Managing your tasks, projects, meetings, team, and clients can get chaotic quickly if you don’t manage your time effectively.
Managing your time is key to maintaining your focus with the world going more and more remote.
How do you better manage your time? That’s where time blocking apps come in.
But here comes the tricky part…
Which tool should you use?
If you’re unsure how it all works and would like a bit of guidance, I suggest you read the ‘What is a time blocking app‘ section below.
But if you have an idea of what you’re looking for, jump straight to our list of some of the best time blocking tools to get you started.
What is a time blocking app?
Time blocking apps are tools that help you organize your day by scheduling how to spend your time. Every task or to-do list item has its specific time window in which you must complete it.
Hence, you know precisely how far along you are, how much time you need for each task, and what you can realistically get done in time.
You could do it on your own via your calendar app, spreadsheets, downloadable Word templates, or pen and paper (if you feel old-school).
But that’s where time blocking apps cross over from nice-to-have to must-have.
It typically works like this:
- You break your project/work into tasks and subtasks with set timelines so you can better meet due dates
- Evaluate how long each task and subtask will take
- Prioritize and schedule tasks to fill out every minute, hour, and day (balanced with breaks, free time, and other human needs, of course)
- Execute and track so you can optimize in the future
That’s the general idea.
Further reading: Time Blocking: simple time blocking habits
But how do you pick the right time blocking app?
Below, we’ll highlight the essential features you don’t want to miss.
Best time blocking apps
1. Toggl Track
Toggl Track is a simple time management app that helps you organize and track your time, whether you’re managing projects in single or multiplayer mode. It will help keep projects profitable and your team productive.
You can set it up in a few clicks and start using it from any device.
Toggl Track allows you to track billable and non-billable hours, organize projects into tasks and subtasks, and track your desktop activity. So you know exactly how you spend your tracked time.
Here are some core features that make this time blocking app stick out:
| Feature | How it looks | Why it’s good |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Idle time detection | “You haven’t done anything since 2 pm, do you want to discard this time period, discard and continue tracking, or just end now?” | It mitigates the risk of human error, like forgetting to pause the timer, and keeps your entries accurate. |
| 2. Personal desktop activity tracker | Saves every app you use for longer than 10 seconds in a list | It shows exactly what you did during each time block so you can optimize for productivity and have something to show for your work. |
| 3. Pomodoro timer | You can set up your work and break intervals and get quiet notifications when it’s time to start/stop. | You never spend too much time on one task at the expense of others, lose track of time, or have to keep your schedule in your head. |
| Calendar integrations | Integrates with your favorite calendars to better manage your time | Integrate with your work calendar and compare time blocks easily. |
| Time reports | Comprehensive reports to evaluate your time management habits | Review your time blocking strategies, and optimize every workday. |
How you can use Toggl Track for time blocking
You can integrate with Google or Outlook calendars and compare time blocks easily with the calendar view. This allows you to quickly duplicate your calendar events as time entries to save time on manual entry.
You can also view detailed time reports to evaluate your time management habits across various periods. You’ll know how much time each task takes, and how much time is spent on unplanned activities.
This gives you the data you need to review your time blocking strategies, and optimize every workday.
You can track more accurately and keep up with your daily schedule using the popular time management technique Pomodoro timer.
You can also use the timeline feature to record your computer activity. With this data, you can analyze where you’re spending time even further and later fill in the gaps in your timesheets.
Toggl Track also integrates with Jira, Salesforce, Gmail, and a hundred more apps via its Chrome extension.
Key features/benefits
- Time reports
- Timeline feature
- Calendar integrations
- Task categorization and reports
- Idle time detection
- One-click tracking
- Favorite entries
- 100+ Integrations
- Pomodoro timer
Pricing and available platforms
Free plan: $0 for up to 5 users
Starter plan: $9 per user per month
Premium plan: $18 per user per month
Enterprise: custom pricing
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux), Mobile App (iOS and Android), and Browser Extension (Chrome and Firefox).
2. Toggl Plan
Toggl Plan is a work planning tool that makes it easy to schedule work for your entire team. You can block time for one-time and recurring tasks across multiple projects using color-coded, drag-and-drop timelines. Team members can even block time off for vacations and holidays.
How you can use Toggl Plan for time blocking
Toggl Plan’s drag-and-drop timelines:
- Help you plan work with just a few clicks and adjust just as quickly when things change
- Bring clarity to who’s doing what and when
- Make it easy to block time for one-time or recurring tasks and critical milestones
In addition, Toggl Plan also has Team timelines. On the Team timelines, you can see your entire team’s schedule in one place, across multiple projects.
As a result, you can easily find scheduling conflicts across projects, time off, and public holidays. Plus, you can quickly find and fix workloads by redistributing work by simple drag and drop.
Finally, Toggl Plan is integrated with your calendar, so you can see your tasks there on any synced device and always stay on top of the schedule.
The sweet thing is, there’s almost no learning curve with Toggl Plan. It’s effortless and intuitive, so you can focus on your work and not your app logistics.
