If you are anything like me you probably have more things to do each day than hours to do them in. So the question is: what quick and easy things can you do to help YOU be as productive as possible?  

1. Create a stop doing list! Find one thing a day you or your team members should stop doing. Think about low value or unnecessary tasks that take up energy and resources. Make it a team challenge to spot 5 per week.
2. Do it NOW! This is so simple and surprisingly effective. If it takes less than 2 minutes to do, action it straight away. This keeps your to do list short and helps you clear some valuable brain space for more important activities.
3. Be time aware. Give yourself a time limit for everything and stick to it. i.e. take 3 minutes to reply to that email…finish your meeting in 15 minutes…take 20 minutess to complete that customer’s quote.
4. Eliminate distractions. Have something complicated to do? Close your email down, put your phone on voice mail and tell everyone in the office that you’re not available for the next 30 minutes. Being disrupted when you are in \’the zone\’ sets you back and could lead to procrastination.
5. Learn to say NO or at least NOT NOW. Stop yourself from immediately jumping in and reacting when ‘urgent’ things come up. Always ask yourself – ‘does this really (I mean really) need to be sorted out right at this moment or could it wait 30 minutes or 60 minutes or 3 days?’

Time management is more of a behavioural challenge than an events challenge. Adopt these good productivity habits and protect your time like it’s the most precious resource you have…because it probably is! Content For Marco Goes Here

The biggest excuse that you are likely to hear in your business is, “I didn’t have time to do it.” You will no doubt be on the receiving end of this multiple times every week when you reach a deadline and ask for an update only to hear the words “Oh, I didn’t have time to do that.”

If we were to be completely honest with ourselves, that is not really true.. If somebody was going to be completely honest in that moment when you ask them that question, it would sound a little bit more like this: “Oh, I forgot to plan it in,” or “I left it to the last possible moment and I ran out of time to do it,” “I didn’t think it was important enough,” “I didn’t really understand exactly what you needed me to do, so I procrastinated around it.”

“I didn’t have enough time,” “I ran out of time,” “I had too many things to do” is an excuse. Make sure you don’t hear yourself saying that, and if you hear it from your team members, then challenge them. To say, “I ran out of time”, doesn’t enable somebody to take full responsibility for how their actions played a part in the thing not happening that they should have done in the first place.

I’m a realist. I know that we all have lots to do, but what I often find is that people who don’t get things done are the people that never planned to get things done in the first place. Things that are important and not urgent in nature will absolutely get forgotten if you don’t book them into your diary or if you don’t plan to do those things. And it is exactly the same with your team members. If you want to get more done, don’t accept, “Oh, I didn’t have time to do that.”

What is Time Management?

Time management is all about using your time effectively and efficiently. It’s the art of organising and planning how to divide your time across different tasks, ensuring you get everything done without feeling overwhelmed. With good time management, you can prioritise what’s urgent and important, while still making room for tasks that are less urgent but still matter. This way, you focus your time and energy on what truly counts, allowing you to work smarter, not harder, and boosting your overall productivity.

Why Time Management Matters

Mastering time management is important because it helps you take control of your time rather than letting it slip away. When you’re in charge of your schedule, you become more focused, efficient, and productive, which ultimately contributes to your success and profitability.

The benefits of effective time management are vast and can significantly impact both your work and personal life:

• Reduced Stress: You’ll feel more in control and less anxious about deadlines.
• Better Work-Life Balance: By managing your time well, you can create more space for personal activities.
• Increased Focus: You can concentrate better when you’re clear on what needs to be done.
• Higher Productivity: More focus and structure lead to greater efficiency.
• More Free Time: Time saved can be used for rest or hobbies.
• Simplicity: Everything feels more manageable when you’re organised.
• Fewer Distractions: Managing time means cutting out unnecessary interruptions.
• Greater Motivation: With a clear plan, you’ll have more energy and drive to get things done.

Good time management not only helps you get more done but also helps you feel more balanced, focused, and motivated.

Here are my top 5 tips for using your time more effectively

If you’re anything like me, your to-do list is always longer than the number of hours in a day.

So, how can you become as productive as possible without adding more stress? The key is to focus on a few simple, quick actions that can make a big difference.

1. Create a “Stop Doing” List. We often get bogged down by low-value tasks that drain our time and energy. Start by identifying one thing you or your team members should stop doing each day. It could be an unnecessary report, a redundant meeting, or a task that doesn’t contribute to your goals. To make this more engaging, turn it into a team challenge: aim to spot five things each week that are holding you back. This small shift can free up valuable time for more impactful work.
2. Do It NOW. If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This is such a simple rule, but it’s incredibly effective. Clearing out these quick tasks as they arise will keep your to-do list manageable and free up mental space for bigger, more important tasks. Plus, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment each time you check something off your list.
3. Be Time Aware. Set time limits for everything you do—and stick to them. For example, allow yourself only three minutes to reply to an email, 15 minutes for a meeting, or 20 minutes to complete a customer quote. By setting clear boundaries, you’ll be less likely to let small tasks expand and eat up more time than they deserve. You’ll also become more focused and efficient.
4. Eliminate Distractions. When you have a complex or important task to tackle, it’s crucial to protect your focus. Shut down your email, put your phone on silent or voicemail, and let your team know you’ll be unavailable for the next 30 minutes. Being interrupted when you’re in “the zone” not only slows you down but can also lead to procrastination. Protecting your focus is essential to maintaining productivity.
5. Learn to Say “No” or “Not Now”. It’s easy to fall into the habit of reacting immediately when something “urgent” pops up, but not everything needs to be addressed right away. Before diving in, ask yourself, “Does this really need to be handled right this second, or can it wait 30 minutes, an hour, or even a few days?” Prioritising your tasks this way allows you to stay in control of your time and avoid constantly being sidetracked by others’ demands.

Time Management is About Behavior, Not Events

Remember, time management is less about managing your calendar and more about managing your behaviour. By adopting these practical productivity habits, you can protect your time like the precious resource it is—because, in the end, it truly is your most valuable asset.

Make these small changes, and you’ll start seeing big improvements in how productive and in control you feel throughout your day.

The Power of 10 Minutes a Day

The surprising power of 10 minutes… 10 little minutes. It sounds like a fairly insignificant amount of time, but it adds up, and it adds up quickly. If you waste just 10 minutes a day on stuff that you are paying other people to do, stuff that you should be paying other people to do, stuff that is taking too long, it equates to an eye-watering 40 hours a year. That’s one week a year of wasted productivity.

If you waste half an hour, that adds up to 3 weeks a year. If you waste an hour a day, it is 12% of your year. So, when you don’t get around to doing all of the things that you ought to be doing, you need to think about where you can start getting your time back. Raise your levels of awareness around where you are wasting your 10 minutes here and there. Could you imagine the impact of getting everybody in the business to truly understand the power of 10 minutes? Think about the wasted productivity across all of your employees if everybody is wasting 20 minutes a day. What does that cost the business?

We all have stuff that we need to do, and we always find excuses for why we can’t do this or that. What I am challenging you to do is to start getting back those 10 minutes. Pay attention to where you’re taking too long to do something. Pay attention to when you’re doing stuff that nobody should be doing. Pay attention to when things are just taking too long because your systems are overcomplicated, or they don’t work properly, or things are just long-winded. Pay attention because it matters.

Take that forward over the next couple of weeks, share this with your team, and hopefully, you will start to gain back weeks every single year.
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