Time Management Strategies That Work For Managers And Employees

Key Takeaways:

• Learn effective time management techniques that enhance productivity.
• Gain insights that are helpful for both managers and employees.
• Understand how structured time management boosts workplace efficiency.

The Importance of Time Management

Time, an irreplaceable resource, is paramount in personal and professional domains. For managers and employees who strive to excel, understanding how to allocate and utilize time wisely is crucial to transforming productivity and achieving success. This understanding is not just about cramming more activities into a schedule; it is about making meaningful use of time to reach objectives without feeling overwhelmed. Tools like TimeCatchApp can support this effort by helping individuals track, prioritize, and optimize their time effectively. Individuals can effectively alleviate stress and significantly improve efficiency by implementing tried-and-true strategies. This, in turn, leads to enhanced job satisfaction and a more harmonious workplace.

Understanding the Challenges

Various challenges often arise in the pursuit of effective time management. Among the most common obstacles are frequent distractions and the demands of handling multiple projects simultaneously. If not managed properly, these challenges can derail focus and reduce productivity. One vital tool in overcoming these hurdles is utilizing the right HR software, which is pivotal in streamlining scheduling and task allocation processes. Automating routine administrative tasks enables managers and employees to concentrate on activities that drive business goals forward, allowing them to reclaim valuable time that would otherwise be lost to inefficiencies.

Effective Strategies for Managers

• Prioritize Tasks: Effective time management means prioritizing tasks according to urgency and importance. Managers can help their teams concentrate on activities that align with organizational objectives and create meaningful results. By encouraging focus on high-priority projects, teams can maintain momentum throughout the day and clearly understand what needs to be accomplished.
• Delegation: Delegation is a vital component of effective time management for managers. It involves trusting the team's abilities and redistributing responsibilities to manage workloads more effectively. Managers can free up their time for critical thinking and leadership by delegating tasks. Additionally, delegation empowers staff by providing them with opportunities for skill development and helps foster a positive, collaborative work environment.

Strategies That Work for Employees

• Utilizing To-Do Lists: Start the day with a prioritized to-do list to maintain focus and track progress. This boosts productivity and boosts employee morale.
• Time Blocking: Allocating specific time slots for different daily activities to minimize distractions and promote deep work. This enhances concentration levels and improves overall efficiency.

Establishing a Routine

Making a timetable is one of the most critical components of effective time management. A consistent schedule promotes the development of productive habits, making it easier to transition between tasks without losing focus. Additionally, routines provide structure and predictability, reducing decision fatigue and enhancing output and job satisfaction. Maintaining discipline in adhering to a well-defined routine ensures that productivity becomes not just an aspiration but a habitual part of the workday. Over time, this leads to a seamless and efficient work experience supporting personal well-being and professional success.

Tools to Help Manage Time

The deliberate use of appropriate tools can greatly enhance the effects of proficient time management. Various online resources, such as digital calendars and project management applications, offer invaluable assistance in organizing daily tasks and clarifying priorities. By implementing these tools, individuals can streamline their workflows and eliminate the guesswork associated with task organization. Leveraging these technologies enables more efficient time management, which results in marked improvements in productivity, providing a comprehensive return on investment that can be realized by individuals and organizations alike.

Creating a Balanced Work Environment

Creating a balanced work environment is essential, ensuring time management becomes a collaborative responsibility. When managers and staff work in tandem toward optimizing their schedules, a culture of cooperation and mutual support emerges. This harmonious approach fosters a workplace where the shared goal of efficiency and productivity is consistently strived for, resulting in collective achievements that benefit the organization. Such an environment boosts morale and enhances employee satisfaction and retention, contributing to long-term organizational success.



Long-Term Benefits of Efficient Time Management

Effective time management provides various lasting advantages that go beyond short-term gains. Companies that excel in time management ultimately achieve a competitive edge in the market. By maximizing their available hours, companies can see increased productivity and enhanced employee satisfaction, leading to greater output and innovative growth opportunities. Most importantly, time management is a strategic approach to work and a pathway to cultivating a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle for everyone involved. By integrating these strategies into daily practices, employees and managers can achieve a more balanced and rewarding professional experience.