Key features/benefits
- Team schedule overview
- Recurring tasks feature
- Segments (parts of your plan)
- Color coding
- Calendar view and integrations
- Easy drag-and-drop into a kanban board
- Tasks multiple team members can collaborate and comment on
- Almost no learning curve
Pricing and available platforms
Team plan: $8 per user per month billed annually
Business plan: $13.35 per user per month billed annually
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Mobile App (iOS and Android), and Browser Extension (Chrome and Firefox).
3. Sunsama
Sunsama is an excellent app for personal use if you want to be more productive and organize your life in neat compartments.
It takes categorization a step further than most time-blocking apps by using contexts.
This feature helps you separate work from personal life, for instance, and keep your daily routine organized.
How you can use Sunsama for time blocking
As soon as you sign in, Sunsama asks you what you want to do, when, and how long it will take you. You plan out your day and drag all tasks to your calendar.
Then you’re free to focus and get things done in deep work mode.
At the end of the day, Sunsama reminds you to jot down how your work day went so you can reflect and regroup.
Nice touch, and helpful for creating blocks of time the next day.
Key features/benefits
- Categorization beyond tagging, with contexts like personal or work
- Reminders at the start of work to plan each day
- Reminders at the end of work to note down how it went and regroup
- Drag-and-drop tasks into your calendar
- Simple, intuitive, and very organized for personal/individual use
Pricing and available platforms
Per user: $20 per month
Per user: $192 annually
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux), and Mobile App (iOS and Android).
4. Timecamp
Timecamp is a simple time tracking app that will gain insights to your tasks and projects.
It helps you estimate how long tasks will take, categorize them via tagging and color-coding, and integrates with a bunch of productivity apps and project management/customer relationship management tools.
The most interesting feature Timecamp has is the overtime calculator.
It lets you set your rates and calculate how much extra any team member will earn based on actual work hours, so this process is as simple as possible for all parties.
How you can use Timecamp for time blocking
Drag-and-drop your tasks from integrated apps and organize them with tags and colors.
Remember to track them!
You’ll be able to keep your projects on track and get everyone paid with no hassle.
Key features/benefits
- Easy task duration estimates
- Integration with lots of PM, productivity, and CRM tools
- Colorful blocks you can tag and color-code
- Overtime calculator based on your rates
Available platforms and pricing
Free plan: $0 forever
Basic plan: $6.3 per user per month, billed annually or $7 per user per month
Pro plan: $9 per user per month, billed annually or $10 per user per month
Enterprise: custom pricing
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux), and Mobile App (iOS and Android).
5. Plan
Plan is a simple tool, handy for time management, multiple to-do lists, and communication organization via team feed.
It’s good for individual use and smaller teams.
If all you need is to maintain personal and professional schedules in one place without it turning into chaos, this is a great option.
How you can use Plan for time blocking
Plan integrates with Google, Outlook calendars, Jira, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Github.
Drag and drop list items from these apps to fill out your day quickly.
You can see your progress on your calendar and never worry about forgetting important tasks again.
Key features/benefits
- Multiple to-do lists
- Team feed to keep work communication organized
- Drag-and-drop time blocking that works with Outlook and Google calendars
- Integrations with Jira, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Github
- Maintaining personal and professional schedules in one place without chaos
Pricing and available platforms
Individual free plan: $0 forever
Personal plan: $4 per user per month, billed annually
Teams free plan: $0 forever for up to 4 users
Premium: $6.67 per user per month, billed annually
Education plan: custom pricing
Enterprise plan: custom pricing
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (macOS), Mobile App (iOS).
6. Planyway
Planyway is a pretty robust and efficient planner great for Trello and Jira users.
It has a Gantt chart that shows you how your progress is looking in your bigger picture so you can double-check if your tasks and subtasks are on track.
It also has a range of other useful features like subtasks, recurring tasks, and dependencies, which shows you which tasks depend on others and in which order to tackle them.
How you can use Planyway for time blocking
Planyway is a versatile time-blocking software.
You can start by creating a list and color-coding it to determine priorities or just to show what group/project each task belongs to. This helps avoid multitasking and allows you to focus on high-priority tasks.
Then you can assign and organize them into time blocks.
Don’t forget to track your time! Planyway does have a manual entry editing option, so it’s alright if you forget to press pause on your time tracker.
As long as you turn it on.
Key features/benefits
- Time blocking on the team calendar
- Gantt chart that shows your bigger picture progress and keeps you on track
- Color-coding for priorities and categorization
- Subtasks, recurrence, and dependencies
- Time tracking + manual entry editing if you forget to press stop later
- Pretty robust and efficient
Pricing and available platforms
Free plan: $0 forever for individuals
Business plan: $5 per user per month, billed annually
Enterprise plan: custom pricing
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Mobile App (iOS and Android), and Browser Extension (Chrome).
7. TickTick
If you’re bored of seeing the same features everywhere, then TickTick will be a breath of fresh air.
This app has a ton of customization options.
It also has gamification and features that look simple but add up to make task management fun and boost your productivity.
How you can use TickTick for time blocking
This is the chance to get creative.
You can create shareable task lists, turn emails into specific tasks, or voice-input new ones.
