Time blocking turns your calendar into a commitment device. Instead of maintaining a never-ending to-do list and hoping you'll get to things, you assign specific time slots to each task. This forces you to think realistically about how long things actually take and what you can accomplish in a day.
The method works because it creates boundaries. When you block 9-10am for focused writing, that hour belongs to writing. Not email. Not Slack. Not the fifteen other things competing for your attention. It's a way of saying no to everything except the one thing you committed to.
Time blocking apps take this analog planning technique and add features that paper planners can't match. They pull in tasks from other tools, sync across devices, automatically adjust when meetings run long, and track how you actually spend your time versus how you planned to spend it.
We tested these apps by actually using them for daily planning over several weeks. The criteria: Does the time blocking feel natural or forced? Can you quickly reschedule when plans change? Does it integrate with the other tools you already use? And critically, does it help you get more done without adding friction to your workflow?
How We Chose These Time Blocking Apps
Picking a time blocking app isn't just about finding something with calendar features. The best ones understand that time blocking is a specific workflow with specific needs.
First, we looked at calendar integration quality. Most people already have calendars full of meetings, appointments, and commitments. A good time blocking app needs to work alongside your existing calendar, not replace it. We tested how well each app synced with Google Calendar and Outlook, whether two-way sync actually worked, and if conflicts between time blocks and calendar events were handled gracefully.
Task consolidation mattered a lot. If you're using Asana for project management, Gmail for email tasks, and Notion for personal projects, your time blocking app needs to pull all those tasks into one view. Otherwise you're maintaining multiple systems and probably missing things. We evaluated how many integrations each app offered and how well they actually worked in practice.
Flexibility when plans change was critical. Time blocking looks great on Sunday night when you plan your week. By Tuesday afternoon, three meetings have moved, a client emergency popped up, and half your blocks are irrelevant. The best apps make it easy to drag blocks around, automatically suggest new times, or quickly reschedule without starting from scratch.
We also considered the learning curve. Some apps require extensive setup and configuration before they're useful. Others work immediately but lack depth for power users. The sweet spot depends on your needs, so we noted which apps favor simplicity versus customization.
Pricing played a role too. Time blocking apps range from free to $30+ per month. We looked at what you get at each tier, whether free plans are actually usable, and if premium features justify their cost for different user types.
Top Picks
Here are the winners:
Best Overall - Akiflow
Best Runner Up - Morgen
Best for AI Planning - Motion
Best for Value - Todoist
Best for ADHD - Sunsama
Best for Mindfulness - Sunsama
Best for Teams - Motion
Best for Students - Todoist
These are our recommendations from testing these apps in real workflows over several weeks.
Akiflow
Best Overall
Akiflow combines task management with calendar-based time blocking in a way that feels natural rather than forced. It's built specifically for people who want to plan their days by blocking time, not just maintaining lists.
The core feature is task consolidation. Akiflow pulls tasks from apps like ClickUp, Asana, Gmail, Slack, and Notion into a unified inbox. This means you can time block everything you need to do without manually copying tasks between systems. The integrations work in real-time, so new tasks show up immediately.
Time slots are Akiflow's standout feature. You create a slot labeled something like "Admin Work" or "Client Projects" and drag related tasks into it. This works brilliantly when you have multiple small tasks that belong together. Instead of blocking separate 15-minute chunks for five admin tasks, you block one hour and batch them.
The time tracking integration tracks how long you actually spend on tasks versus what you planned. This data helps you get better at estimating over time. If you consistently underestimate how long client calls take, the data shows it clearly.
Rituals are daily prompts that help you review and plan. Morning ritual asks what you want to accomplish. Evening ritual reviews what you finished and what carried over. It's optional but useful for maintaining the time blocking habit.
Best for
Busy professionals consolidating tasks from multiple tools. People with ADHD who benefit from reduced context switching. Power users wanting deep control over time blocks. Anyone managing complex workflows across ClickUp, Asana, and Notion.
Not ideal if
You want something simple that works day one. Budget is tight since it's $19/month minimum. You primarily work from mobile. You prefer apps with minimal learning curves.