Interview With Project Manager Brian Setencich

Brian Setencich is a manager that currently operates multiple residential buildings as well as ongoing development projects. His role varies from passive duties that arise in gated communities to more hands-on environments where he leads teams. Having started his career at an early age, he currently has more years of experience than most people who are a decade older! Brian Setencich is also a loyal member of his community and spends time helping create a better living atmosphere for everyone. 

How did you get started with property management? 

I used to work as a one-for-all helper for a company that held multiple residential properties in my area. After a while, I started looking for a management position. In reality, however, I had already been doing that job for at least a year at the point when I got promoted to manager. Nevertheless, earning this title helped me in the long-run. I was able to leverage that experience and use it to get better jobs on other properties. 

What do you think is the hardest thing about project management? 

When it comes to project management, knowing how to provide great customer service while also resolving the never-ending issues can be quite challenging. Although it is not difficult to do, it rapidly exhausts one' mind. When you combine this with the fact that we must hold all of the residents responsible, it is obvious that the job comes with a ton of requirements. So, the hardest thing would certainly be the unpredictability which can drive one's day in a very unusual direction. 

What advice do you have to give to those who want to get started with project management field? 

Pay your dues. In translation, invest the necessary time to become the best project manager that you can be. This means that you understand all of the applicable employment laws as well as policies that govern your particular industry. From there, spend some time learning the hands-on approach as well as all of the ins and outs of the market. If you happen to receive an offer for a good project, accept it timely. Doing so will show the interested company that you comprehend professionalism and responsiveness. 

How do you unwind each day when it is time to get out of “work mode”? 

There are many things that I do. I frequently go play basketball with some of my friends. I also like going out and meeting new people. Sometimes, however, my only goal is to get enough rest and refuel before going about my business. 

Naturally, I would strongly suggest to interact with your coworkers and set up non-work-related meetings. This helps get to know one another even better and puts everyone on the same page. For instance, taking a night out to go celebrate with the rest of the team is perfect for disregarding work responsibilities. It also helps create relationships that can be used to unwind from work later on. 

Do you think project management is a lucrative career choice? 

It definitely depends. If you are a project manager that has been unable to get large projects, do not get devastated. Although your results will be impacted, the entire process usually snowballs. Meaning, even though you may start slowly, your success rates will only go up after the initial stages. If you have been a part of the larger projects, however, your main priority should be to get the superior to offer you permanent employment. This is where your skills will persuade them to make you a member of their team. 

Once you secure a full-time position, you should do your best to keep it. That way, you can slowly climb the ladder and subtly enjoy many other growth opportunities that will come along the way.


I hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview with project manager Brian Setencich.

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7 Time Management Hacks from Experts

You step into your cabin, take your seat; turn on your workstation just to see a lengthy list of tasks waiting for you. Technology has allowed us to work harder, longer, and from literally anywhere with a WiFi or cellular signal. When you closely analyze the list of tasks, you see some of the tasks from yesterday that you failed to complete and some new ones added to your daily tasks. You start thinking how I can finish both old and new tasks before the workday ends. The answer lies in efficient time management. 

Remember, everyone has 24 hours per day. It usually boils down to how you use these 24 hours that makes all the difference. Have you ever wondered how the most successful entrepreneurs spend their 24 hours? How they manage their time and which time management tactics do they use? After reading this article, you will get the answers to these questions on increased efficiency in the workplace. 

1. Never Waste Time 

Tony Robbins, best-selling author, entrepreneur and life coach shares his time & money management secrets with his loyal followers in “The Ultimate Guide to Time Management”. He asks them to consider time as money. Do you waste money? No, so why do you waste time? Time is a finite resource and you should never waste it in non-productive activities. Try to eliminate waste and try to make up for the lost time by doing two things at once. For instance, you can listen to audio books on your commute or watch news when you are exercising. 

2. Focus On The Most Important Stuff 

Most successful people are great at focusing on what is important and leave the rest. Warren Buffet’s pilot asked him about career advice and Warren Buffet said he should make a list of 25 goals  to achieve by the end of the year. He did that. Warren Buffet asked him to choose top five of the most important goals and cancel out the 20 goals. You can use the same approach to stay focused on the most important tasks. As the 80-20 rule points out, you can achieve 80% results with 20% effort. That is where task management software can come in handy. 

