This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The One Thing" by Gary Keller. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Most people don’t have a productivity problem; they have a priority protection problem. Research suggests the average professional is interrupted every 11 minutes, yet it takes over 20 minutes to regain deep focus. To reclaim your output, you must stop managing your to-do list and start mastering a time block schedule.
Definition: A time block schedule is a productivity method where you divide your day into dedicated segments (blocks) of time, each reserved for a specific task or category of work, preventing “context switching” and ensuring your most important work receives your peak cognitive energy.
In his book The ONE Thing, Gary Keller argues that extraordinary results are determined by what you ignore as much as what you do. By applying core concepts such as willpower management and Maker vs. Manager scheduling, you can move from being “busy” to being effective.
Whether you’re battling a chaotic inbox or struggling to find time for creative projects, the following four steps will help you build a fortress around your most important work. Keep reading to learn how to structure your calendar for maximum impact.
Originally Published: August 15, 2021
Last Updated: December 29, 2025
Table of Contents
Implementing a Time Block Schedule
Once you know your purpose plus your immediate and future priorities for getting there, you need to use your time productively to achieve the results you want. The key to productivity is scheduling or “blocking” time on your calendar to focus on your priority and treating that time as sacrosanct.
(Shortform note: In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport also recommends time-blocking. He writes that it’s one of four schedules you can use to do deep work—intensely focused effort on challenging tasks—and that time-blocking is the most practical for daily life. Newport also recommends that if you’re a novice, you shouldn’t expect yourself to do more than one hour of deep work at the start. Over time, you might be able to build up to Keller’s recommended four, which Newport says is achievable for experts with extensive practice.)
Keller provides four steps to implementing a time block schedule.
Step 1: Block Off Your Personal Time and Foundation
Begin each year by planning your time off. Manage your work time around your downtime. When you reserve time off to recharge, you’ll be more productive.
However, “recharging” isn’t just about vacations; it’s about your daily foundation. Treat your health and relationships as non-negotiable pillars. To maintain the focus required for your “One Thing,” you must protect your sleep, nutrition, and exercise. These shouldn’t be sacrificed for work; rather, they are the fuel that makes high-level work possible.
Step 2: Time Block Your Priority
Your time block schedule must push your priority forward. Design your days around your priority by blocking off a minimum of four hours a day to work on it.
Timing matters: Schedule this block as early in your day as possible. This is when your willpower is at its peak; as the day goes on and you make more decisions, your “willpower battery” drains, making it harder to stay disciplined.
Venture capitalist Paul Graham argues that there are two types of time:
- “Maker” time: Focuses on doing or creating. This requires large blocks, usually half-days.
- “Manager” time: Focuses on directing or overseeing. This is broken down into hourly meetings.
For optimum productivity, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon. You can also use Jerry Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break the Chain” method: Mark your completed time blocks on a physical calendar to create a visual string of successes that you won’t want to interrupt.
Step 3: Block Planning Time
Near the end of each year, your schedule should include time to assess your progress toward your long-term purpose. Additionally, block one hour each week to review your annual, monthly, and weekly goals. This ensures your daily “One Thing” is actually moving the needle on your “Big One Thing.”
Step 4: Protect Your Blocked Time
A time block schedule is pointless unless you treat it as inviolable. To signal to yourself and others that this time is a serious commitment, mark it as a recurring appointment on your digital calendar. This communicates your unavailability to colleagues before they even try to book you.
Fighting Internal and External Distractions:
- Seclude yourself: Find a place to work where you won’t be interrupted. Close the door, shut the blinds, and find a “bunker.”
- Remove digital noise: Turn off your phone, shut down your browser, and close your email.
- Prep your supplies: Have snacks, water, and materials on hand so you don’t have to leave the room.
- Enlist support: Tell colleagues and family what you’re doing and when you’ll be available again.
Handling Interruptions:
If a boss or client makes an urgent request during your block, try to defer: “I can certainly help with that; would Friday at 2:00 PM work?” Most people just want to know that their request is on your radar. If you absolutely must pivot, reschedule your time block immediately so that your priority isn’t lost for the day.
Until your priority task is done, everything else is a distraction.
(Shortform note: Like Keller, Newport suggests using a calendar, but he adds that you should specify in advance exactly where you’ll work and what rules you’ll follow during deep work sessions—for instance, removing probable distractions such as your cell phone. As for protecting your time, Newport isn’t as direct as Keller: He says that when someone asks you for something that would infringe on your deep work, you should give them a vague answer that makes it hard for them to insist. Regarding health, Newport emphasizes that recovery isn’t optional—you need to give your brain time off for it to rest and be ready for your next session of deep work.)
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Here's what you'll find in our full The One Thing summary :
- Why focusing daily on one thing, rather than many, is the key to success
- How success is like dominos
- The six common myths about success
