Time Management Tips that Reduce your Stress and Increase Productivity

Do you feel like you’re always battling against the clock and there’s not enough time to do what you need to get done, let alone what you want to do?  And since your long to-do list is never finished, maybe you’re always nagged by a feeling of failure. Here’s a secret that can help: the best time management tips are built not on being task oriented but upon creating a mindful state of mind.

Let me illustrate what I mean by using Sophia’s example (not her real name). Sophia is a consultant in a high-pressure industry. Her schedule is packed with leading a thriving business while mentoring young professionals. Yet, beneath her polished success, she felt like she was constantly sprinting on a treadmill, never catching up. Emails piled up, meetings ran over, and her personal life was a blur of missed workouts and forgotten dinners with friends. 

One evening, as she sat staring at her never-ending to-do list, exhaustion washed over her. That’s when she decided to change and she reached out to me. This is what she discovered: She was so focused on checking off tasks that she had disconnected from who she was deep down inside. It wasn’t until she embraced mindfulness in her daily routine that she could sort out and prioritize what truly mattered to her. She finally saw how and where she needed to set clear boundaries. She became more intentional about how she spent each day. Within weeks, the overwhelm lifted even though the job stayed the same. By choosing a state of mind that supported her rather than drained her, she reclaimed her time and peace.

You, too, can relieve these stressful feelings by mastering time management skills, learning to stick to your priorities, refusing to get distracted, and choosing a state of mind that continually supports you. As a result, you’ll feel a lot happier about the commitments you make. Here’s how Sophia did it. Maybe you’ll see things that will work for you…

These Seven Top Time Management Tips Don’t Rely on Technique But on Mindset

Time Management Tip #1. Live an embodied life. This gives you a huge advantage! When your body, mind and spirit work together, your daily routine naturally aligns with your life’s mission. It ends indecision, procrastination, and inner conflict, which are huge time wasters. Being fully present in all you do as you align your gifts and skills with your unique purpose makes your life more meaningful and satisfying.

Time Management Tip #2. Set your intention. Before sleeping each night review your accomplishments and allow yourself to feel successful even in the little things you’ve done. This fuels a positive state of mind and makes it easier to declare your intention for the next day. When you wake up, declare your intention again; it will motivate you to follow through. (The best intentions are not based on doing but on being.)

Time Management Tip #3. Resist the urge to multi-task. Have you seen the juggler who keeps many things in the air, but as soon as he drops one, they all crash? That’s what multi-tasking does to us. On the other hand, when you focus on one thing at a time and do it well, you increase your self-confidence, lower your stress and get more done.

Time Management Tip #4. Prioritize sustainable choices. It’s okay to make a mile-long list. Just don’t stop there or you’ll add to your sense of overwhelm. Pick two or three items from the list that are the highest priority and focus on accomplishing only those tasks. Delegate when you can. And educate people that you won’t respond immediately unless it’s an emergency but that you’ll get back to them within 48 hours.  

Time Management Tip #5. Use time-blocking. Try to group related tasks into blocks of time. Instead of checking emails all day (often a time-waster and stalling tactic), check them only in the block of time you designate. Allow sufficient time for each block of activity. Schedule the hard-to-do tasks when you have your greatest clarity and energy. Set a timer for 20 minutes and see how much more productive you become!

Time Management Tip #6. Be reasonable in your expectations. Don’t overbook. Leave plenty of flexibility in your schedule to allow for the unexpected. That way you don’t add to your stress by feeling rushed or pressured. Equally important is learning relaxation techniques that let you unwind regularly throughout the day.

Time Management Tip #7. Get comfortable with saying “no”. Women are especially prone to taking on too much at once. Before agreeing to a request, give yourself time to consider it. You don’t need to feel compelled to explain why you declined, and you don’t need to feel guilty in honoring your own time and commitments. After all,  you’re allowing the opportunity for someone who wants to do it to say “yes.”

Here’s another tip that worked for Sophia…

 “Dream Big, Start Small” Here’s the one thing you can do today.

Have you heard of Habit-Stacking? That’s where you attach a new small task to an existing habit. This time management tip helps you quickly make new routines an automatic part of your life. 

For example:

• After your morning coffee, you spend 10 minutes connecting with prospective clients on LinkedIn.
• Once you brush your teeth at night, you write in your journal.
• Immediately after turning on your computer, you open your planner to prioritize tasks.

The established habit becomes a trigger for the new habit you want to create. This powerful exercise keeps building upon what you’re already doing. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

Real progress begins with a supportive state of mind. It helps you identify and eliminate limiting beliefs so you can use these time management tips most effectively. Success also hinges on embodiment. When you practice embodiment, you value, motivate, and bring out the best in yourself and the people around you. If you’d like to explore this further, download my free report, 10 Steps to an Embodied Practice. It can be applied to both your life and your business.