3. Load Up Your Schedule 

Most successful people do not dedicate hours to tasks. They dedicate minutes. Unlike all of us who divide their days into blocks of hours, successful entrepreneur schedule tasks in every minute of their day and don’t leave anything blank on their schedule. Bill Gates follows this approach and thinks that there should be no dead zones in your planner. He thinks that filling up dead zones will give you the flexibility to change according to the situation. Warren Buffet summed it up brilliantly when he said, “I can buy anything I want, but I can not buy more time.” When you wake up in the morning get ready to perform!

4. Wake Up Early 

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wakes up at 3:45 am and he is not alone. The infamous billionaire playboy thrill-seeker Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group also wakes up at 5:00 am. The list goes on and on. When you wake up early in the morning, you can get precious time when the whole world is snoozing and you can make the most of it by being most productive. It gives you competitive edge over others and gets you off to a flying start to the day. As the saying goes, “Early Bird catches the worm.” and “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.” 

5. The First Hour Of Your Day is Most Important 

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E Time Coaching & Speaking is the time management coach, speaker and bestselling author. She believes that the first hour of the day lays the foundation for the rest of your day. She suggests that you should complete most important tasks in the first hour as your productivity is at its peak in the morning. 

Elizabeth Grace Saunders shares her valuable experience here: 

“I find that it helps immensely to not have meetings to start my day. During this first hour, I take time to organize myself, including completing my daily plan, getting an email in order and taking care of other small, time-sensitive tasks. This allows me to come at the rest of the day from a place of clarity and strength. I feel prepared for my meetings and know which larger tasks are most important for the day.” 

6. Batch Process Emails 

Emails are the biggest time wasters at work. Author Kevin Kruse interviewed 200 of the world’s most successful people for his book “15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management”. The author found an interesting correlation. All the interviewees managed their inbox efficiently and did not reacted to incoming email messages as most of us do. They only checked their inbox twice throughout the day and batch processed all the emails instead of checking emails every hour. Most successful people treated email like any other tasks and have dedicated a time for checking their inbox. They made sure that they don’t waste too much time on emails. 

7. Go On A Much Needed Vacation 

Are you surprised to see going on a vacation on a time management hack list? Unbelievably, most successful entrepreneur thinks that way. According to CNBC, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey and many other CEOs consider vacation as a time management hack. Even some scientific studies prove that going on a periodic vacation can actually boost your productivity. A study conducted by project showed that employee who goes on to vacations has lower stress and higher productivity. 

Top Time Management 

After reading this article, you might have understood the difference between how we manage our time and how most successful people manage their time. Use some of these aforementioned time management hacks and do more in less time like the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Start by experimenting with some of these hacks and then take it from there.  

Stop wasting so much time on your social media and start being more productive! Time is money after all.

Which time management hack do you use to manage your time efficiently throughout your workday? Feel free to share it with us on Twitter @MikeSchiemer #LeanStartupLife. We would love to hear from you and your productivity hacks.


I hope you enjoyed this helpful article on 7 time management hacks from business and productivity experts.

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How To Be Productive, Not Just Busy With Work

There just aren't enough hours in the day! The frustrating feeling of having tons to accomplish at work but not actually getting anything done is quite relatable. Despite trying hard, we sometimes find a pile of tasks stacked up high that we just fail to make a dent in. 

But are you actually being productive and getting things done, or are you just busy and disorganized? Do you prioritize what's most important and use your time efficiently?

The most productive and efficient people can confidently say that they ‘owned their day’ instead of saying the day owned them. Listed below are helpful tips on maximizing your productivity in the workplace and getting things done without dwelling on them for hours on end. 

How To Be Productive Instead Of Just Busy

1. Focus On One Task At A Time 

Busy people can spend days at a time making long to-do lists, doing research, and running through all possibilities in their minds to make things perfect. But the result is that they have nothing tangible to show for all their time and effort. 

To be productive instead of just busy, it is essential to resist the urge to multitask in a last-minute attempt to trump the race against time. By fully concentrating on a single task, your creativity and quality will remain consistent, and errors will be minimized. 

If you have several tasks to complete within a short time frame, segment the duration of allotted work hours into short, focused bursts. For example, you can work for 20 minutes and take a break for 5 minutes. This way, you can stay focused on a particular task and use the brake to gear up for the next one. 

2. Eliminate Distractions Dragging You Down

If productivity is your goal, distractions are your nemeses. It’s super hard to make significant progress towards your goals with emails and messages constantly disturbing you. Any interruption, no matter brief or long, will affect your workflow and leave you feeling busy. 

