Time Management: Why Most Advice is Rubbish and What Actually Works

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I was standing in my kitchen at 11:47 PM last Thursday, eating leftover pizza straight from the box while frantically trying to finish a client proposal that was due three hours earlier. My "revolutionary" colour-coded calendar system lay abandoned on my desk, mocking me with its pristine organisation. That's when it hit me – most time management advice is complete bollocks.

After seventeen years of running workplace training programmes across Melbourne and Sydney, I've watched thousands of professionals struggle with the same bloody issue. They've tried every app, system, and methodology under the sun, yet they're still drowning in their own to-do lists. The problem isn't that people are lazy or disorganised. The problem is that 90% of time management "gurus" have never actually managed a real business with real deadlines and real people breathing down their necks.

The Great Productivity Con

Let me tell you something controversial: your smartphone isn't the enemy. I know, I know – every productivity expert worth their salt will tell you to delete social media, turn off notifications, and live like a digital monk. But here's the thing – we live in 2025, not 1995. Your phone is a tool, and like any tool, it's only as good as the person using it.

I've seen sales teams in Brisbane increase their efficiency by 40% using nothing but WhatsApp groups and shared Google calendars. Meanwhile, I've watched executives in Perth spend three hours a day managing their "productivity systems" instead of actually being productive. The tool isn't the problem – the approach is.

The real issue? Most people are trying to manage time when they should be managing energy and attention instead.

Energy Management Beats Time Management Every Single Time

This might sound like new-age nonsense, but bear with me. Time is fixed – we all get 24 hours. But energy? That's variable, and it's the secret weapon that separates the genuinely productive from the perpetually busy.

I learned this the hard way during my burnout in 2018. I was working 70-hour weeks, colour-coding everything, scheduling bathroom breaks (yes, really), and somehow achieving less than when I worked 45 hours. The breakthrough came when I stopped asking "when should I do this?" and started asking "when do I have the right energy for this?"

Now I batch similar tasks during my peak energy windows. Creative work happens between 6-10 AM when my brain is sharp. Administrative tasks get dumped into the 2-4 PM energy dip when I'm naturally less focused anyway. Emotional intelligence training taught me to recognise these patterns instead of fighting against them.

Client calls? Only on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I'm naturally more social. Email? Twice a day max, at 11 AM and 4 PM. Everything else can bloody well wait.

The Australian Approach to Getting Stuff Done

Here's where I'm going to contradict myself slightly. Earlier I said tools don't matter, but there's one distinctly Australian approach to productivity that actually works: the "good enough" philosophy.

Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. While American productivity gurus obsess over optimisation and Japanese methods focus on continuous improvement, we Australians have mastered the art of "she'll be right." And you know what? It actually works better than you'd think.

I've seen marketing teams in Adelaide launch campaigns with 80% perfect materials that generated millions in revenue, while their competitors in other cities spent months perfecting presentations that never saw the light of day. Sometimes done is better than perfect.

The key is knowing when to apply this principle. Email responses? Good enough after one proofread. Client proposals? Maybe give them two. But your morning coffee? That deserves perfection every single time.

Why Your Calendar is Lying to You

Most people treat their calendar like a game of Tetris – trying to fit as many pieces as possible into every available space. This is mental. Your calendar should have more white space than a minimalist art gallery.

Buffer time isn't laziness – it's intelligence. I block 30 minutes between meetings. Always. This gives me time to decompress, prep for the next conversation, and deal with inevitable overruns. My clients think I'm incredibly organised, but really I'm just admitting that I'm human and things rarely go exactly to plan.

Here's a radical thought: what if you scheduled your personal time with the same ruthlessness you apply to work commitments? Time management training courses often miss this crucial point – your downtime deserves the same respect as your work time.

I block out Sunday mornings for absolutely nothing. No exceptions. My family knows it, my clients know it, and my phone knows it (Do Not Disturb mode is a beautiful thing). This isn't selfish – it's sustainable.

