10 Best calendar apps that make time blocking a breeze
The art of time blocking has the potential to transform your life, both at work and within.
Whether you're a freelancer, entrepreneur, or work in an office, intentionally scheduling your day can make all the difference to living the life you want to live.
Fortunately (and sometimes unfortunately), technology offers us plenty of tools that can simplify time blocking.
I’ve carefully selected these tools and apps for their unique features and functionalities, each with the potential to approach time blocking holistically.
If you’re looking to streamline your workday so you have more time for the things you love, I hope you will find the perfect calendar app that meets your unique needs and is easy to integrate into your life.
10 Best calendar apps for time blocking
So you ditched the paper planner and decided you’re ready to get more organized and intentional with your time, using time blocking. Now you get to choose the best place for you to schedule your time. Or if you’re already using one that isn’t meeting your needs, here you can discover a better place for you to time block.
As a caution, there are lots of options out there but I’m here to make it the least overwhelming possible. Below you’ll find my favorite calendar management apps you can use to time block.
Free calendar apps attached to your email
If you didn’t know the email you’re currently using has a free calendar attached to it, now you do! And they’re all extremely customizable allowing you to time block with your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs in mind.
The calendar linked to your email is by far the easiest place to try out or uplevel your time-blocking skills. And because your email calendar is something you’re already familiar with, it’ll be easier to use and sustainably stick with.
Google Calendar - Free
A classic! This is what I use and recommend to all of my clients who already have a Google (Gmail) account. It’s a free and user-friendly calendar app that integrates well with Google and many other apps and tools. It offers a variety of features and settings for customization and has a clean and simple interface.
Apple Calendar - Free
The calendar app that comes pre-installed on Apple devices is a great choice if you are an Apple user. You can time block directly into your Apple calendar on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and the rest of your devices will sync up.
Microsoft Outlook Calendar - Free
If you’re a Microsoft Outlook user, you can time block using their built-in calendar app. I haven’t used an Outlook calendar since working for a company that used it. I currently work with two clients who use Outlook, but they work the same.
Task/project management apps with time blocking
As of writing this, Trello and Asana, two crowd favorites for task/project management do not have a built-in time blocking feature. You’d have to integrate some additional tech or manual labor to time block tasks into your calendar. However, there are two well-known task management apps that can seamlessly schedule your tasks.
Todoist - Free with paid option
Todoist is a task management app that includes a calendar view. With Todoist, you’d create tasks with due dates and times, then the calendar view provides you with your schedule, allowing you to see the big picture and stay on top of your deadlines.
ClickUp - Free with paid option
ClickUp is a comprehensive project management platform for businesses that offers time blocking. You can enter your projects, tasks, and then attach them to your workday helping you stay focused and get the important things done. Beware, ClickUp has lots of features so I would only recommend ClickUp if you’re tech-savvy and have team members to help you manage it. Learn more about time blocking in ClickUp.
Specific time-blocking apps
There are many time-blocking apps out there, all with similar features to one another. I’ve provided a list of apps that have different and unique benefits from the digital calendar that comes with your email.
Fantastical - Paid
This is an Apple-user-specific calendar app that's designed specifically for time blocking. The unique feature? Relationships are key to our time. Fantastical comes with the ability to easily schedule meetings with your clients, teammates, or friends.
DigiCal - Free with paid option
Calling my Android users! DigiCal is a great time-blocking app that shows you a monthly view and the week/day view on the same screen. This is a helpful feature to see a macro and micro view of your time so you can be realistic and effective with your planning.
Sunsuma - Paid
Sunsama is a gorgeous app that is easy to get the hang of. You’ll create a task list, assign a date and time, and then that gets automatically put into a time block. They also have a feature called ‘contexts’ that help organize tasks based on the related area of life, for example self-care, work, home, etc. Holistic time blocking is all about looking at the interconnectedness of all the parts of our life.
Reclaimai (affiliate link) - Free with paid option
If you’re a business owner that manages a team and loves tech and AI, Reclaim is a great time-blocking tool to use. It’s a smart calendar that’s designed to help you optimize your schedule depending on what you deem is flexible or not. You’ll also be able to manage your team member’s calendars and easily find time to meet.
TimeBloc - Free
TimeBloc is an app for both Apple and Android users. Not only does it help you time block without getting overwhelmed, but this app also has a routine feature. You can use TimeBloc to learn how to integrate routines, like a morning or evening routine, into your schedule that help you list the specific tasks that you’d like to do in each routine. This will help you identify what really needs to happen to feel healthy and fulfilled.
Which one to pick?
As you can see there are many calendar apps that are great for time blocking, but the best one for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences. Pausing and figuring out what your unique needs and preferences are is so important to leveraging time blocking.
My honest preferences and recommendations for choosing:
Identify what you’re already using, grow your time-blocking skills there, then branch out to more tech-intense apps if you feel the need to.
When you pick an app, decide to make it your home base to keep track of all your appointments, tasks, and habits for work and personal. Many people use 2-3 calendars, multiple places for to-do’s, and maybe a project management software. That’s so much to juggle, and the point is to get less overwhelmed and more organized!
Choose an app that looks right and feels good to your brain. You won’t want to use an app that doesn’t, you won’t stick with it!
As a small business owner with a lean business model, I typically choose free software unless there’s a good reason for it. If you wanted detailed reports on how you spent your time or to manage a team, it makes sense to get a paid time-blocking app. Of course, know your budget first before investing the time and money into an app that you might not want to pay for later.
Personally, I don’t need a time blocking app to time block when I can just do everything I need in my google calendar. Simple is best for me!
Determine where you’ll use the app (phone, tablet, computer) and find what works best for the tech that you have – apple, android, or web.