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Meeting sprawl and the creep of email, Slack, and administrative tasks can leave people struggling to find heads-down time for focused work. One antidote is time-blocking, a time-management practice of dedicating specific windows to focus on only one task at a time. But setting up a time-blocked schedule each day can itself be a time-consuming endeavor, especially if new requests or changing deadlines require in-the-moment revisions to the day’s plan.
Several artificial-intelligence time-blocking tools aim to eliminate this friction by automatically carving out time for tasks around existing calendar commitments. We tested five such tools that individual users can sync with their calendars and recommend TrevorAI and Reclaim for their intuitive user experience, flexibility in scheduling and rescheduling tasks, and features for keeping users organized and on track.
While both facilitate creation of a new task and movement from to-do list to calendar, they differ in approach: TrevorAI, with its straightforward and simple interface, is better for those who want to feel a bit more in control of the process, while Reclaim offers more detailed settings and customizations for tasks, allowing users to input more information up front and then set and forget.
Both our picks have multiple pricing tiers, though only Reclaim offers a multi-seat subscription for teams, while TrevorAI’s is solely for individuals.
TrevorAI
A streamlined tool for those who want a low-lift way to time-block their schedules without getting too in the weeds.
PROS
- A streamlined, intuitive interface that prioritizes simplicity.
- Easy one-step scheduling.
- The most affordable of the tools we tested.
CONS
- The “AI action plan” feature, still in early stages, is currently too vague to be helpful.
- Few integrations with other productivity apps.
- Offers individual memberships only, making it an impractical choice for those looking to purchase a time-blocking tool on behalf of a team.
Reclaim
Highly customizable for those who want a greater level of detail without sacrificing user experience.
PROS
- Ability to automatically split tasks into multiple time blocks.
- Automatically moves tasks as new calendar conflicts arise.
- Helpful schedule-personalization features, including templates for recurring habits and the ability to define work and personal hours.
CONS
- Setup to sync with an Outlook calendar is cumbersome.
- Ability to plan more than three weeks out is limited to paid users.
Read the full review at charterworks.com.