10 time management tips from busy people

As the saying goes, we all have the same hours in the day as Beyoncé. But what does that really look like for small business owners and self-employed professionals?

The thought of time-management can often conjure images of intimidating planners, strict schedules and the haunting tick of the clock. But learning to account for the hours in our day doesn’t mean we need to become robotic. 

 Creator of A Life of Productivity Chris Bailey doesn’t believe in following a set recipe to get more done but rather being deliberate with your time, attention and energy: “If there’s one central idea I keep coming back to in my productivity experiments, interviews, and research, it’s that the most productive people don’t work on autopilot in response to the work that comes their way—they work deliberately and with intention behind what they do”.

With working deliberately in mind, we ask independent creatives, entrepreneurs, sole traders and small business owners to share accessible approaches to managing your time.

1. Eradicate distractions

A bevvy of tools and apps can be installed on your computer and smartphone to help eliminate distractions. Try News Feed Eradicator or the Strict Workflow browser extensions, or if you really want to commit to being distraction free, delete time wasting apps from your phone.

Author and founder of Go-To Skincare Zoe Foster Blake imposed a ‘digital sundown’ where she and her partner Hamish Blake put their phones in a bucket and out of sight. Admittedly, this can be difficult when running a business and needing the convenience of communication.

Read more: 10 time management tips from busy people