Try to be more present, focused, and in the zone when you are trying to complete a task at your business such as local marketing. You can hang up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on your door or turn off notifications and alerts. It is also a good idea to have a designated time frame when you can check your emails instead of always being available. Too much clutter in your work environment can also be a distraction. By keeping your table neat and organized, you’ll feel motivated to accomplish more. 

3. Learn To Say No To Others And Yes To Yourself

If you constantly find yourself biting off more than you can chew, it’s time to learn the art of saying no. Refusing to do something may seem offensive and daunting, but it will undeniably make you more productive. 

When you say no to unnecessary burdens, you make space for things that really matter, things you excel at, and you avoid feeling burnt out. Setting realistic boundaries not only ensures that you get a little rest but also allows you to tackle projects with a fresh, clear, and determined mindset. Remember to be firm while saying no and clearly stating the things you will deliver within the stipulated deadline. 

4. Think Smaller To Get Bigger Results

We often tend to overestimate how much we can achieve in a day. If you make it a practice to set daily, attainable goals, you can easily stay on track and get the most important work done without being sidetracked with smaller, unimportant tasks. 

You will also feel more energetic and encouraged when you have a smaller list of things to accomplish instead of an unrealistic one that will overwhelm you. To make it easier to set attainable goals, it is crucial to have an honest introspection about your daily progress. Take a few moments every day to reflect on what went well and, if necessary, make tweaks to your daily routine to increase productivity. 

Proactive Productivity 

It’s easy to get caught in the loop of juggling multiple tasks under the guise of keeping busy without actually making progress towards your goals. But this is something that can be transformed with discipline and time. By following these simple yet effective productivity tips, you can have more fulfilling days and change your life for the better!

Organising Tips For Event Planners

Planning an event can be an overwhelming task, what with all the details you need to be on top of to make it a success. The minute you get that contract signed, you accept a huge responsibility. You are tasked to handle every detail and ensure that the entire event flows smoothly without any hitches. You cannot be lax at any point, from the start of preparations to the event’s culmination. But because of the hard work, there is a sense of accomplishment. All of the time and effort spent is worth it when the people who hired you are pleased with the outcome. When it comes to venues, you can find large country houses to rent for weekends for more significant events happening during weekends. 

To make things easier, here are a few organising tips that can be useful. 

Set Your Goal And Timeline 

Before your preparations, you need to have a specific goal in mind. What is the event for? What are the expectations? You will have a picture of the tasks that need to be done with the vision in mind. From here, you can also come up with strategies you need to employ to ensure that things fall into place and get your event going in the right direction. When you have determined your goal, you should have a timeline for completion. This means that you now have the number of days or months to work around for preparations. 

Get Ready With Your Team 

It would be best if you had a good team working with you to ensure your event’s success. Get your people together and define the tasks for each member. This should include who will handle the venue management, caterers, special activities, speakers, etc. By doing this, you not only lessen your load so you can focus on other essential details, but also come up with an accountability system. You can also be sure that every little detail is accounted for. 

Determine Your Budget 

One of the most important factors when planning an event is the budget. Without a fixed amount for the event, things will not work out well. When you come up with a budget, these will include the venue, food and drinks, decor, entertainment, activities, staff expenses, and other miscellaneous items. Try your best to stay within the budget, while having a little extra for unexpected costs that may crop up. 

Set Your Event Date 

Your client may have come up with a specific date for the event. If not, you will need to discuss when the event is happening. It would be best if you had ample time for preparation, preferably four to six months before. This should be enough to get preparations underway and come up with the venue, talk to suppliers, and deal with every important detail. 

Event Excellence

Event planning does not have to be as taxing as you imagine. By keeping yourself organised and learning how to delegate tasks, you can produce a successful event that people will be talking about.

How To Achieve A Good Work-Life Balance

With almost a third of UK workers feeling that they have a poor work-life balance, it’s becoming an important issue to address. Not only does it affect our relationships and home life happiness, but it can also take its toll on our mental health. 

Read on as we investigate the best way to manage a good work-life balance and take some tips from other countries. 

