Time blocking is Cal Newport's answer to the chaos of modern work. You take every task, meeting, and commitment and assign it a specific time slot on your calendar. Nothing gets done unless it has time allocated.
The method sounds simple but gets messy fast in practice. Tasks take longer than expected. Meetings move. Urgent things pop up. Paper planners can't adapt, and Google Calendar wasn't built for this workflow.
We tested these apps by actually time blocking our work for weeks. The test: Can you quickly block time for tasks? Does it sync with your existing calendar? What happens when everything goes sideways at 2pm and your whole plan is now wrong? Can you reschedule without starting from scratch?
What separates good time blocking software from calendar apps with task features is how they handle the inevitable chaos. The best ones make rescheduling fast, pull tasks from tools you already use, and automate the boring parts of planning your day.
How We Chose This Software
Time blocking software needs to actually support the time blocking workflow, not just let you create calendar events for tasks. That's a higher bar than it sounds.
Task consolidation was the first thing we checked. Cal Newport's method assumes you have one master list of everything you need to do. But most people have tasks scattered across Asana, Gmail, Slack, Notion, and random text files. The best apps pull all those tasks into one view so you can block time for everything without manually copying between systems.
Calendar integration quality mattered enormously. Your time blocks need to coexist with your actual meetings and appointments. Two-way sync with Google Calendar or Outlook is non-negotiable. We tested whether changes in one place reflected in the other, how conflicts were handled, and if the integration actually worked reliably.
Rescheduling speed was critical. Time blocking falls apart if adjusting your plan takes five minutes of dragging blocks around. The best apps let you reschedule with quick gestures, automatically suggest new times, or use AI to rebuild your plan when things change.
The planning workflow itself varied by app. Some force you through daily planning rituals. Others let you plan whenever. Some use AI to schedule tasks automatically. We evaluated whether each approach actually helps or just adds friction.
Time tracking integration helped with improving estimates. If an app tracks how long tasks actually take versus what you planned, you get better at estimating over time. This makes time blocking more accurate and less frustrating.
We also looked at whether apps support different time blocking styles. Some people block every 15-minute chunk. Others block big 2-hour chunks and leave details flexible. Different apps favor different approaches, which matters for matching your natural work style.
Top Picks
Here's what we found:
Best Overall - Akiflow
Best AI Scheduling - Motion
Best for Mindfulness - Sunsama
Best for Automatic Scheduling - Reclaim.ai
Best for Visual Planning - Timestripe
Best for Mobile - Structured
Best for Power Users - Routine
These picks come from weeks of actually time blocking with each app, not just reading marketing pages.
Akiflow
Best Overall
Akiflow is built specifically for people who live in their calendar and need to block every hour of their day. It's the most comprehensive time blocking tool we tested.
Time slots are Akiflow's killer feature. Instead of blocking separate calendar events for five related tasks, you create a time slot called something like "Admin Work" and drag multiple tasks into it. This batching makes time blocking feel natural instead of creating a calendar full of tiny events.
Task consolidation pulls from basically everything - ClickUp, Asana, Todoist, Gmail, Slack, Notion, Linear, and more. Tasks sync in real-time, so you're always blocking time for current work. This eliminates the problem of maintaining tasks in one app and time blocks in another.
The calendar view shows your time blocks alongside actual meetings in one unified view. You can see exactly where you have time available and what you've committed to. The interface is dense but logical once you learn it.
Command bar makes everything fast. Press CMD+K and type to create tasks, schedule blocks, or navigate anywhere. For people who time block daily, this speed compounds into massive time savings.
Time tracking shows how long you actually spent versus what you planned. Over weeks, patterns emerge about which tasks you consistently underestimate. This feedback loop makes your time blocking more accurate.
Downsides include the steep learning curve and the price ($19/month annually or $34 monthly). The mobile app works but doesn't match the desktop experience. And the interface feels overwhelming if you're used to simpler tools.
Best for knowledge workers who time block religiously, people juggling tasks across multiple tools who need consolidation, and anyone willing to invest time learning a powerful system. If you want something simple that works immediately, Akiflow will frustrate you.
