In the whirlwind of modern life, time often feels like a precious commodity in short supply. For busy professionals juggling work, personal life, and everything in between, mastering time management is the key to not just surviving, but thriving. In this blog post, we’ll explore a curated selection of time management hacks designed to help you make every minute count and regain control of your schedule.

1. Prioritize with Purpose

The first step to effective time management is understanding your priorities. Take a moment to identify your most important tasks and goals. By focusing on high-priority items, you’ll ensure that your time is invested where it matters most.

HOW TO DO THIS: If you find prioritization difficult, try this simple exercise. Write down every single thing you can think of that you need to do, no matter the priority or category. This is called a brain dump. Now you need to organize these- use a highlighter, or move and color code them if you’re doing this electronically. There is no single way to organize your to do- you could organize by type of task or by due date/priority, or both (this is why I like Notion, it makes it easy for me to do both and more). The goal, however, is to narrow your list down to the 3-5 most important things for you to do, today.

If you are having a hard time categorizing, try these four categories: urgent/important, urgent/unimportant, non-urgent/important, non-urgent/non-important. Sorting this way might give you some clarity as to what your priorities are. If you are STILL struggling with prioritization after this, it might be worth talking to a coach or therapist, or even your doctore, as the inability to prioritize can be a secondary symptom of some mental illnesses like ADHD.

2. Embrace the Power of Time Blocking

Time blocking involves setting specific blocks of time for dedicated tasks or activities. Whether it’s a focused work session, a workout, or family time, allocating time slots ensures that each activity gets the attention it deserves.

HOW TO DO THIS: There is no one right way (for any of this, btw, just what works for you)- Some people have the same blocks every single day, while some people block out their time differently each day. I try to block out as much as I can for the coming week when I do my planning on Sunday, leaving room for change. I do all of this in Google Calendar and an example week might look something like this:

I have different calendars for each category of task (home, work, fun/self, health, family) and one for each member of my family. I can toggle these on and off easily if I want to focus, or have them all on to get a look at what everyone is doing during the week.

The missing link here is often this- schedule your tasks. Anything on your to-do list isn’t going to get done unless you schedule time for it. I definitely batch tasks by category- you’ll see blocks for both of my jobs, for home tasks, etc, which is why it can be helpful to categorize tasks this way. But a bigger task, like batching out blog posts, gets its own time slot.

3. The Quick List

When I am prioritizing my daily to do list, I label anything that will take under two minutes as “quick” instead of giving it a priority level. My task list in Notion bumps these tasks to the top of the list, and when I am taking a break from a longer task I can bang these out quickly. Common advice for these types of tasks is “do it immediately,” but with my ADHD this isn’t always doable. This keeps me on top of them without turning them into a constand distraction from bigger tasks.

4. Leverage Technology Wisely

Use productivity apps, calendars, and task management tools to your advantage. Tools like Trello, Google Calendar, and project management software can help streamline your workflow and keep you organized. I have tried a ton and here are some of my favorites that I use regularly:

• Notion, obviously. I’ve mentioned it a few times already. I love notion because it lets me put *nearly* everything in one place. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but one good way to speed that up is to use a template.
• Google Calendar. Coordinating appointments for myself, three kids, six pets, a husband who travels weekly for work, my contract work, and my small business is not a small feat. I used a paper planner for years, but coordinating everything on paper became too overwhelming.
• Google Sheets. I love a good spreadsheet. Although I mostly use them for budgeting and tracking, I still consider that vital to productivity, and my content calendar currently lives in sheets (although it needs to move to Notion).
• Goodnotes. I started out thinking I would use Goodnotes to replace paper planning, but realized the only benefit it has over paper is syncability between devices. However, I still love it for taking notes, storing (and marking up) documents, and scratching out early ideas.
• Goblin Tools. This is a free app that will take those large, overwhelming tasks or projects and break them up into managable chunks. I turn to this when I get overwhelmed or can’t figure out where to start.

5. Delegate and Outsource

Recognize that you don’t have to do everything yourself. Delegate tasks that others can handle effectively, and consider outsourcing certain responsibilities to free up your time for higher-priority activities. I go into more detail on household delegation here.

6. Eliminate or Minimize Distractions

Identify your biggest distractions and take steps to minimize them. This could mean setting specific times for checking emails or silencing notifications during focused work periods. I know that if I need to get focused work done that it has to happen while my youngest is at school or after she goes to bed. During that time I set my phone on work focus (did you know that, at least if you have an iphone, you can set focus modes on your phone other than basic do not disturb?) and try to get as much as I can done.

7. Two Different Focus Techniques

The pomodoro technique involves doing focused work for 25 min, then taking a 5 minute break. This helps prevent your brain from becoming fatigues, and the promise of a break in the near future helps some people maintain focus. However, for some people breaking that often can cause a break in their flow. So if you find 25 minutes too long, try this instead- set a stopwatch, and then work for as long as you can maintain focus without serious strain. See how long you can go. When your focus breaks, set a 5 minute timer and take a break. This method can benefit people who rely heavily on their flow state.

8. Did I Mention Prioritizing?

I’m going to talk about Notion again, too. At the risk of sounding repetitive on both fronts, I have used Notion to help me align nearly all of my actions to my main life priorities. One day soon I will do a post about how I use Notion in this way, but put simply every task relates to one of my main life pillars (that term is from pillars pipelines and vaults by August Bradley, which my system is loosely based off of). If it doesn’t I reflect on if it’s important or necessary. I bring this up again because it applies to not only daily tasks but projects, friends, hobbies, or anything I spend my time doing.

9. Solid AM and PM Routines

They don’t have to be fancy. You don’t have to do a 15 step skincare routine at night or spend an hour working out and ANOTHER hour meditating in the morning. Figure out what feeds your mind, body, and heart, and what sets you up for a good day and do those things. My biggest suggestion for both is to look at your calendar and/or your task list and block out any remaining tasks for the coming day.

10. Reflect and Adjust

Regularly review your time management strategies and adjust them as needed. What works for one phase of your life or career may need modification as circumstances change.

Time is a finite resource, but with effective time management strategies, you can maximize its impact on your personal and professional life. By implementing these time management hacks, you’ll find yourself not just keeping pace with the demands of your busy life, but actually thriving in the midst of it all. Remember, it’s not about adding more hours to your day, but about making every minute count. Here’s to a more productive and, more importantly, balanced journey ahead!