Real-world example
A freelance consultant uses Akiflow to manage client work from 3 different project management tools. Morning ritual pulls all new tasks into one view. Admin work gets batched into a 90-minute time slot every Tuesday and Thursday. Time tracking data revealed client calls consistently run 15 minutes over, so now all client blocks include buffer time.
Team fit
Best for individual contributors and freelancers managing 20+ tasks daily. Popular with consultants, designers, and developers. Not built for team collaboration, purely personal productivity.
Onboarding reality
Moderate to heavy. Budget a week to get comfortable with time slots, rituals, and integrations. The interface is dense, which some love and others find overwhelming. Keyboard shortcuts speed things up once learned.
Pricing friction
$19/month billed annually ($228/year) or $34/month. No meaningful free plan. That's expensive compared to alternatives, but the task consolidation might justify it if you're paying for 3+ other tools. Students and budget users will balk at the cost.
Integrations that matter
ClickUp, Asana, Notion, Todoist, Gmail (emails as tasks), Slack (messages as tasks), Google Calendar, Outlook. Two-way sync for most integrations.
Morgen Calendar
Best Runner Up
Morgen is a calendar app first, time blocking tool second. That focus means the calendar experience is polished and fast, with time blocking features layered on top.
The AI Planner is what sets Morgen apart. You tell it your work patterns - maybe you do focused work best in the morning and admin tasks in the afternoon. The AI then schedules tasks from your list into appropriate time slots automatically. It's not perfect, but it saves the tedious work of manually dragging every task onto your calendar.
Task consolidation works similarly to Akiflow, pulling in tasks from other apps. The integration list is shorter than Akiflow's, but it covers the major tools most people use. Tasks appear in a sidebar where you can manually drag them to time blocks or let the AI schedule them.
Calendar sets are useful if you manage multiple calendars. You can create sets like "Work" or "Personal" that show only relevant calendars, reducing visual clutter. Switching between sets is fast, making it easy to context-switch between different areas of life.
The scheduling links feature helps you book meetings with external people without the usual email tennis. They pick a time from your available slots, and it automatically creates a time block.
Best for
People wanting AI scheduling assistance with manual override options. Calendar power users managing 3+ calendars simultaneously. Freelancers and consultants booking lots of external meetings. Anyone seeking a middle ground between full automation and manual planning.
Not ideal if
You want the deepest task consolidation (Akiflow wins). Budget is extremely tight. You need extensive third-party app integrations. Your workflow is purely manual and you hate AI suggestions.
Real-world example
A product manager juggles work calendar, personal calendar, and side project calendar. Morning ritual involves AI Planner suggesting time blocks for 15 pending tasks based on energy levels. The PM manually adjusts a few, approves the rest. Scheduling links handle all external stakeholder meetings without back-and-forth emails. Saves about 45 minutes daily on calendar management.
Team fit
Best for individual contributors, freelancers, and consultants. Popular with people managing multiple projects or wearing multiple hats. Not designed for team collaboration.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. The calendar interface is intuitive for anyone who's used Google Calendar. Teaching the AI your preferences takes about a week of consistent use. Calendar sets require initial setup but pay off quickly once configured.
Pricing friction
$15/month sits between budget options ($4-10) and premium tools ($19-34). Free tier exists but is limited. For what you get, it's fair pricing, though it adds up annually at $180.
Integrations that matter
Google Calendar, Outlook, Todoist, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Zoom, Microsoft Teams.
Motion
AI Time Blocking
Motion takes a different approach to time blocking by leaning heavily into AI automation. Instead of manually blocking time for every task, you tell Motion what needs to get done and when, and it builds your schedule automatically.
The AI considers task priority, deadlines, estimated duration, and your calendar availability. When a meeting gets added or moved, Motion automatically reschedules affected time blocks. When you mark a task complete, it fills the freed time with the next priority item.
This works great for people who struggle with the planning overhead of traditional time blocking. You maintain a prioritized task list, and Motion handles the calendar Tetris. The downside is less control over exactly when things happen. Sometimes Motion schedules focused work at times you'd prefer for admin tasks, and you need to manually override it.
Project management features are built in, which is unusual for time blocking apps. You can break projects into tasks, set dependencies, and track deadlines. Motion uses this structure to schedule project work intelligently.
