Scattered and unstructured schedules used to rule my life. I juggled tasks, missed deadlines, wasted time, and ended each day feeling frustrated.
As a creative, that was not only frustrating but also eating away at my business and making it hard to grow. But…everything changed when I discovered time blocking. I quickly learned how to reclaim my time, better balance work and pleasure, and even carve out some time for a little guilt-free scrolling.
Using one of these nine time blocking apps, you too can whizz through your to-do list with room to breathe at the end of it all.
The best time blocking apps at a glance
Tool | G2 | What is It? | Best For |
---|---|---|---|
Motion | 4.0 | A dynamic scheduling tool that optimizes your day in real time | Professionals and teams looking for AI-driven time management |
TickTick | 4.6 | A versatile task manager with built-in time-blocking features | Individuals who want a blend of simplicity and functionality in task management |
Sunsama | N/A | A daily planner that combines tasks, calendar events, and priorities in one place | Professionals who need to align daily tasks with long-term time management goals |
Toggl Track | 4.6 | A time tracking tool that offers insights into productivity patterns | Freelancers and teams who want to understand and optimize their time usage |
Todoist | 4.4 | A powerful task manager that helps you organize work and life | Anyone looking to manage tasks efficiently with helpful reminders and due dates |
Clockwise | 4.7 | An intelligent calendar assistant that optimizes your schedule for focused work blocks | Professionals and teams in need of automating their scheduling |
Planyway | 4.4 | A team calendar and timeline for Trello and Jira users that facilitates time blocking | Users who manage projects and tasks directly in Trello or Jira |
Morgen | 5.0 | A tool that integrates all your calendars and tasks in one interface for better time management | Individuals who juggle multiple calendars and platforms |
Google Calendar | N/A | A widely accessible calendar app that supports straightforward time blocking | Anyone looking for a simple and integrated way to plan their day |
What is time blocking?
Time blocking is a time management technique in which you dedicate specific time slots in your calendar to different tasks or activities.
It’s not to be confused with the slightly stricter timeboxing, which requires you to complete a task within a given timeframe. Time blocking reserves time for specific activities but allows you to complete them across several sessions.
Apps make this process a lot easier, giving you a clear visual of your task list and time window. That way, you know exactly how far along you are, how much time you need for each task, and what you can realistically get done in time.
Here are some more time blocking benefits:
- Reduces procrastination: Time blocking overcomes the urge to put things off (we’re looking at you, procrastinators), making you more likely to start and complete tasks on time.
- Improves focus: It encourages single-tasking by assigning a specific task to a particular time block, which can improve your deep work concentration and productivity.
- Minimizes multitasking: Time blocking curbs the temptation to juggle back and forth between tasks, reducing the cognitive overload and burnout that come with trying to multitask.
- Promotes work-life balance: Daily planning allows you to deliberately carve out time for free time and self-care, ensuring work doesn’t infringe on your personal life.
- Ensures you’re realistic: Time blocking highlights how long tasks actually take so you can better plan your deadlines and schedule tasks.
Time blocking can be adapted to various work environments and personal routines—whether you’re a freelancer or have too many team members to count.
For instance, consulting firms and marketing agencies can allocate specific time slots for client meetings, research, and content creation. Then, you have internal teams like HR and IT who might want to dedicate blocks of time to tasks such as employee relations, system maintenance, and project development.
Plus, time blocking isn’t just for work — you can also carve out time for exercise, family, and hobbies.
How I evaluated each time management app
No two apps are made equal, but I created this list of the best time blocking apps based on the following criteria:
- Calendar integrations: The ability to integrate your favorite calendar app makes synchronization across all devices and platforms a breeze — a must for any time blocking app.
- Task management: Robust task management features mean you can stay on top of your to-dos and prioritize tasks like a pro, all within the app.
- Ease of use: A user-friendly interface means you’ll be navigating the app with no learning curve, encouraging you to stick with it and boost your productivity.
- Calendar view: A good time blocking app offers plenty of different views, whether you like looking at a calendar or timeline or need to see your monthly or daily schedule.
- Customization options: Just as no two apps are equal, neither are two users — customizable features cater to your unique preferences and workflow.
An in-depth overview of the best time blocking apps
Motion
📌 Motion is an AI-powered time blocking app that integrates with your calendar to prevent any scheduling conflicts.
Motion simplifies your scheduling needs thanks to its AI-powered time blocking features. By integrating a calendar that distinguishes between personal and work activities, Motion makes sure tasks are auto-scheduled without any conflicts, improving your operational efficiency.