Motion
AI Scheduling
Motion flips time blocking from manual planning to AI automation. You tell Motion what needs doing and when, and it builds your time-blocked schedule automatically.
The AI considers deadlines, priority, estimated duration, and calendar availability. When something changes - a meeting moves, a task gets added, you finish something early - Motion automatically reschedules affected blocks. This removes the busywork of constantly replanning your day.
This approach works brilliantly for people who hate the planning overhead of traditional time blocking. You maintain a prioritized task list, Motion handles the calendar Tetris. The trade-off is less control over exactly when things happen.
Project management is built in, which is unusual for time blocking apps. You can create projects, break them into tasks, set dependencies, and Motion schedules everything intelligently based on deadlines and dependencies. This makes Motion viable as your only project tool.
Team features include shared projects and visibility into everyone's capacity. Motion becomes a team planning tool, not just personal time blocking. This is rare - most time blocking apps are individual-only.
The AI isn't perfect. Sometimes it schedules focused work when you'd prefer admin time, or breaks up related tasks when you'd batch them. You can manually override, but then you're fighting the core feature.
Pricing is expensive at $34/month for individuals. Teams pay $12/user/month, which is more reasonable. You're paying for the AI and project management, not just time blocking.
Best for people who want to delegate scheduling to AI, teams needing shared visibility and planning, and anyone managing complex projects with dependencies. If you want full control over your schedule or prefer simple tools, Motion's automation feels restrictive.
Sunsama
Mindful Time Blocking
Sunsama treats time blocking as a mindfulness practice, not just productivity optimization. The app is designed to help you plan intentionally and work sustainably.
Daily planning ritual starts each day. You review your calendar, pull tasks from integrated apps, and consciously decide what you'll commit to. Sunsama guides you through this step-by-step. It takes 10-15 minutes but creates real intentionality about your day.
Task imports pull from Asana, Trello, Gmail, ClickUp, and similar tools. Unlike apps that automatically schedule everything, Sunsama makes you review each task and decide if it belongs in today's plan. This friction is intentional - it prevents over-planning.
Time blocking happens by dragging tasks onto your calendar. The interface clearly shows how many hours you've blocked versus how many you actually have available. This visual feedback prevents the trap of planning 12 hours of work into an 8-hour day.
Weekly reviews prompt reflection on what you accomplished and why some things didn't get done. This meta-level thinking helps you improve at estimating and prioritizing over time.
The design is calm and minimal. There's less visual density than Akiflow, which means less cognitive load but also fewer features visible at once. Some people love this. Others find it too simple.
Pricing is $20/month annually or $30 monthly. That's expensive for what's essentially guided time blocking with task integration.
Best for people prone to over-planning who need help being realistic, anyone dealing with burnout who wants sustainable productivity, and people with ADHD who benefit from structured planning rituals. If you want speed and efficiency over mindfulness, Sunsama's deliberate pace feels slow.
Reclaim.ai
Automatic Scheduling
Reclaim.ai automatically finds time in your calendar for tasks, habits, and meetings. It's time blocking that runs itself.
The core concept is smart events. You tell Reclaim you need 3 hours this week for "Write proposal" and it automatically finds available slots in your calendar. As meetings get added or moved, Reclaim reschedules your task blocks to fit around them.
Habits are recurring time blocks for things like lunch, exercise, or focused work. Reclaim defends this time by marking it as busy on your calendar, but automatically moves it when actual meetings conflict. This creates boundaries without the rigidity of hard calendar blocks.
Team sync helps teams find meeting times that work for everyone. Reclaim sees everyone's availability, preferences, and existing blocks to suggest optimal times. This eliminates the usual scheduling back-and-forth.
The main limitation is less manual control. Reclaim schedules things when it thinks they fit best, which isn't always when you'd choose. You can set preferences (no focused work before 10am, lunch between 12-2pm), but the AI makes final decisions.
The interface is mostly your existing Google Calendar with Reclaim's blocks appearing automatically. This is either elegant (no new app to learn) or limiting (no dedicated planning view).
Pricing includes a generous free tier for individuals. Paid plans ($8-12/user/month) add team features and more habits. For automatic time blocking, the free tier is surprisingly functional.
