Activity Blocking vs. Time Blocking: Which Strategy Supports Executive Function?

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Lucy Adams BSEd MS PCC, One of Thousands of ADD ADHD Coaches on Noomii.

When it comes to managing your time, two popular strategies often come up: time blocking and activity blocking. While both can be helpful, activity blocking—when done with a flexible, task-oriented approach—may offer unique benefits for people who struggle with executive function. This article compares the two approaches, explains how activity blocking supports executive function success, and offers practical steps for making it work.

Time Blocking: The Traditional Approach

Time blocking is a method where you assign time periods on your calendar to particular categories of actvity. For example:

- 9:00–9:30 AM: Answer emails
- 9:30–11:00 AM: Focus time/Deep Work
- 11:00–11:30 AM: Meeting with marketing team

This technique provides a framework for each day. However, it also assumes consistent energy levels and focus, and doesn’t account for the mental flexibility many people—especially those with executive function challenges—need to succeed. If something takes longer than planned or your energy shifts, the entire day can feel like it falls apart. I also find that while clients like the idea of the structure it adds to their day, they resist the rigidity of it in real time.

In addition, they tend to struggle with knowing what to do with the time they’ve set aside, if they have accomplished meaningful work during the time block, and if they have finished the work or how to address what comes next. They spend much of the time block getting their head wrapped around what to do with it and report that it leaves them feeling mentally exhausted and unproductive. 

Activity Blocking: A More Flexible, Brain-Friendly Strategy

Activity blocking, in the way I use it with my clients, takes a different approach. Rather than assigning tasks to fixed lengths of time, activity blocking focuses on defining what you’ll work on—not how long you’ll work on it.

You pick a specific task or set of related tasks and schedule a clear start time for them. You set reminders so that when the moment comes, you can initiate the task without having to decide what to do next. You don’t pre-determine how long you’ll work; instead, you stop when the task is finished or when you arrive at a natural pause point.

The key benefits of this method are:
- Reduced decision-making in the moment.
- A clear cue for task initiation.                                                                       
- A clear plan for what you will do.
- A flexible but structured endpoint for when to move on.

Why Activity Blocking Supports Executive Function Success

Executive functions include the mental skills that help us initiate tasks, manage time, shift focus, and regulate effort. For individuals with executive function challenges, rigid structures like traditional time blocking can lead to overwhelm, avoidance, and burnout. Activity blocking, by contrast, works with how the brain actually functions:

- Task Initiation: A scheduled start time acts as a cue, making it easier to begin.
- Working Memory: By choosing tasks in advance, you free up cognitive bandwidth in the moment.
- Cognitive Flexibility: You can move the start time or swap out tasks as needed without feeling like you’ve failed.
- Completion Cues: Finishing the designated task creates a sense of closure and success, reinforcing motivation.

How to Use Activity Blocking Effectively

- Choose the Task(s): Select one or more related tasks to group together. For example, ‘draft newsletter’ or ‘pay bills & respond to emails.’ For most clients, I recommend getting even more granular than this, such as ‘pay the water bill and the electric bill’ or ‘respond to ten emails.’
- Schedule a Start Time: Put the activity block on your calendar with a start time. Set reminders 10–15 minutes beforehand.
- Avoid Pre-Defining Duration: Don’t decide in advance how long you must work.
- Focus on the completion defined, specific activities or a natural break point. Let the defined activity tell you when you’re finished. 
- Be Flexible: If something comes up, you can move the start time on your calendar without guilt. You’re not breaking a rule—you’re adapting.
- Track What Works: Notice what types of activities go well together and what time of day your brain works best for each kind.

The Science Behind Activity Blocking

- Cognitive Load Theory shows that reducing decisions lowers mental fatigue, improving follow-through. With activity blocking, you’ve pre-decided what you will do, which allows you to direct all of your energy toward execution.
- Executive Function Models (like those described by Barkley) emphasize environmental cues and flexible structure as support mechanisms. Activity blocking enables you to rely on what you have done, rather than the clock, to move you toward the next thing, while also creating space to move the block to a different time of day or even a different day if necessary.
- Temporal Motivation Theory supports using cues like scheduled start times to reduce procrastination by increasing the immediacy of rewards. 
- Attention Residue Research (Leroy, 2009) backs the importance of focusing on one task at a time for better performance. Knowing what each task is and in what order is an essential component of activity blocking. It sets you up for success.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve struggled with traditional time blocking—feeling boxed in or constantly off-track—activity blocking may be the solution. It allows you to pre-decide your priorities and the specific steps to achieving them while giving you the flexibility to work with your brain, not against it.

By focusing on what you’ll do and when you’ll start (not how long you’ll do it), you create a structure that supports motivation, focus, and follow-through. This is time management that makes room for real life—and real brains.

As an executive function coach, I help clients build systems that reduce overwhelm and increase follow-through. If you’re ready to create a way of working that actually works for you, let’s talk.