all solution. The best time-blocking app depends entirely on your personal workflow, tech preferences, and work style.