The Two-List Rule That Changed Everything

Warren Buffett supposedly uses this technique, though I suspect he's never had to deal with back-to-back Zoom calls while his dog decides to audition for Australian Idol. Regardless, it works.

List everything you want to accomplish this week. Everything. Work projects, personal errands, that weird noise your car's making – the lot. Now circle the five most important items. Those five things are your focus list.

Everything else? That's your "avoid at all costs" list. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but those remaining items are your biggest threat to productivity. They're the busy work that makes you feel productive without actually moving the needle.

This system saved my sanity during a particularly chaotic period in 2019 when I was juggling three major client launches simultaneously. Instead of trying to do everything mediocrely, I focused on five things excellently. Two of those launches became case studies that still bring in business today.

The Reality of Modern Workplace Time Management

Between you and me, most workplace time management problems aren't individual issues – they're systemic. You can't productivity-hack your way out of a dysfunctional organisation.

I've consulted with companies where employees were burning out not because they couldn't manage their time, but because they were trapped in meeting marathons that achieved nothing. Forty percent of workers report that meetings are their biggest time waster, yet somehow we keep scheduling more of them.

The solution isn't another app or methodology. It's having honest conversations about priorities and cutting the bureaucratic nonsense that masquerades as "important work." Sometimes the best time management strategy is learning to say no with conviction and without guilt.

Technology: Friend or Foe?

My relationship with productivity apps is complicated. I've probably downloaded 150 different systems over the years. The breakthrough came when I realised that the best system is the one you'll actually use consistently, not the one with the most features.

Currently, I use exactly three tools: Google Calendar, Apple Notes, and a physical notebook. That's it. The notebook lives on my desk and captures random thoughts throughout the day. Apple Notes syncs across my devices for quick reference. Google Calendar rules my scheduling with an iron fist.

Every few months, I'm tempted to try something new and revolutionary. Usually I resist. The one exception was when I experimented with effective communication training principles to improve my client interaction efficiency – but that's more about systems thinking than productivity tools.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Work-Life Balance

Here's something that might upset some people: perfect work-life balance is a myth. Life isn't a balanced equation – it's more like surfing. Sometimes you're riding the wave perfectly, other times you're tumbling around underwater wondering which way is up.

The goal isn't balance – it's integration. There will be weeks when work dominates everything else. That's okay if it's temporary and purposeful. There will also be weeks when family or personal priorities take precedence. Also okay.

The trick is being intentional about these seasons instead of letting them happen by default. I deliberately plan my intense work periods around school holidays and client project timelines. When I'm heads-down on a major deliverable, my family knows to expect less of me temporarily. But I also religiously protect family time during key moments – school concerts, birthday parties, random Tuesday afternoon adventures.

This approach has served me better than any rigid time-blocking system ever could.

Getting Started Without the Overwhelm

If you're feeling inspired to overhaul your entire approach to time management, stop right there. That's exactly the wrong impulse. Instead, pick one tiny change and commit to it for two weeks.

Maybe it's checking email only twice a day. Perhaps it's blocking 15 minutes of buffer time between meetings. Could be as simple as keeping a notebook on your desk to capture random thoughts instead of trying to remember them.

Small changes compound. After six months of tiny adjustments, you'll look back and wonder how you ever functioned with your old chaotic approach. But it has to start with one manageable change, not a complete life transformation.

The productivity industry wants you to believe that you need a complete system overhaul to see results. They're wrong. You need consistency and patience more than you need the perfect methodology.

The Bottom Line

Time management isn't about finding more hours in the day – they don't exist. It's about making intentional choices about where you direct your finite energy and attention. It's about recognising that productivity isn't about doing more things, it's about doing the right things with less stress and more satisfaction.

Most importantly, it's about remembering that systems serve you, not the other way around. The moment your productivity system becomes more work than the actual work, it's time to simplify.

Your future self will thank you for starting today, even if it's just with one small change. Trust me on this one.