Time Management Tricks That Actually Work (Because Your Calendar is Lying to You)
Let’s be honest: your calendar isn’t managing your time — it’s just logging everyone else’s priorities.
If your day looks like this:
- Back-to-back meetings
- Emails you meant to reply to are now buried
- 3 “quick tasks” that stole your afternoon
- And deep work? Maybe at 9 p.m.
Then you’re not bad at time management. You’re just managing time in a world that’s rigged against it.
Shift your mindset from “How much can I get done?” to “What’s worth doing?”
Before we jump into tactics, here’s the one big mental unlock that changed the game for me:
Time isn’t something you manage — it’s something you allocate.
You only get 168 hours each week, and you can’t stretch it. So stop trying to squeeze more in and start choosing what to protect.
The Tricks That Work (and Why)
1. The Rule of 3
Each week, identify your Top 3 outcomes — the things that, if accomplished, make the week a win.
Ask: ✅ What moves the needle? ✅ What needs me vs. delegation? ✅ What can I quit or delay?
→ Every day, align your to-do list to those 3.
2. Batch Your Energy, Not Just Tasks
Time-blocking is great. But blocking by energy level is even better.
- Morning = deep work (strategy, writing, creative)
- Midday = decisions, meetings
- Late day = cleanup (email, admin, Slack replies)
Schedule to match when you do your best thinking — not just what you need to do.
3. Inbox Windows
Treat your inbox like a physical mailbox — not a 24/7 live feed.
Check it 3× daily:
- 9:00 a.m. (respond to urgent)
- 1:00 p.m. (triage)
- 4:30 p.m. (clear backlog)
Turn off notifications. Don’t live in Outlook or Gmail.
Meeting Rules That Save Your Sanity
- No-meeting mornings 2 days/week
- Decline meetings without agendas
- Ask: “Could this be a shared doc or Teams post?”
Every “quick 15-minute sync” steals real work from your brain.
5. Use the Two-Minute Rule
If a task takes less than 2 minutes →, do it. If not → schedule it or delegate.
The Two-Minute rule keeps your to-do list from becoming a guilt pile.
6. Name Your Time Blocks Like a Boss
Don’t write “Busy” on your calendar. Instead, label time blocks like:
- Build a slide deck for Thursday’s pitch
- Follow up w/ Customer post-migration notes
- Think (no pings allowed)
Specificity = clarity = protection.
7. Do a Friday Review
Before you log off each week:
- What went well?
- What will you not do again next week?
- What is one thing to protect next week?
Start the week ahead with intention — not just a flood of invites.
Bonus: Time Tricks I Don’t Use Anymore
Pomodoro Timers — I don’t work in 25-minute sprints. I protect 90-minute deep blocks. Overloaded to-do apps — Simple text files + calendar blocks win. Morning routines that start at 4:30 a.m. — I’m not trying to win TikTok or become an influencer.
Real-time management isn’t about hustle but honoring what matters and cutting what doesn’t.
Final Thought
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s not your fault. It’s your calendar, and you can change it.
Try one trick this week, then another, and finally, start saying “no” to things that don’t serve your 168 hours.
Let the world think you’re ruthless with your time—because you are. That’s how the real work gets done.
Do you have a favorite trick? Please share it in the comments. I’m always testing new ones, and these are the ones that stuck.
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