It comes with a “booking page” feature to create a page and schedule meetings. From that page, send a link to others who can book time based on your availability. This way, appointments will auto-populate into your calendar without overlapping with other tasks.
If you’re looking for a time blocking app with great reporting features, Motion might fall short. It can also be pricey for individual users and has fewer team collaboration options than competitors.
✅ Pros
- Auto-schedule meetings
- Integrates with popular calendar apps
- Powered by AI
❌ Cons
- Team collaboration features are subpar compared to most other time blocking apps
- Pricier than competitors
- Doesn’t have advanced reporting capabilities
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Individual | From $19/month for one user | Includes booking site pages and templates |
Business Standard | From $12 per user/month | Supports teams of 20 users or less and includes project workflow automation for 10 concurrent workflows |
Business Pro | Pricing available upon request | Supports teams of 20+ users looking for unlimited workflows and API access |
G2: 4.0 (93), Capterra: 4.3 (47)
Why I recommend this tool
Motion optimizes your workflow by handling the complexities of scheduling, allowing you to concentrate solely on your tasks. With AI-assisted scheduling, organization based on your schedule, and compatibility with Google, Outlook, and iCloud, it’s a great productivity tool for individuals.
TickTick
📌 TickTick is a productivity app with time blocking features that allow users to dedicate focus time to their most important tasks.
TickTick excels at organizing tasks and planning time effectively. Its features align with the Getting Things Done framework, which encourages you to free up your brainpower by storing all your work information in an external source (like an app).
It integrates with other essential tools (Outlook, Slack, Gmail), but its strength lies in its task prioritization and varied viewing options. This way, critical tasks won’t slip by when you’re mapping out your daily schedule.
TickTick doesn’t have any built-in time tracking or time reports. However, knowing your time habits and how long each task takes is enough to improve your time management. Their Premium version allows you to record how long each task takes manually.
✅ Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Ability to organize tasks based on set criteria
- Affordable paid plan as well as a free version
❌ Cons
- Calendar views and timelines are only available for Premium subscribers
- Doesn’t have built-in time tracking
- Doesn’t have time reports
- You can only get an annual plan
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Free | Free for one user | Great for organizing a simple to-do list! |
Premium | From $35.99/year | Includes advanced features like multiple calendar views, task duration, and statistics |
G2: 4.6 (106), Capterra: 4.7 (123)
Why I recommend this tool
TickTick is a versatile and feature-rich tool if you’re willing to subscribe to their affordable Premium plan. Even if you’re looking for a free version, it still comes with the capabilities necessary to block time during your day to complete your tasks.
Sunsama
📌 Sunsama plans your day realistically so you can avoid procrastination and missed deadlines.
Sunsama organizes your daily tasks into specific time slots and integrates with project management tools like Trello, Asana, Notion, and Monday. We’re all guilty of taking on more than we can handle, but Sunsama sends unrealistic workload notifications to ensure you stay energized.
This way, you’ll have a balanced workload and set aside some time in the day for yourself. The manual planning process, while thorough, can be time-consuming, and the lack of a free plan post-trial may be a drawback for some.
✅ Pros
- Comes with a built-in timer and analytics
- Prevents over scheduling
❌ Cons
- Doesn’t have a free plan
- Lacks automated features
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Monthly Subscription | From $16 per user/month (when paid annually) or $20/user/month when paid monthly | A monthly subscription grants you access to all features (you can also test Sunsama with a 14-day free trial) |
Capterra: 4.7 (25)
Why I recommend this tool
Sunsama actively prevents your tasks from piling up. It evaluates your planned hours, including breaks, and if your schedule is too packed, it suggests moving tasks to another day. Talk about your own personal burnout-prevention assistant!
Toggl Track
📌 Toggl Track is a time management app that helps you organize and track your time, whether managing projects in single or multiplayer mode.
Toggl Track integrates with Google or Outlook calendars and effortlessly compares time blocks with the intuitive calendar view. This feature allows you to swiftly duplicate your calendar events as time entries, saving valuable time and reducing manual effort.
You can also view detailed time reports to evaluate your time management habits across various periods. You’ll know how much time each task takes and time spent on unplanned activities. This gives you the data to review your time blocking strategies and optimize every workday.
With an idle time detection feature, Toggl Track gives you a friendly nudge if you’ve been inactive for a while — ensuring your time entries are accurate. Plus, with reporting capabilities, it shows exactly what you did during each time block so you can optimize for productivity and have something to show for your work.
