6 Work Flow Strategies I’m Trying

Cake is not part of my weekly work flow but is a welcome addition when it is.

As part of my intention of flow this year I’m thinking about my work flow. In terms of my daily and weekly work flow, I’m focused on how to improve and protect it.

With the kids back in school this week, I felt fresh energy for my work and I’m trying a few strategies to benefit my work flow:

+ Plan my work weeks with time blocking. With flexible work, I’m responsible for keeping myself moving ahead. Planning what I’ll work on when and putting those blocks into my Google calendar is what works best for me.

+ Sticking to my time blocking plan. Perhaps this should go without saying but I’ll go ahead and say it. To me, this means jumping into the work I need to do without checking my email (which invariably prompts a task that takes me in a different direction) or my text messages (same thing).

+ Attend to email and texts at lunch time. But then get back into any work time block that I have planned.

+ Schedule any appointments outside of my work hours. This is a shift after the need recently dawned on me. It’s been great to use my flexible days to schedule all manner of appointments. But my work load has really increased and I find myself needing all the school day hours for work. Even a five minute bang trim like I had the other day requires: stopping work, getting ready to go, driving 12 minutes, getting a bang trim, driving 12 minutes home. From stopping work to getting back into work it’s probably an hour but more importantly my work flow is disrupted.

Plus, it’s not as heavy of a lift to single parent the kids after school (yay!). So popping out in the afternoon isn’t a big ask the way it might have been two years ago. Appointments I can schedule later in the day when Chris can be home with the kids include: haircuts, therapy, doctor’s appointments, and nail appointments (since I’m trying to get my nails done more often this year).

+ Final work check-in around 5 pm. My goal is to be off my phone after Maeve comes home from school so I put it into do-not-disturb. But sometimes I’ve received texts I need to respond to or just need to wrap up a couple more things. Previously, I was trying to fit this in as I could during the afternoon but there were constant disruptions. Which then left me feeling like I wasn’t parenting or working well.

Instead, I am trying a final 15ish minute wrap up around 5 pm when Chris can be on duty and I can wrap things up in our room with the sound machine on. Maybe I could even go out to the studio since the other day Maeve still found me…

+ Sunday planning time. I’d love to consistently take an hour or so every Sunday to look ahead for the week, finish time blocking for the upcoming week, and perhaps do an email clean up.

What helps you protect your work flow? Are you trying anything new for 2026?

P.S. My current weekday routines and going back to work after maternity leave.

4 responses to “6 Work Flow Strategies I’m Trying”

  1. sarahjedd Avatar
    sarahjedd

    I am THE WORST about scheduling appointments during what should be my uninterrupted work time. WHY DO I DO IT? I am also excellent at time blocking on my calendar but also at getting derailed by email– I need to time block that, too. These are great flow tips– thanks!

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      I am guilty of this too (making appts during precious work time)! But I vow to be better. I think there are a couple of factors: 1) sometimes there are so few times available or it all feels so complicated we just grab the first time they say. I am working at remembering that it’s the person’s job to schedule things and it’s okay to ask to look at different times. And 2) scheduling things outside of work hours often means asking for help (i.e. spouse to watch the kids) and even though we know THAT IS FINE it can feel easier to just take care of it on our own. And in previous life stages it WAS a really big ask to solo parents. But as it’s less of a lift we should totally be putting our needs/work as a priority. Cheering you on in this!

      Reply
  2. Alison Avatar
    Alison

    Thank you for sharing these tips! I need to time block. I work at a university in a hybrid schedule. My on campus days are mostly dedicated to impromptu questions from my team of 10 and meetings. I think time blocking (with a couple hours of my door closed each day while on campus) will really help me be more effective on campus and at home.

    Reply
    1. Kelsey Avatar
      Kelsey

      That is a great idea! Maybe even letting your team know that you’ll have “office hours from 1-3 or something like that consistently so they can consolidate questions and stopping by. And otherwise I think closing your door and being unavailable for a couple hours is a great approach. One thing that came to mind for me is using a sound machine too. At home, if I need some down time while my family is home if I go into my room, close the door, and turn the sound machine on it really helps me feel like I have mental space to focus. You could even make a friendly little flier for your door inviting people to stop by during “office hours” so people can see that when your door is closed. Otherwise time just bleeds away with interruptions. Cheering for you!

      Reply

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