Best for
People who hate manual schedule planning and trust AI decisions. Teams needing shared project visibility and capacity planning. Managers juggling complex projects with dependencies. Organizations wanting time blocking plus project management in one tool.
Not ideal if
You need precise control over when tasks happen. Budget is limited ($34/month individual, $12/user team). You prefer simple, focused tools over all-in-one platforms. You're skeptical of AI making scheduling decisions.
Real-world example
A 12-person startup uses Motion for everything. Each person maintains their task list with priorities and deadlines. AI schedules individual work around team meetings automatically. When a product launch date moves up by a week, Motion reschedules 50+ dependent tasks across 4 people overnight. Saved the team from a multi-hour replanning session.
Team fit
Works for both individuals and teams (5-50 people). Popular with startups, agencies, and product teams. Less common for enterprises needing complex governance. Solo freelancers might find team features unnecessary.
Onboarding reality
Heavy. Understanding how the AI makes decisions takes 2-3 weeks. Teams need coordination on how to structure projects and set priorities. Once everyone's on the same page, it runs smoothly. Training sessions help adoption.
Pricing friction
$34/month for individuals is expensive. $12/user/month for teams is more reasonable (3-person team = $36/month). The project management features justify the cost if you'd otherwise pay for separate tools. Budget users will find cheaper alternatives.
Integrations that matter
Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Slack (notifications), Gmail. Integration list is shorter than competitors since Motion wants to be your primary tool.
Sunsama
Mindful Planner
Sunsama approaches time blocking through the lens of mindfulness and intentionality. The app is designed to help you plan realistically and work sustainably, not cram more tasks into every hour.
Daily planning ritual is central to Sunsama's approach. Each day starts with reviewing your calendar, pulling in tasks from integrated apps, and consciously deciding what you'll commit to. The interface guides you through this process step by step. It feels more intentional than just dumping tasks onto a calendar.
Task imports work like other apps, pulling from Asana, Trello, Gmail, and similar tools. The difference is Sunsama encourages you to review and contextualize each task during planning rather than automatically scheduling everything.
Time blocking happens by dragging tasks onto your calendar. The interface clearly shows how much time you've committed versus how many hours you actually have available. This prevents over-planning, which is easy to do with traditional to-do lists.
Weekly reviews prompt you to reflect on what you accomplished, what you didn't, and why. This meta-level thinking helps you improve at estimating and planning over time.
Best for
People prone to overcommitting who need realistic planning guardrails. Anyone recovering from burnout wanting sustainable productivity. People with ADHD who benefit from structured rituals. Teams valuing work-life balance over maximum output.
Not ideal if
You want speed and efficiency over reflection. The deliberate pace feels slow. Budget is tight at $20/month. You need heavy automation or AI features. You prefer dense interfaces with lots of visible information.
Real-world example
A burned-out consultant switched to Sunsama after consistently working 60-hour weeks. Morning ritual forced conscious decisions about daily capacity. Visual indicator showing committed time vs. available hours prevented over-scheduling. After 3 months, average work week dropped to 45 hours with same output. Weekly reviews revealed consistent underestimation of admin time, leading to better planning.
Team fit
Best for individual contributors prioritizing sustainability. Popular with therapists, coaches, and creative professionals. Works for small teams (5-15) with shared values around mindful work. Not designed for fast-paced startups or high-pressure environments.
Onboarding reality
Easy to moderate. The guided rituals make onboarding smooth. Most people adapt within a week. The challenge isn't learning the tool, it's committing to the daily/weekly rituals. If you skip rituals, you're just using an expensive calendar.
Pricing friction
$20/month annually or $30 monthly. That's $240-360/year for what some see as basic features. The value is in the structured workflow, not flashy features. Budget-conscious users will find cheaper alternatives with more features. You're paying for intentionality.
Integrations that matter
Asana, Trello, Notion, Todoist, Gmail, Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook. Solid coverage of major productivity tools.
Routine
Daily Planner
Routine combines tasks, calendar, and notes into one app built for time blocking workflows. The idea is to reduce the number of apps you need open while working.