Best for people who want time blocking without manual planning, teams trying to protect focus time while staying available for meetings, and anyone who finds traditional time blocking too tedious. If you want to plan your day yourself, Reclaim's automation removes the control you want.
Timestripe
Visual Time Blocking
Timestripe visualizes time blocking across multiple time horizons - day, week, month, year, and life. It's time blocking for people who think visually and long-term.
The timeline view shows tasks organized by when you plan to do them, with different zoom levels for different planning horizons. You can zoom out to see your whole year or zoom in to today's hourly blocks. This multi-scale view helps connect daily time blocks to bigger goals.
Drag-and-drop planning feels more tactile than most time blocking apps. You drag tasks between time periods, and the visual representation makes it obvious when you've over-planned or have capacity.
Goals and projects connect to time blocks, creating a hierarchy from life goals down to specific hours. This structure helps answer "why am I spending time on this?" which matters for maintaining motivation.
The interface is beautiful in a way most productivity apps aren't. The design feels considered and calm. Some people find this motivating. Others think it's form over function.
Limitations include fewer integrations than competitors and no automatic scheduling. Everything is manual, which gives you control but takes time. And the focus on visual timeline planning won't appeal to people who just want a task list.
Pricing is $10/month or $90/year. That's mid-range for time blocking software.
Best for visual thinkers who want to see time laid out spatially, people who plan across multiple time horizons (not just daily), and anyone who finds beauty in tools motivating. If you just want to block today's tasks quickly, Timestripe's long-term planning feels unnecessary.
Structured
Mobile Time Blocking
Structured is mobile-first time blocking for iPhone and iPad. It's what time blocking looks like when designed for touch instead of desktop.
The daily timeline shows your tasks and calendar events in one scrollable view. You tap to add tasks, drag to schedule them, and everything happens with gestures that feel natural on a phone. This is stupidly rare - most time blocking apps feel like desktop apps squeezed onto mobile.
Quick scheduling uses smart suggestions. Start typing "lunch" and Structured suggests 12pm. Type "morning pages" and it suggests 7am. These patterns learn from your behavior, making scheduling faster over time.
Calendar integration syncs with Apple Calendar, so your meetings and time blocks coexist. Changes sync both ways, and the app handles conflicts gracefully.
The interface is clean and focused. There's no clutter, no overwhelming feature set, just your timeline for today and a way to plan it. This simplicity makes Structured viable for people who abandoned other time blocking apps as too complex.
Limitations include iOS-only availability (no Android, no desktop), basic task management (no projects or subtasks), and limited integrations. If you need to pull tasks from Asana or Todoist, you're copying them manually.
Pricing is $10/year or one-time purchase of $25. That's incredibly cheap for time blocking software.
Best for iPhone users who want to time block on the go, people who find desktop time blocking apps too complex, and anyone who does most of their planning on mobile. If you need desktop access or complex task management, Structured is too simple.
Routine
Power User Time Blocking
Routine combines tasks, calendar, and notes for people who want everything in one keyboard-driven app. It's time blocking for power users who hate switching contexts.
Calendar integration shows your meetings and events alongside task blocks. You schedule tasks by typing the time ("tomorrow 2pm") or dragging them onto the calendar. The keyboard-first approach makes this faster than mouse-based apps once you learn the shortcuts.
Notes attach to tasks and calendar events, letting you capture context or meeting notes right where you need them. This reduces the need for separate note-taking apps.
The console is Routine's dashboard showing upcoming blocks and tasks. It's like a command center for your day, filtered to show just what matters now. You can work entirely from the console without opening the full calendar.
Time boxing happens automatically when you assign tasks to time slots. Routine tracks whether you complete tasks within their blocks, giving you data on estimate accuracy.
Limitations include no mobile app (desktop and web only), fewer integrations than competitors, and some features feeling half-baked. The app is actively developed but still rough in places.
Pricing isn't clearly listed on their website, which is annoying. Based on user reports, it's around $12/month.
Best for keyboard-focused users who work primarily from desktop, people who want tasks, calendar, and notes in one app, and anyone tired of switching between multiple productivity tools. If you need mobile access or polished features, Routine isn't ready yet.
Which Time Blocking Software Should You Choose?
