5 Time Management Strategies for Busy Entrepreneurs
Successfully launching an online business often means wearing many hats, but as your business grows, using smart time management strategies becomes essential to avoid burnout and stay in control.
Have you ever noticed that half a day can pass and all you have done is respond to emails? This happens to my clients when they don't have a plan in place to manage their day.
The difference between 'just-surviving' as an entrepreneur and a THRIVING entrepreneur is time management and efficiency.
1. Scheduling
Put it in your diary. Add it to your calendar.
What gets scheduled gets done.
Even if you think you have the best memory in the world, things will eventually start to slip through the cracks.
Avoid waking up in the middle of the night in a panic because you forgot to send that important email or approve an order. Scheduling is one of the simplest yet most effective time management strategies you can use to stay on track.
Pro Tip: Use a scheduling tool that works for you—whether it's pen and paper, Google Calendar, Outlook, a project management platform, or a cute little notebook you carry around.
2. Check emails during set times
Allocate set times to complete daily tasks. One of my go-to time management strategies is to check emails only at specific times during the day and focus on clearing as much as possible during that window. Then, I leave it alone until the next scheduled slot.
Have you ever noticed how a deadline helps you finish a task faster, but without one, it can drag on for hours? Use that same principle with email. Give yourself a set timeframe—like 30 minutes or an hour. In that time, respond only to the urgent emails. Flag the less urgent ones and come back to them during your next email slot.
Don’t let email run your life—it’s time to take back control with smarter time management!
3. Prioritise
We can often be very busy without being productive. Smaller less important tasks will always pop up - the key to time efficiency is making sure you prioritise your tasks and completing the highest priority items ALWAYS (or first if that is easier). Then circle back to the lower priority items.
Some of my clients prefer to spend some time in the morning thinking about all the things they need to get done and identify their top 3 priorities for that day. Other clients like to jot down their list the night before. Go with a time slot that works for you - and if something new pops up - instead of jumping on it immediately, stop and think about whether this is a higher priority item then one of your original three, or if this can be added to the lower priority list. Then assign accordingly.
Just like scheduling - when you know your high priority items are getting addressed first, you will feel a lot less overwhelmed.
Nothing feels as good as 'done' when you look back over your list for the day.
Pro Tip: Didn't get your tasks quiet done in a day? No problem - carry them over to the next day. I have two lists. One is my daily task list with the priorities noted and the other is my bigger longer-term priorities.
4. Automate
Do you notice anything repeating during your day?
Are you sending the same responses or completing the same tasks over and over? It’s time to look at automation—one of the smartest time management strategies available.
If you're repeating emails, explore the world of email automation and autoresponders.
If you're doing the same tasks multiple times a day, consider automated systems or outsourcing.
Remember, if you're repeating a task, it can likely be automated. And automation isn’t just for emails—it can cover everything from client management and payments to bookings, fulfilments, collecting reviews, feedback, and even customer service.
Free up your time and focus on what really matters.
5. Take regular breaks
This might be the last thing you'd expect in a list of time management strategies—but taking a break is essential to staying fresh, focused, and productive.
Schedule your breaks where possible—and actually take them.
This can be the hardest tip to follow, especially for my favourite personality type: the perfectionist. We often power through for hours without stepping away from the screen. But science has shown that the human brain isn’t built for long, uninterrupted periods of focus.
Whether your focus lasts 20 minutes or 90, the key is to take intentional breaks between deep work sessions. Let your mind stretch and reset.
Take a walk, play with your pets, knock out a quick chore, or brew a pot of tea and enjoy it. Small pauses are powerful time management strategies in disguise.
Do you have a favourite time management tip? I'd love to hear it! You can reach me here.
