12 Time Management Tips From Leaders: What They Wish They Knew
Effective time management is a critical skill for success in today’s fast-paced world. This article presents valuable insights from experienced leaders on how to maximize productivity and achieve goals. From protecting deep work hours to aligning tasks with long-term value creation, these expert tips offer practical strategies for anyone looking to enhance their time management skills.
- Protect Deep Work Hours for Meaningful Progress
- Delegate Tasks to Focus on Business Growth
- Prioritize Efficient Solutions Over Perfection
- Align Tasks with Long-Term Value Creation
- Focus on Revenue-Driving Activities
- Use Time Management as a Competitive Edge
- Set Boundaries to Lead Strategically
- Break Tasks into Prioritized Steps
- Treat Time Management as a Crucial Skill
- Allocate Time Wisely to Achieve Goals
- Choose Focus Over Constant Activity
- Organize Time to Balance Work and Life
Protect Deep Work Hours for Meaningful Progress
If I could go back, I’d tell my younger self: protect your deep work hours as if your life depends on it because your future might.
When I was starting out, I confused “being busy” with being productive. I’d spend full days replying to emails, jumping on calls, and tweaking tiny tasks. At the end of the day, I felt exhausted but hadn’t actually moved anything important forward.
Later, I learned that around 80% of meaningful progress in my work came from just 2-3 focused hours a day—the hours when I wasn’t multitasking, distracted, or in reactive mode.
That realization changed everything for me. I started blocking off quiet, uninterrupted time in the mornings, with no calls, no messages, just one big thing to push forward. I’d definitely say that my decision-making improved. So did our marketing, our hiring, and my mental health.
Time management isn’t really about time. It’s about attention. And if I had figured that out sooner, I think I would’ve built more, stressed less, and gotten home earlier.
Vasilii Kiselev
CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School
Delegate Tasks to Focus on Business Growth
Don’t wait until you’re drowning to get help. Hire an assistant before you think you’re ready. Time management isn’t just about scheduling better—it’s about learning to delegate what doesn’t need your brain. Getting an assistant was the turning point in how I built Donna Pro—it marked the shift from a business I was stuck working in to one I could finally work on.
Filip Pesek
CEO, DonnaPro
Prioritize Efficient Solutions Over Perfection
“Don’t chase perfection at the expense of progress – focus on solving 80% of the problem efficiently.”
If I could advise my younger self about time management, it would be this: stop wasting countless hours pursuing perfect, error-free data recovery software.
Early in my career at DataNumen, I spent weeks fine-tuning algorithms for every conceivable corruption scenario. This perfectionist mindset led to analysis paralysis and delayed releases.
The breakthrough came when I realized no data recovery solution can solve every corruption problem. A tool that successfully recovers 80% of damaged data is infinitely more valuable than a theoretical perfect solution that never ships.
Mastering this principle transformed our development process. Instead of endless optimization cycles, we began shipping robust solutions that helped thousands recover critical data, then iterated based on real feedback.
This approach revolutionized how I tackle all business challenges. By focusing on high-impact solutions that address the majority of problems efficiently, rather than perfect solutions that may never materialize, we’ve served customers better and grown more effectively.
The 80/20 rule isn’t about settling for mediocrity; it’s about maximizing impact through strategic time allocation.
Robert Chen
VP & CIO, DataNumen
Align Tasks with Long-Term Value Creation
If I were talking to my younger self, the main thing I’d tell myself about time management is that it’s not just about cramming as much stuff into your schedule as possible. Effective time management means intentionally prioritizing tasks and understanding my own natural rhythms so that I can fully focus on the most valuable tasks that will actually benefit me, my career, and my business.
It took me until well after I started CalTek Staffing to learn this lesson. Early in my career, I equated being busy with being productive and often stretched myself too thin chasing every lead and opportunity. If I had mastered time management earlier, that would have allowed me to devote more energy to things like building deep candidate relationships, nurturing candidate pipelines, and developing scalable systems—the kinds of things that deliver long-term value, not just tasks that I need to check off my to-do list. The result would have been less stress and less time spent putting out fires, with more energy devoted to proactively shaping CalTek’s growth.
Archie Payne
Co-Founder & President, CalTek Staffing
Focus on Revenue-Driving Activities
I’d tell my younger self to stop treating every task like it’s equally urgent. When I was first starting out, I’d spend an entire day tinkering with website updates or adjusting a logo while customer calls accumulated. I felt “busy” all the time, but I wasn’t advancing the business.