Calendar integration connects to Google Calendar and Outlook, showing all your meetings and events. You time block by creating tasks and assigning them time slots on your calendar. The process is straightforward without much magic or automation.
Notes can be attached to tasks or calendar blocks. This is useful for capturing meeting notes directly on calendar events or adding context to tasks you're about to start. Notes support markdown and basic formatting.
Task capture is fast with keyboard shortcuts and quick add features. You can create a task with a time block in seconds without taking your hands off the keyboard. This speed matters when you're in the middle of work and need to quickly schedule something.
The console feature shows upcoming time blocks and tasks in a focused view. It's similar to a daily dashboard showing just what matters for today, filtered from all your commitments.
Best for
Keyboard-focused users who work primarily from desktop. People wanting tasks, calendar, and notes consolidated in one app. Developers and writers who live in focused desktop workflows. Anyone tired of constant app-switching.
Not ideal if
You need mobile access (no mobile app exists). Extensive integrations are critical. You want a mature, fully-polished product. Your workflow requires automation or AI features.
Real-world example
A software developer uses Routine for daily planning. Morning starts with console view showing today's time blocks. Quick-add keyboard shortcut captures new tasks mid-coding without breaking flow. Meeting notes attach directly to calendar events. Everything stays in one app instead of juggling Todoist, Google Calendar, and Notion.
Team fit
Best for individual contributors in technical roles. Popular with developers, designers, and writers. Not designed for team collaboration. Works for people spending 8+ hours daily at a computer.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. The interface is clean but keyboard shortcuts take time to memorize. Most people comfortable within a week. The lack of mobile app means building desktop-only habits, which some find limiting.
Pricing friction
Around $12/month based on user reports (pricing not publicly listed, which is frustrating). Reasonable middle-ground pricing. The lack of transparent pricing on their website is a red flag for some buyers.
Integrations that matter
Google Calendar, Outlook. That's basically it. The integration list is intentionally minimal since Routine wants to replace other tools rather than connect to them. This is either a feature or dealbreaker depending on your needs.
Todoist
Best for Value
Todoist isn't purpose-built for time blocking, but its calendar integration and board view make it surprisingly effective for this workflow.
Board view lets you see tasks organized by date in a Kanban-style layout. You can drag tasks between days to reschedule them, essentially creating time blocks at the day level rather than hour level. This works well if you don't need minute-by-minute scheduling.
Calendar sync (available on Pro plan) shows tasks as events on your Google Calendar or Outlook calendar. You can set specific times for tasks in Todoist, and they appear as time blocks on your calendar. It's a simpler implementation than dedicated time blocking apps, but it covers the basics.
Natural language input makes task creation fast. Type "Call client tomorrow at 2pm" and Todoist parses it correctly. This speed is essential for time blocking because you're constantly adjusting and adding tasks as plans change.
The advantage of using Todoist for time blocking is that it's a fully-featured task manager first. You get projects, labels, filters, priorities, and everything else Todoist offers. The time blocking features feel like a bonus rather than the core purpose.
Best for
People wanting solid task management plus basic time blocking. Students and budget users ($4/month vs $15-30/month). Anyone preferring simplicity over specialized features. People who don't need minute-by-minute scheduling.
Not ideal if
You need advanced time blocking features like time slots or batching. Task consolidation from multiple tools is critical. Time tracking is essential. You want dedicated time blocking workflows.
Real-world example
A grad student uses Todoist Pro for coursework and research. Board view shows assignments by due date. Tasks with specific times ("Office hours 2pm") sync to Google Calendar as time blocks. Natural language input speeds up task entry between classes. At $4/month, it fits a student budget while covering task management and basic time blocking.
Team fit
Works for students, freelancers, and individual contributors. Popular across all age groups and industries. Team features exist but time blocking remains individual. Best for solo productivity.
Onboarding reality
Very easy. Most people productive within an hour. Natural language parsing is intuitive. Board view makes sense immediately. Calendar sync setup takes 5 minutes. Minimal learning curve.
Pricing friction
$4/month (Pro plan required for calendar sync). That's $48/year, significantly cheaper than alternatives. Free plan exists but lacks time blocking features. Excellent value for budget-conscious users. Students can afford it.
