Are you ready to stop feeling like you never have enough time?
Here’s a fun fact: 82% of people don’t have any time management system. So pretty much everyone you know is making it up as they go along… and it shows.
The average person only spends 2 hours and 53 minutes a day actually being productive. The rest is lost to unimportant tasks, distractions and a lack of planning.
Here’s the problem:
Without solid time management skills, your days are full of stress, missed deadlines, time-wasting activities and underachievement. You constantly feel busy but you’re not moving forward.
But this doesn’t have to be your life.
In this article, I’ll show you the time management skills and strategies that people around the world are using to get the most out of their days. So they can take control and achieve more than they thought possible.
Behind the scenes: what you’ll learn:
- Why most people struggle with time management
- The hidden costs of poor time management
- 6 time management techniques that actually work
- How to build your own personal time management system
Why most people fail at time management
Ok, so I want you to think about something you probably already know…
Most people believe they are in control of their time and are excellent at time management. But if we’re honest here, this isn’t the truth.
Here’s the real stats: 35% of employees say they find it challenging to manage their time. But 79% of the same people admit they don’t change their time management habits.
Why?
They’re using old strategies that weren’t designed for today’s 21st century distractions.
For example, when did you last have a work day where you were not interrupted? Where you didn’t look at your phone every few minutes? When someone didn’t ask you something “quickly”? I’ll wait…
It’s a rare day, right?
The point is, a lot of the time management advice you find online is old, out-dated and not designed for our real lives and modern day distractions. And that’s why people try an average of 13 time management methods in their lifetime, but never really manage to get a grip on their time.
The multitasking myth
Ok, here’s one that might surprise you…
Turns out multitasking is bad for your productivity. Like, a lot bad. It makes you 40% less productive, in fact.
When you switch between tasks, it takes your brain time and mental energy to catch up. But people do it all the time, because it feels productive. It’s not.
The meeting trap
Ok, so do you know where the majority of your time goes?
The average employee spends 40% of their day in meetings. But get this… 72% of those meetings are unproductive.
That’s almost half your day, gone. On things that don’t make much difference.
The hidden costs of poor time management
Ok, so poor time management may seem like it’s no big deal. It’s just “being busy”. But in fact, it’s costing you, and your business, money and time.
On a personal level:
- It increases stress and anxiety
- Negatively impacts work-life balance
- Causes missed opportunities for development and growth
Professionally:
- Lowers productivity and performance
- Results in missed deadlines and lost credibility
- Makes promotions and raises much less likely
If you own a business, then poor time management by employees costs companies $588 billion a year in lost productivity.
But here’s the fun bit…
The people who do time management well are not just more productive. They’re happier, less stressed and successful in all areas of life.
Sound good?
Investing in a quality personal development course can really help you change your relationship with time for the better. The structured programmes give you the frameworks and accountability to transform your life forever.
6 time management techniques that actually work
Ok, so you’re ready to take back control of your time. Here are the six proven techniques you can start using today…
1. Time Blocking
Instead of a to-do list, block out time for different tasks on your calendar.
How it works:
- Schedule everything, including breaks, in your calendar
- Have time blocks for different types of tasks
- Add buffer times to deal with the unexpected
This technique is effective because it makes you be realistic about how long things take.
2. The Two-Minute Rule
If something takes less than two minutes to do, just do it now.
Don’t let little tasks build up and become overwhelming.
3. Energy-Based Scheduling
Your energy levels aren’t the same all day.
So:
- Work out when you have most energy
- Schedule your most important tasks for then
- Use your low-energy time for less important tasks
4. The Eisenhower Matrix
This will help you prioritise tasks based on urgency and importance:
- Do First: Important and urgent tasks
- Schedule: Important, not urgent
- Delegate: Urgent, not important
- Delete: Neither urgent nor important
5. Batch Processing
Group similar tasks together and do them all at once.
Examples are:
- Answer all emails at the same time
- Make all your calls in one block
This prevents you from losing mental energy switching between different tasks.
6. The Pomodoro Technique
Work in focused sprints of 25 minutes followed by 5-minute breaks.
Why this works:
- Creates a sense of urgency that helps you focus
- Stops you getting mentally fatigued
- Makes big projects feel less overwhelming
How to build your personal time management system
Ok, so it’s time to create your very own time management system.
It doesn’t need to be super complicated. In fact, it shouldn’t be. It just needs to work for you and your unique lifestyle and work pattern.
Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Audit Your Current Time Use
For one week, track how you currently spend your time. Use an app or time tracking sheet to record everything:
Things to track:
- Work tasks and how long they really take
- Meetings and how productive they are
- Breaks and distractions
Step 2: Identify Your Biggest Time Wasters
Once you’ve completed your time audit, look at where you spend your time and identify the areas that eat up time and don’t add value:
Step 3: Choose Your Core Techniques
Choose 2-3 time management techniques from above that you want to use. Don’t try to implement everything at once.
Step 4: Create Your Daily Structure
Design your ideal day and create a daily structure that will help you make it a reality. This should include:
- Morning routine to kickstart your day
- Time blocks for your most important work
- Planned breaks to recharge
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust
Review your system regularly and tweak it until it’s perfect for you.
Making it all come together
Ok, ok, time management isn’t about getting more hours in the day. It’s about making the hours you have really count.
The techniques I’ve shared in this article have helped thousands of people turn their productivity around. But learning about them is only half the battle. You have to take action.
So here’s what you should do right now:
- Choose one technique to start implementing this week
- Block time in your calendar to plan out your time management system
- Begin time tracking so you can see where your time currently goes
The key is to make small, incremental changes. The person who becomes 1% better at time management each day will make huge progress over time.
Time management is a skill that affects every part of your life. When you master it, you create space to focus on the relationships, hobbies and activities that are really important to you.
The stats prove most people struggle with time management. But now you have the tools to be different.