If I had learned to prioritize better—truly focusing on what actually drives revenue—I could have grown faster without burning out. Time management isn’t just about being organized; it’s about being honest with yourself about what truly matters. That shift in mindset has made the biggest difference in how I work now.
Anthony Sorrentino
Owner, Pest Pros of Michigan
Use Time Management as a Competitive Edge
I’d tell my younger self to see time management not just as a necessity but as a competitive edge. Early on, the excitement of building Jumper Bee often got in the way of using my time wisely. But looking back, having been able to organize my day, have clear goals, and assign functions would have saved me a lot of stress and opened up more possibilities sooner.
In a company where we do everything from bounce houses to entire festivals, timing is everything. Every event requires precise coordination, and having time management down to a science enables us to give our best every time without missing a beat. It’s a question of respecting both our time and our customers’.
If I had learned it sooner, I would have been able to focus more on the company’s image and less on extinguishing daily fires. It is now one of the pillars of Jumper Bee’s success, rendering each event secure, fun, and memorable.
Joe Horan
Owner & CEO, Jumper Bee
Set Boundaries to Lead Strategically
I’d tell my younger self that saying “yes” to everything isn’t the same as making progress. I used to take every job, answer every call instantly, and work late just to keep up. But all that did was stretch me thin and leave no time for strategy or growth.
Learning to set boundaries—like blocking time off the schedule for planning or training—helped me lead instead of just react. If I had understood that earlier, I think I would have made better decisions and avoided a lot of unnecessary stress. Time isn’t just money—it’s clarity.
Samantha Stuart
Co-Founder, Magic City Pest Control
Break Tasks into Prioritized Steps
If I could give my younger self advice about time management, I would say, ‘Start using a calendar and to-do list early, and break your tasks into small, prioritized steps.’ I used to try to tackle everything at once, which often led to wasted time and last-minute stress. If I had scheduled focused blocks for important projects, set deadlines for smaller milestones, and tracked how I was spending my day, I could have been far more productive and less overwhelmed.
Mastering this skill earlier would have allowed me to make steady progress on long-term goals, like learning new skills or building meaningful habits. It would have also freed up time for rest and creativity, instead of constantly reacting to whatever felt urgent. In short, deliberate planning and prioritization would have given me more control over my time and my growth.
Xi He
CEO, BoostVision
Treat Time Management as a Crucial Skill
If I could go back and talk with my younger self, I would advise treating time management as seriously as any technical SEO skill. In those early days, I believed that longer hours at the desk meant I was accomplishing more. However, the truth is that without good prioritization, I was merely busy but not really making an impact when it came to the work.
I would make it clear to myself to sharpen those time management skills. It’s crucial to focus more on the big-change activities, such as those that really move the needle for clients and push the business forward. This means sometimes delegating or even automating the smaller tasks.
Improving my time management skills would have not only helped me finish projects faster but also reduced my stress and created more space for strategic thinking.
Sergey Alakov
Director, SEO & Web Optimization, hellodent
Allocate Time Wisely to Achieve Goals
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice about time management, it would be to prioritize tasks effectively and avoid procrastination. Time is one of the most valuable resources we have, and mastering how to allocate it wisely would have allowed me to accomplish more in less time, reduce stress, and maintain a healthier work-life balance. By learning to break down big projects into manageable chunks and setting clear deadlines, I could have made more consistent progress toward my goals. This skill would have led to greater productivity, fewer last-minute rushes, and more time to focus on personal development. Ultimately, mastering time management isn’t just about doing more – it’s about doing things that truly matter and achieving long-term success with less friction.
Mahesh Kumar
Spokesperson, Transcription Certification Institute
Choose Focus Over Constant Activity
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice about time management, it would be to prioritize focus over busyness. It’s easy to confuse being constantly active with being productive, but mastering the art of deliberately choosing where to invest your time—and saying no to distractions—makes all the difference. Learning to block dedicated time for deep work and planning breaks strategically would have saved countless hours of wasted effort and stress. Mastering this skill earlier would have not only boosted my efficiency but also improved my mental clarity, allowing me to achieve goals faster while maintaining better work-life balance.
Faraz Poswal
Website Developer, EDS FZE
Organize Time to Balance Work and Life
To my younger self, I would say that time is the most valuable resource we have, so it is important to make the most of it. When we are young, we are not so aware of this. Being organized helps us focus on the day’s activities, so work with a list of priorities and finish each task before starting another; otherwise, you will have a lot of things half done.
By doing it this way, I’ve been able to do all the things I like without having to give up any of my favorite activities. By being organized with my time, I can work, train, and do recreational activities without one thing interfering with the other.
Maybell Nieves
Surgical Oncologist, AlynMD
