5 time management tips from successful people

Instead of taking time-management advice from random people, why not take it from the most successful people? In this blog, you’ll learn how productive people get work done.

Here are 5 management tips from successful people:

1. Create Knockout lists

Marcus Lemonis is an entrepreneur and a television star. His only productive technique is to create a to-do list (only the 4-5 essential tasks) and do them, no matter what.

“I get up in the morning, and I’ll make a list of the five things I want to get done that day — and without exception, I have to get those five things done. If I end up getting some things in addition to that done, great, but I always have my knockout list,” says the entrepreneur.

You can write the tasks in your notes app, self-WhatsApp group, or calendar. Ensure you block your calendar and have all the resources to complete those tasks.

2. Delegate

Gary Vee is an internet phenomenon. He has built one of the most successful personal brands. You’ll see him posting 2-3 times a day on literally every platform. Plus, he builds his company, speaks at events, engages with his fans, and spends time with his family.

How does he do all that? Effective delegating.

He finds the best person to do part of his job (for example, editing), gives all the details, provides the best resources, and 100% autonomy. This frees him time, which he spends on important and creative tasks.

You should do the same.

If you’re a manager, pick the right person in your team and provide work details and resources to complete the task. And set up a communication channel to solve their doubts.

Also, don’t micromanage in the name of providing instructions. Avoid controlling the work end-to-end, checking over every few hours, and telling them to follow your method. That’s setting the person up for failure.

Of course, not every person is a manager or can hire people to do their job. But you can automate manual/repeatable tasks using Zapier. Start with that.

3. Batch your emails

Andrew Wilkinson is the founder of Tiny Capital (an investor in SpaceX, Buffer, Square space, Dribbble, and other multi-million dollar businesses). He prefers email batching to cut off constant email distractions.

Why do this?

a) People waste 37 minutes per day while checking emails.

b) It takes 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction.

c) Why not save 1 hour, do deep work, and manage all emails at once?

Enter email batching. It’s the process of keeping your inbox zero and only receiving emails once during a pre-set time. Mailman allows you to do that.

With Mailman:

a) You can set a “Do not disturb” time mode. It will hold back all your emails during that time—so you can focus on your work.

b) You can set delivery slots. Choose the specific time when you want to receive all your emails.

c) You can block unimportant emails, newsletters, notifications, and other distractions.

d) You can save a “VIP” list—emails you want to receive as soon as the person sends them.

4. Eliminate Time sucks

Tony Robbins is an author (famous for Awaken the giant within and The Path), coach, and speaker. He advises eliminating tasks/routines that distract you from your goals and make you unproductive.

Why does he say that?

“How often do you start your day feeling great about all you’re planning to accomplish, only to feel that you barely get anything done? That’s the difference between being busy and being productive – and it’s a big difference. Busy people feel like they don’t have enough time in the day to get it all done.” While productive people complete all their tasks by eliminating time sucks.

“Time sucks are things that at the moment seem like they’ll “only take a second” but add up throughout the day.” Some are unnecessary meetings, scrolling social media non-stop, and agreeing to do others’ “small tasks.”

Note down things distracting you and stopping you from getting your job done.

Ensure you don’t engage in such tasks in the future.

5. Don’t fix what’s not broken

Katy Whitton, the founder of Flipping Heck, says, “Finding a stable time management technique that works for you is key to getting things done.

New tools come out each month (week even!) that promise to be the ultimate organizational product. But the time and energy we invest in setting up these new systems are actually making us unproductive.”

So, find your best time management technique and stick to it. Start experimenting with different ones, implement them, and you’ll know what works for you and what doesn’t.