Integrations that matter
Google Calendar, Outlook, Gmail, Slack, Zapier, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. Extensive integration ecosystem for a task manager, though not time-blocking specific.
Which Time Blocking App Should You Choose?
Your ideal time blocking app depends on how you work and what you're trying to solve.
If you're juggling tasks across multiple tools and need everything in one place, Akiflow is worth the price. The task consolidation and time slots features are unmatched. Yes, it's expensive and has a learning curve, but it's the most powerful option for complex workflows.
If you want AI to handle the scheduling busywork, try Morgen for a balance of automation and control, or Motion if you want full AI scheduling. Morgen costs less and keeps you more in control. Motion is better for teams or anyone managing complex projects with dependencies.
If you struggle with overcommitting or burnout, Sunsama's mindful approach might click. The daily planning ritual forces realistic assessment of what you can actually accomplish. It's slower and more deliberate than other apps, which is either a feature or a bug depending on your needs.
If you want something simple and cheap, Todoist offers basic time blocking as part of a great task manager. You won't get time slots, AI scheduling, or advanced features, but for $4/month you get enough to make time blocking work.
For keyboard-focused workers who hate switching apps, Routine consolidates tasks, calendar, and notes. The lack of mobile app is a dealbreaker for some, but if you work primarily from a computer, it might not matter.
Honestly, the best approach might be trying free trials of your top two choices and seeing which workflow feels natural. Time blocking is personal, and what works for productivity YouTubers might drive you nuts in practice.
Time Blocking Apps FAQ
What's the difference between time blocking and regular task management?
Task management is maintaining a list of things to do. Time blocking is assigning specific time slots to those tasks on your calendar. The difference matters because time blocking forces you to think about when you'll do things, not just what needs doing. Most people can list fifty tasks. Actually scheduling fifty tasks shows you that's impossible in a week, forcing prioritization.
Do I need a special app for time blocking or can I just use Google Calendar?
You can absolutely time block with Google Calendar alone. Create calendar events for tasks instead of just meetings. The limitation is that managing tasks as calendar events gets messy fast. Dedicated apps pull tasks from your existing tools, make rescheduling easier, and separate time blocks from actual calendar events visually.
Is time blocking worth it for people with ADHD?
Many people with ADHD find time blocking helpful because it creates structure and removes decision fatigue about what to work on next. Apps like Sunsama and Akiflow are particularly good because they reduce context switching and provide clear visual representations of time. That said, some people with ADHD find the planning overhead frustrating. Your mileage may vary.
How long should each time block be?
Most productivity advice suggests 25-90 minute blocks for focused work. Shorter blocks for quick tasks, longer blocks for deep work. In practice, the right length depends on the task and your attention span. Some apps like Akiflow let you create flexible time slots, while others expect you to specify exact durations. Experiment and see what actually works for your work patterns.
What happens when my schedule changes and all my time blocks are wrong?
This is why the ability to quickly reschedule matters so much. Apps like Motion automatically adjust time blocks when your calendar changes. Others like Akiflow make it easy to drag blocks to new times. The worst apps require manually deleting and recreating blocks, which is tedious enough that people stop using the system. Test how an app handles rescheduling before committing.
Can I time block for a team or is it just for individuals?
Most time blocking apps focus on individual use, but Motion includes team features like shared projects and capacity planning. If you need team-level time blocking, Motion is the main option. Otherwise, teams typically use project management tools and individuals do their own time blocking separately.
Final Thoughts
Time blocking apps work best when they match your natural workflow rather than forcing you to adapt to their system. Akiflow is powerful but complex. Sunsama is intentional but slow. Motion is automated but less controllable. Todoist is simple but limited.
Start with the app that solves your biggest pain point. If you're drowning in tasks scattered across tools, Akiflow's consolidation matters more than its learning curve. If you chronically over-schedule yourself, Sunsama's mindful approach is worth the deliberate pace.
The time blocking method itself matters more than which app you use. Even a basic implementation in Google Calendar beats a sophisticated setup you abandon after two weeks. Pick something, stick with it for at least a month, and adjust based on what actually works in your daily reality.