The Current Situation 

The general consensus appears to be the adults in the UK are overworked. Maintaining a healthy balance between home and work life seems to become more difficult as we get older, with statistics showing that the younger the employee, the less likely they are to identify work-life balance as an important part of their job. The task of juggling a family alongside a job is also difficult for many to manage with statistics revealing that 75% of working parents suffer stress and anxiety as a result of their work-life balance management. 

Although some businesses aim to operate at maximum capacity, this can take its toll. Research found that as a person’s weekly hours increase, so do their feelings of unhappiness. Of course, this is no surprise. Even for those who don’t work long hours, there is still the issue of ‘switching off’ and disconnecting from what’s happened at the office. In fact, one third of European workers said that a bad day at work affected their personal life. 

As we work more, we find that we have less time to spend with those we love, less time to focus on accomplishing goals that aren’t work-related and less time to pursue our hobbies and dreams. But, many of us feel as though there’s nothing we can do about it. 

How Do People Manage In Other Countries? 

In comparison to our western European counterparts, Britain has the worst work-life balance and is barely better than American workers. What can we learn from our foreign neighbors? 

It seems as though workers in other countries have more free time to spend outside of work. In Belgium, employees have an average of 8.6 hours of free time per day compared to their 7.4-hour work days, and Netherlands are enjoying the shortest working week at only 30.3 hours. Denmark only spend 6.6 hours at work each day with 8.8 hours each day to spend how they wish, and Austrians are encouraged to start the weekend early with 3pm finishes implemented around the country. Many Germans are able to relax on a Sunday too, as stores are regulated so that they close on Sundays. All of these extra hours add up it seems, with Britons working 325 hours more per year than workers in Germany. 

Unlike UK workers who often work with only half an hour to an hour break per day, foreign employees are encouraged to take multiple breaks throughout the day. The Spanish are famous for their midday siestas which began as an effort to sleep through the hottest period of the day in warmer climates. Although new laws mean that shops have to remain open without a break for naps, some workers still follow the siesta tradition. Or, they take long coffee and lunch breaks with colleagues — something that is widely accepted by employers. Finland also take on the approach that long breaks are good for everyone, and their workers enjoy extra-long lunch breaks that are one to two hours long! If you visited Sweden on business, you’d probably be invited to join them for ‘fika’ — this is a late morning coffee that offices pause to enjoy at around 11am. It's great for worker motivational theory.

Other regulations that help maintain a healthy work-life balance include: 

• Belgians are able to take a full month off work to coincide with school breaks. 
• Spanish workers have a holiday allowance of 30 days. 
• France introduced a law in 2017 that gave workers the ‘right to disconnect’ from after-work emails. 
• Swedish workers enjoy 16 months of paid family leave 

What Can We Do? 

Although we can’t change the regulations of our workplace, there are some things that we can do to help manage our work-life balance. 

Enquire with your employer about splitting up your break. Research has proven that taking regular breaks can improve your productivity, and it therefore could be something that they will support. Split your hour break up into half an hour and two 15-minute breaks to decrease the amount of time spent at your desk at one time. Get some fresh air or spend time talking to family on the phone, taking a small action like this could reduce your stress levels. 

A long commute can lead to stress and depression according to one study. This is one reason to propose flexi-time at your office, where you can skip the traffic at each side of your day and do something more productive. Of course, this isn’t an option for everyone. You could make your commute feel more productive though, by listening to a podcast or audio book that can reduce the stress of rush-hour traffic. Alternatively, going to a gym class near to your work can mean that you miss the bulk of the busy traffic and allows you to fit some exercise into your day as well! 

Although it can be difficult, restrict yourself on checking emails when you’ve finished work. Think of the long-term issues that mixing home and work life can have and aim to check your emails only for ten minutes on an evening instead of an hour. This is the same for working overtime, unless entirely necessary, make sure you are sticking to the number of hours that you’re contracted to. This can not only affect your mental health but can lead to employers expecting this behavior at all times. 

Make sure you’re using your annual holidays to recharge and spend time with family. We’re all guilty of using our holidays to run errands or do something that we’ve been putting off, but this isn’t always helpful for our work-life balance. Although we need to do this now and then, annual leave should be used to recuperate, relax and enjoy time away from the office so try to focus on this. 

Find A Better Balance

As we can see, the current situation is not great for UK workers. But, there are some small changes that you can make. From splitting up your break to making the most of your holidays, being conscious of finding a good split between the office and spare time is the first step to improving your work-life balance.