Your ideal time blocking software depends on how you work and what you're trying to solve.
If you need to consolidate tasks from multiple tools and want maximum control, Akiflow is worth the learning curve and price. The time slots feature and task consolidation are unmatched. It's expensive and complex, but it's the most powerful manual time blocking system.
If you want AI to handle the scheduling busywork, Motion gives you full automation or Reclaim.ai offers automatic scheduling that works with your existing calendar. Motion is better for teams and complex projects. Reclaim is better for individuals who want to protect focus time.
If you struggle with over-planning or burnout, Sunsama's mindful approach forces realistic planning. The daily ritual takes time but creates intentionality that other apps lack.
If you're primarily mobile or find desktop apps too complex, Structured is the only mobile-first time blocking app that actually works well. It's simple, cheap, and designed for touch.
If you think visually and plan across different time scales, Timestripe's timeline view connects daily blocks to bigger goals. It's beautiful and comprehensive but requires more manual planning than automated alternatives.
For keyboard warriors who want everything in one app, Routine consolidates tasks, calendar, and notes. The lack of mobile app is a dealbreaker for some, but if you work from a computer, it reduces context switching.
Honestly, try the free trials of your top two choices. Time blocking is personal, and the app that sounds perfect might feel wrong in practice while the one you were skeptical about clicks immediately.
Time Blocking Software FAQ
What's the difference between time blocking software and a regular calendar app?
Calendar apps are built for meetings and appointments - events other people create. Time blocking software is built for planning your own work - tasks you need to do. Good time blocking apps pull tasks from other tools, make rescheduling easy, and separate your plans from actual commitments. You could time block in Google Calendar, but managing tasks as calendar events gets messy.
Do I need to block every minute of my day?
Cal Newport's original method blocks every minute, but most people find that exhausting in practice. Many users block big chunks (2-hour "focused work" blocks) and leave internal details flexible. Some apps like Akiflow support this with time slots. Others like Motion handle scheduling within blocks automatically. Start with bigger blocks and get more granular only if needed.
What happens when my schedule changes and all my blocks are wrong?
This is why rescheduling speed matters so much. Apps like Motion and Reclaim automatically adjust blocks when meetings move. Manual apps like Akiflow and Sunsama make dragging blocks fast. The worst apps require deleting and recreating blocks, which is tedious enough that people abandon the system. Test how an app handles changes before committing.
Can I time block if I have lots of meetings?
Yes, that's actually when time blocking helps most. The blocks protect time for actual work between meetings. Apps like Reclaim specifically solve the "calendar full of meetings, no time to work" problem by automatically defending focus time. The key is using software that syncs with your calendar and adjusts blocks around meetings.
Is time blocking worth it for people with ADHD?
Many people with ADHD find time blocking helpful because it removes decision fatigue about what to work on next and creates external structure. Apps like Sunsama and Akiflow are particularly effective because they reduce context switching. That said, some people with ADHD find the planning overhead frustrating or can't stick to rigid schedules. Try it and see.
How is this different from regular task management apps?
Task apps (Todoist, Things, Asana) are great at tracking what needs doing. Time blocking software forces you to decide when you'll do it. The difference is planning versus listing. Task apps show your commitments. Time blocking software shows if those commitments actually fit in your available time. Many people use both - tasks in one app, time blocking in another.
Final Thoughts
Time blocking software turns Cal Newport's analog method into something that actually works in a world of changing calendars, multiple task sources, and constant interruptions.
Akiflow is our top pick for people who need comprehensive task consolidation and manual control. Motion wins for AI-powered automatic scheduling. Sunsama is best for mindful, sustainable planning. Reclaim is perfect for protecting focus time automatically. Structured is the only great mobile option. Timestripe works for visual thinkers. Routine serves keyboard-focused power users.
The best time blocking software is the one you'll actually use daily. Every app here works if you commit to it. Pick based on your biggest pain point - scattered tasks, over-planning, constant rescheduling, or needing mobile access.
Remember that the time blocking method matters more than which software you choose. Even a basic Google Calendar implementation beats sophisticated software you abandon after a week. Start simple, stick with it, and upgrade only if you hit specific limitations.