Use the Pomodoro technique for maximum productivity. And spice things up with achievement scores for a little healthy competition.
This is as fun as time blocking apps get while still helping you manage your schedule and not forget anything.
Key features/benefits
- A bunch of customization options in-app
- Pomodoro timer you can combine with time boxing
- Shareable to-do lists
- Voice input and turning emails into tasks
- Location-triggered reminders
- Achievement scores based on completed tasks to gamify your productivity
- A very creative and handy tool to make you as efficient as possible
Pricing and available platforms
Free plan: $0 forever
Premium plan: $2.4 per month, billed annually
Education offer: 25% discount off one year of the Premium plan for students ($20.99 after discount)
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux), Mobile App (iOS and Android), Apple Watch, and Browser Extension (Chrome and Firefox).
8. HourStack
HourStack works well for workflow management across teams and for individual use. It’s very visual, uses cards and notes, and can fit a lot of them without getting messy.
How you can use HourStack for time blocking
You can input your tasks and click on each one to start a timer.
Later, you’ll get insights into the actual amount of time spent on tasks so that you can take it into account for the future.
There’s no room for a separate to-do list, but the calendar and board will keep you organized and can work in tandem with your go-to list app.
Key features/benefits
- Workflow management across teams and for personal use
- Time tracking for each task you can activate by clicking on it
- Insights
- Visual organization with cards and notes
- Integration with Asana, Slack, Todoist, Zapier, and more
Pricing and available platforms
Personal plan: $9 per month, billed annually or $12 per month
Team plan: $12 per user per month, billed annually or $15 per month
*Pricing accurate as of July 2022
Available as a Web App, Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux), and Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge).
Time blocking apps side-by-side
This is all you’ve just read (or have you?) about time blocking apps but condensed in a table for an easy overview.
| Time blocking app | Key features | Pricing (billed annually) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Toggl Track | – Idle time detection – One-click tracking – Task categorization and project reports – Personal desktop activity tracker on top of entry descriptions – Manual entry editing – Favorite entriesIntegrations – Pomodoro timer | – Free plan: $0 for up to 5 users – Starter plan: $9 per user per month – Premium plan: $18 per user per month Enterprise: custom pricing |
| 2. Toggl Plan | – Team schedule overview that helps you see everyone’s workload and balance it – Recurring tasks featureSegments (parts of your plan) – Color coding – Calendar view and integrations – Easy drag-and-drop into a kanban board – Tasks multiple team members can collaborate and comment on | – Team plan: $8 per user per month – Business plan: $13.35 per user per -month |
| 3. Sunsama | – Categorization beyond tagging, with contexts like personal or work – Reminders at the start of work to plan each day – Reminders at end of work to note down how it went and regroup – Drag-and-drop tasks into your calendar | – 1-49 users: $20 per month – 50+ people: custom pricing |
| 4. Timecamp | – Easy task duration estimatesIntegration with lots of PM, productivity, and CRM tools – Tagging and color-coding – Overtime calculator based on your rates | – Free plan: $0 forever – Basic plan: $6.3 per user per month – Pro plan: $9 per user per month – Enterprise: custom pricing |
| 5. Plan | – Multiple to-do lists – Team feed to keep work communication organized – Drag-and-drop time blocking for Outlook and – Google calendars – Integrations with Jira, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Github | – Individual free plan: $0 forever – Personal plan: $4 per user per month – Teams free plan: $0 forever for up to 4 users – Premium: $6.67 per user per month – Education plan: custom pricing – Enterprise plan: custom pricing |
| 6. Planyway | – Time blocking across your team on the calendar – Gantt chart that shows your bigger picture progress and keeps you on track – Color-coding – Subtasks, recurrence, and dependencies – Time tracking + manual entry editing – Robust and efficient | – Free plan: $0 forever for individuals – Business plan: $5 per user per month – Enterprise plan: custom pricing |
| 7. TickTick | – A bunch of customization options – Pomodoro timer – Shareable to-do lists – Voice input and turning emails into tasks – Location-triggered reminders – Achievement scores (gamification) | – Free plan: $0 forever – Premium plan: $2.4 per month |
| 8. HourStack | – Workflow management across teams and for personal use – Easy time tracking activationInsights – Visual organization with cards and notes | – Personal plan: $9 per month – Team plan: $12 per user per month |
How to choose a time blocking app
These are the questions you’ll want to ask when choosing from the best time blocking apps:
- Is this time blocking app easy to install and use? (Because otherwise, what’s the point?)
- Does it just show or also track your tasks? This will get you the most from your entries.
- Does it sync with your current system, tools, and calendar?
- What type of categorization do you need? (Tagging, color-coding, subtasks, etc.)
- Do you need help with things like calculating pay?
- Do you want a time-blocking tool for your personal use or team projects?
You’re looking for time-blocking software, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get all the valuable bonuses while you’re at it.
Just be sure to prioritize the ones you actually need. You’ll know them when you see them.
Sean is a Content Marketer at Toggl. He's been involved in SEO and Content Marketing since 2017. Before working for Toggl, Sean ran SEO at a digital marketing agency—so he's all too familiar with time tracking and project management.
