Tetris for UX Team Building and Efficiency

Weekly Tetris is a simple workload management system that uses colour-coded time blocks in a shared Google doc to show who is working on what, when -- so UX teams can hit deadlines, protect focus time, and deliver for clients without constant check-ins.

What is Weekly Tetris?

Not the 80s video game (sorry). Weekly Tetris is the system we use to segment workload and manage tasks across different team members. While most project management software has plenty of workload tracking functionality, we've found that a simple shared Google document works best.

The gist: we stack "blocks" of time for projects, colour-coded by team member, over an hourly schedule. The result looks a lot like a Tetris board.

It works because it:

• Allows us to visualise workloads
• Shows us where workloads can be rebalanced
• Displays exactly who has time at any given moment
• Grants our team the autonomy to tackle projects in creative ways within the blocks
• Ensures we are making and keeping client commitments

Where Did the Idea Come From?

There is an adage about filling a jar with sand and rocks. If you fill a jar with sand first and then add rocks, you won't be able to fit the rocks completely. But if you add the rocks first and let the sand fill the spaces, everything magically fits. It's important to get the big rocks in place first.

Product teams have similar problems with time and resource constraints. When you have a limited amount of time, the way you allocate your resources and attention matters. It isn't always easy to have the correct priorities outlined in the correct order, and priorities are always shifting.

With Tetris, we take a much simpler approach. We remove the complexity and get to what matters most. Prioritisation with Tetris allows us to tackle more projects, maintain the right focus time, and exceed our clients' expectations every time. It allows us to see allocation and easily shift and move it to adapt within the week.

How Does the Weekly Tetris Process Work?

Our planning meetings happen each Friday or Monday. We have a great project leader who facilitates the delegation meeting and, afterwards, sends screenshots of what everyone has on their plate.

The meeting itself is actually just as important as the Tetris board output. The time-slotting process ensures buy-in and accountability while allowing us to operate in an efficient and committed space once it's planned. Everyone knows what everyone else is working on, and everyone knows who the backup is on a certain project.

Tetris is as much about our mindset to deliver value as it is the actual output from the board. We are all playing a role to deliver value every day. If one block is out of sync, the whole schedule could fall apart.

What Else Has Tetris Helped With?

As a leader, it's important for me to understand how much work everyone has -- but it's also important to empower the team to come together in the interest of the client. Team dynamics, mindset, and culture are core to any high-functioning team, and Tetris connects each person's work while building trust and accountability.

Initially, there were some reactions from the team about the pre-slotting of work feeling robotic. People were also concerned about being potentially over-scheduled. The reality is that this simple system actually protects creative time, increases focus time, and prevents over-scheduling. It creates "what by when" agreements. It defends our team's sanity while also defending client priorities and investment.

When a schedule changes or we run into a challenge on a project, we already have a map to review and adjust as needed. And when we are getting full, we know exactly where to add just the right help so we can deliver reliably.

As a leader, I don't have to constantly check in because I already know what work is getting completed by whom and by when. We have created a committed space. Likewise, our people don't have to constantly check back to see what's next "on the list" because they already know. Everyone holds everyone else accountable for their weekly delivery.

Our values centre on our ability to "deliver value every day" with an environment that relies upon "the speed of trust," and Tetris is one leadership tool we use to help us consistently deliver meaningful experiences to our clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Weekly Tetris system for UX teams? Weekly Tetris is a workload visualisation method that uses colour-coded time blocks in a shared Google doc to map who is working on what across an hourly weekly schedule. It helps teams see capacity, rebalance workloads, and stay accountable.

Why use a Google doc instead of project management software for workload planning? Most project management tools have workload tracking, but we've found a simple shared Google doc works better for our team. It's fast to update, easy for everyone to see at a glance, and removes unnecessary complexity from the planning process.

How often should a team run a Weekly Tetris planning meeting? We run ours each Friday or Monday. The meeting itself is just as important as the board it produces -- it's where buy-in, delegation, and accountability actually happen.

Does pre-slotting work kill creative flexibility? It's a fair concern, and one our team raised early on. In practice, the opposite is true. Having blocks defined actually protects creative time and focus time rather than eating into it. The structure gives people the freedom to do their best work within clear boundaries.

How does Weekly Tetris help with client delivery? Because everyone knows who is working on what and when, there are no surprises. When priorities shift or a project runs into trouble, we already have a map to adjust from. It creates "what by when" agreements that keep client commitments on track.