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Ever had one of those days where you were flat-out busy… and yet your to-do list somehow got longer?

If you’re in sales, leading a team, or juggling client demands, that’ll sound familiar. The working day fills up fast – calls, emails, “quick” chats that turn into hour-long detours.

The issue isn’t how many hours there are, it’s how we use them. And most of us aren’t managing time, we’re reacting to it.

Here are some simple, practical ideas that can help.

Urgent vs Important: The Classic Trap

You’re deep into a proposal and a Teams message pops up. Then another. Before you know it, the whole morning’s gone.

Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix is a helpful way to spot this trap. Covey - author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - argued that not all urgent tasks are important, and not all important things are urgent. The key is to carve out space for what matters before it becomes urgent or disappears under a pile of admin.

Never seen the matrix before? A quick search online will bring up some good visuals.

Try the Success Six

There’s a method called the Success Six that’s stood the test of time. The idea is simple: write down six key tasks the night before. 

Here’s how to run with it:

• Start with your “worst first” (the thing you’ve been avoiding)

• Follow it with something easier

• Take a short break or reward

• Repeat twice more

It gives your day some structure without being rigid. You can flex around it, adapt it, and still finish knowing you moved things forward, even if the whole list didn’t get done.

Protect Your Prime Time

When do you think most clearly? Once you’ve figured that out, protect that window. Whether it’s early or mid-afternoon, block it out for proper thinking, selling, or problem-solving, not admin. That might mean:

• Turning off notifications for an hour

• Letting calls go to voicemail

• Saying, “I’m free at 2pm – shall we talk then?”

It’s not about shutting people out but it does mean you can be more present when it counts. 

Energy is the Real Currency

Not everyone hits peak focus at the same time. Some people are on fire at 7am, others hit their stride after lunch. Knowing when you’ve got the most in the tank – and planning trickier tasks around that – can do more than any fancy planner. Managing time means managing energy too.

Delay, Delegate, Delete

It’s tempting to jump into admin the moment a deal lands. But if it’s mid-morning – prime time for customer contact – is that really the best use of your hour? Instead, ask:

• Could I do this later?

• Could someone else take it on?

• Does it even need doing?

The form can wait. The call can’t.

The Two-Minute Rule

If something takes less than two minutes, do it now. Reply to the email, send the invite; these little tasks often take longer to remember than to finish. If it’ll take longer, park it and stick to your list.

Accomplished or Exhausted?

At the end of your day, ask yourself… Did I move the work forward or just react to it?

Feeling exhausted usually means your day ran you. Feeling accomplished means you chose what to spend time on, even if the list isn’t fully ticked off.

Want more practical ideas for making better use of your time?

Here are two short podcast episodes to help:

• The Reality of Business – Time: Rethinking and Achieving Control (28 mins)

• The Reality is Sales Training – Time, Money, and Momentum (10 mins)

They’re designed to help you get more out of your day without adding anything extra to your to-do list.