✅ Pros
- Easy to use on any platform
- The free plan has great time blocking features
- Access detailed, customized reports
❌ Cons
- The free plan only includes five users
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Free | Adds multiple workspaces under one organization, priority support, custom solutions, and much more! | Includes unlimited time tracking, tags, and clients |
Starter | From $9 per user/month | Comes with project templates, billable rates, time estimates, and alerts |
Premium | From $18 per user/month | Includes timesheet approvals, project forecasts, and team labor costs |
Enterprise | Custom pricing | Adds multiple workspaces under one organization and priority support, plus custom solutions and much more! |
G2: 4.6 (1,572), Capterra: 4.7 (2,532)
Why I recommend this tool
Toggl Track has absolutely everything a team could ask for in a time blocking app—calendar integrations, time reports, a Pomodoro timer, and a personal desktop activity tracker. Its free plan has plenty of great features, and paid plans are affordable (and well worth the cost).
Todoist
📌 Todoist is a to-do-list app compatible with all your devices for user-friendly organization and time blocking.
Todoist has great scheduling options so you can block time to get work or personal tasks done (because why not both?). Set specific due dates and times for your tasks, creating a system that segments your day into dedicated time blocks for your various activities.
It comes with an AI assistant (for paid users) that helps you rename tasks and even suggests what projects they should belong to. If you’re a large team looking for a time blocking app, Todoist may not have enough collaborative features to your liking. But small teams and solos are sure to enjoy it.
✅ Pros
- AI assistant (for Pro)
- List, calendar, and Kanban view options
- User-friendly on all platforms and devices
❌ Cons
- Lacks advanced project management tools
- Not great for team collaboration
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Beginner | Free | Includes three filter views and five personal projects |
Pro | From $4/month | Comes with an AI assistant and 300 personal projects |
Business | From $6 per user/month | Adds a shared team workspace with up to 500 team projects |
G2: 4.4 (800) Capterra: 4.6 (2,526)
Why I recommend this tool
Looking for an app that works on your phone, tablet, and laptop? Todoist is ideal for individuals seeking a reliable cross-platform to-do list app that ensures tasks are completed right on schedule.
Clockwise
📌 Clockwise helps you create and manage your team’s ideal schedule.
Clockwise is an AI-powered time management tool designed to optimize your team’s schedules so you can all be more productive with your time. It integrates with your favorite business productivity tools to easily overcome scheduling conflicts.
It has many features to help with time blocking, like its AI scheduler. You chat with it like a chatbot, asking it to perform tasks like “clear my day,” and it’ll automatically reschedule your meetings. However, individuals or smaller teams with less complex scheduling needs might not get the most value out of it.
✅ Pros
- User-friendly AI interface
- Great for large or busy teams
❌ Cons
- Not great for meetings with external users
- It doesn’t replace your calendar, it only integrates with it
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Free | Free | Includes access to intelligent calendar management |
Teams | From $6.75 per user/month | Adds group scheduling links and helps optimize meeting times |
Business | From $11.50 per user/month | Includes round-robin scheduling logic and access to admin controls |
Enterprise | Pricing available upon request | Allows you to centrally manage user provisioning and de-provisioning, along with other benefits |
G2: 4.7 (66)
Why I recommend this tool
If you’re constantly playing email tag with your team, trying to find a time that works for everyone to hop on a call, then check out Clockwise. It’ll make internal scheduling a breeze.
Planyway
📌 Planyway lets you block time easily in Trello and Jira without learning an entirely new app.
Planyway integrates seamlessly with your favorite project management tools (we’re looking at you, Trello, and Jira). It transforms your board into a visual calendar you can drag and drop tasks onto and block out time for.
Track progress with time entries in a list or calendar view and even log time within Trello cards. While some users mention that Planyway isn’t as user-friendly on mobile devices, if you primarily work on your desktop and value a tool that offers customizable checklists and views, Planyway is a strong choice.
✅ Pros
- Clean, easy-to-navigate interface
- Great for Trello and Jira users
❌ Cons
- Users report that the mobile app is buggy
- Lacks other helpful integrations
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Free | Free | Pricing is available upon request |
Individual | From $4/month | Includes a multi-board view, an automated time tracker, and subtasks visualization |
Team | From $3 per user/month | Includes shared team workspace with team timeline and team time tracking |
Enterprise | Pricing available upon request | Adds extra security requirements and dedicated customer success |
G2: 4.4 (18), Capterra: 4.5 (298)
Why I recommend this tool
If you’re happy with your project management setup (and use Trello or Jira) and are looking for a way to incorporate time blocking, then Planyway was practically made for you.
