Wendy Woloshchuk’s Time Blocking Tips for Designers
Episode #205 the Wingnut Social Podcast
Are you familiar with the concept of time blocking? Will it make you more productive and efficient with your time? Or are you set in your ways and happy with your current routine? Wendy Woloschuk knows that blocking her time makes her more efficient. In this episode, she shares her tips and tricks for optimal time-blocking success. After all, time is money—how much are you wasting?
Wendy Woloshchuk is the owner of Details Interiors. In addition to running a busy design firm, Wendy is a frequent speaker on Market panels and tele-summits and is now teaching other designers through online courses. She is one-third of the Design for Today Collaborative, a group committed to educating Interior Designers and Home Stagers.
What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social
- [3:04] Mini News Sesh: The Instagram Algorithm
- [9:45] Who is Wendy Woloschuk?
- [11:54] What is time blocking?
- [16:43] How to handle time-sensitive communication
- [19:55] How to track your time-blocks
- [22:00] Self-discipline will lead to habit
- [24:00] How Wendy handles sourcing for clients
- [27:42] Should you schedule a break each hour?
- [28:45] The Design for Today Collaborative
- [31:07] What Up Wingnut! Round
- [35:24] Blooper Reel!
Connect with Wendy Woloshchuk
- Details Interiors
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Follow on Instagram
Resources & People Mentioned
- Unleash the Power Within
- Design for Today Collaborative
- Wingnut Social Episode 36
- Book: Unleash the Power Within
- mydoma
Wendy Woloschuk’s version of time blocking
Time blocking is a way of intentionally planning out every minute of your day. It forces you to manage your time efficiently and helps you focus on what you’re doing. If you are multi-tasking, you are focusing on a million different things and not doing any of them at 100%, right? The premise of time blocking is that when you give one task 100% of your attention, you’re more effective.
At Wendy’s firm, they break down each specific day into a time-block. She starts every day with a cup of coffee, time on Facebook and Instagram, exercising, showering, and getting to the office. On Mondays, her assistant blocks time for social media, their blog, and the newsletter. She has another block for emails. They block in lunch and move on to client work. They check email and social media one more time at the end of the day.
How do you know where to start? Wendy shares these simple steps:
- Start with a list of your regular weekly tasks
- Plug in the most important tasks first
- Fill other tasks in around those
What’s the key to optimal success? Listen to find out!
How Wendy handles sourcing for clients
If you’re taking 3 hours to find something that should take you half an hour, then you’re losing money. So Wendy gives herself a set amount of time—half an hour—to find a certain product. Why? If you can’t find it in half an hour, your brain needs to move on and you come back to it.
Sourcing takes time and practice. It requires knowing your vendors. Giving yourself half an hour helps you get it done more quickly. Once you’ve found something that will work perfectly, don’t keep looking. You can always go back and adjust if necessary.
She always works on one client at a time. While she’s sourcing for one person—if she sees something that’s a good fit for someone else—she makes a note and moves on.
Self-discipline becomes habit
When you have a schedule set and you’ve ben time blocking for a couple of weeks, Wendy notes that it will become a habit. It’s saved her many hours a day. When you get lost in a rabbit-hole, it’s hard to get refocused. But time blocking gives you something to reference to help you get back on track. She notes that it does get easier—and is 100% worth the effort. Hear the rest of her time blocking tips by listening to the whole episode!
Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social
- http://www.WingnutSocial.com
- On Facebook
- On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
- On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
- Darla’s Interior Design Website
- Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
- 1-877-WINGNUT (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)
Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn
Audio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.com