Morgen
📌 Morgen is a versatile calendar app that integrates the functionalities of both a calendar and a daily planner.
Morgen is another AI-powered planner that helps you prioritize your tasks and intelligently blocks out time for them in your schedule. It’s best for individuals who need a comprehensive tool for managing their schedules, tasks, and appointments across various devices — like Windows, macOS, Apple, iOS, and Android.
It’s also better suited for individuals or small teams but still a great option for users wanting to plan and complete their to-do lists realistically.
✅ Pros
- Visually appealing interface
- Great structured time blocking features
- Includes scheduling links
❌ Cons
- The free mobile version is read-only
- Expensive compared to competitors
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Basic | Free | Includes a desktop app and one calendar integration |
Pro | From $9/month | Includes unlimited calendars, task integration, and time blocking features |
Enterprise | Pricing available upon request | Adds custom workflows and multi-team management |
G2: 5.0 (3)
Why I recommend this tool
Morgen is great if you’re looking for a unified solution to manage your tasks and calendar. It’s easy to use but also has plenty of features for beginners and advanced calendar users.
Google Calendar
📌 Google Calendar is a popular calendar app that lets you segment your day into distinct periods dedicated to work, personal commitments, or simply “you” time.
Why invest in a tool that integrates with Google Calendar when you can use Google Calendar for your time-blocking needs?
Google Calendar offers a holistic view of your schedule and integrates easily with other Google applications. If you don’t want any fancy features and prefer to keep everything in the same app, then it’s the perfect beginner-friendly option.
You can add detailed event descriptions to ensure you know exactly what’s on your agenda, set up recurring events for those routine tasks, activate a “Do not disturb” status to minimize distractions, and even color code your events.
✅ Pros
- Great free plan
- User-friendly and integrates with other Google apps
- Comes with basic features for beginners
❌ Cons
- Lacks detailed task management features
- Adjusting time blocks is a manual process
Plan | Cost | Details |
---|---|---|
Free | Free version for users with a Gmail account | Comes with all basic planning features |
Business Starter | From $6 per user/month | Includes a business email and 100-participant video meeting capabilities |
Business Standard | From $12 per user/month | Includes everything in Business Starter plus the Gemini app and meeting recording |
Business Plus | From $18 per user/month | Adds extra storage and meeting capabilities |
Capterra: 4.8 (3,337)
Why I recommend this tool
Many individuals and organizations regularly use Google—and for good reason. It has all the basic, simple features you need to organize your schedule and time block your key tasks.
Best practices for implementing time blocking
Apps make time blocking easy, but where do you even begin? And how do you make it a habit, not a one-time thing? These are our top strategies for effectively incorporating time blocking into daily routines.
Start by prioritizing tasks
Start by identifying and prioritizing your most important tasks using a method like the Eisenhower Matrix. Map out your day by assigning specific time slots to each task, and make a pact to stick to your plan. Try to get those high-priority tasks done during your peak productivity hours. Circle back regularly to review and tweak your schedule, always making sure you’re getting the pressing tasks out of the way first.
Then, set realistic time blocks
Set time blocks that work for you—it doesn’t have to necessarily follow any strategies you see touted online. Time blocking isn’t one-size-fits-all—experiment with different approaches to find what works best for you. If morning time blocks aren’t clicking, try shifting them to the afternoon. And remember, it’s better to overestimate the time needed than to constantly run over and burn yourself out!
But allow flexibility for unexpected changes
Life often throws curveballs, fastballs, and changeups, so be ready to adapt. Pencil in some “flex time” within your schedule to account for unexpected interruptions or tasks that run over. When these surprises pop up, you can swiftly adjust your time blocks, re-prioritizing as you go. The best part? Time blocking apps can help you deal with the unexpected!
How to use Toggl Track for better time blocking
Think of Toggl Track as your very own personal assistant, giving you precise time tracking that seamlessly integrates with your schedule.
With detailed reports, you’ll gain powerful insights into where your time goes, helping you refine your blocks and boost productivity. Plus, Toggl Track plays nicely with your favorite productivity tools, making it simple to incorporate into your workflow.
Effortlessly tracking tasks, spotting trends, and continuously improving your time management don’t have to be a pipe dream. Create a free account and see how Toggl Track can help you do just that!
Michelle is an experienced freelance writer who loves applying research and creative storytelling to the content she creates. She writes about B2B SaaS software while also participating in conversations about other industries, such as the digital publishing landscape, sports, and travel.