Time Management Tools to Help You Work Smarter, Not Harder

Learning time management can be life-changing, especially when you have a lot on your plate. There are a long-list of tools available to help with specific concerns to help you get the most from the time you have.  Putting them into practice can help you be more effective and efficient, and even enjoy life again.  It takes time and practice to learn to effectively apply these steps, so don’t be too rigid or stress out while learning to manage your time.  You’ll find which way works best for you.  Here are some great tools and methods—online, automated, and manual—to help you build better time management skills:

🧠 Mindset & Method Frameworks

The following aren’t tools you have to buy, but systems you learn and apply:

1. Eisenhower Matrix – Write-down and categorize tasks into 4 quadrants: urgent/important, important/not urgent, etc. This is a basic way that helps prioritize what really matters.  For example, you can use an erasable whiteboard daily to keep a visual of what your priorities for the day are.
2. Pomodoro Technique – Focus and stay on doing things in 25-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks.  After 25 minutes of work – STOP!  Taking a 5-minute break isn’t much of a interruption and then you can get back to things.  This trains your brain to work in concentrated bursts and includes resting.
3. Time Blocking – Assign specific tasks to specific time slots in separate daily, weekly, and monthly calendars.  This gives you ways to categorize your tasks and help break them down so you can see when they are scheduled to be worked on and completed.

Set SMART Goals – Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.  What do these parts mean? 

S – Specific
Your goals should be clear and well-defined. Stay away from vague or broad statements.

Example: Instead of vaguely saying, “My goal is to get in shape,” specifically say, “My goal is for me to join the local gym and work out three times a week to help me get in shape and stay healthy.”

A specific goal answers the questions:
What do I want to accomplish? – “…to get in shape…”.
Why is this goal important? – “…to stay healthy…”.
Who is involved? – “…me…”.
Where is it located? – “…local(ly)…”.
Which resources or limits are involved? – “…three times a week…”.

M – Measurable
There must be a way to track progress and check when the goal is met.

Example: “I will increase and keep my monthly savings at a steady rate of $200/month for at least a year” is measurable.

A measurable goal includes:
How much? – “…a steady rate of $200/month”.
When or How often? – “…monthly…”
How will I know when it is accomplished? – “…at least a year”.

A – Achievable
The goal should be realistic and attainable within your current resources and constraints, while still being challenging.  It may take a bit of pushing to start and/or to keep, but that’s part of achieving a goal.
 
Example: “I will read one book per month” might be more achievable than “I will read 50 books this year”, especially if you have a busy schedule.

Ask yourself, “Can I realistically accomplish this?”.  Consider your skills, time, and tools.  The focus is to work towards what you are capable of achieving, not what you can’t reasonably expect of yourself.  It’s perfectly OK to start out with something easy and simple and revise it as you go along to increase the challenge when you see that you can accomplish more.

R – Relevant
Make sure the goals align with your broader objectives, values, and long-term plans.

Example: If your career goal is to move into management, then “I will take a leadership course to be better prepared and qualified for a management position to advance my career and possibly increase my income” is a relevant goal.

Ask yourself:
Is this worthwhile towards achieving my goal? – “…to be better prepared and qualified for a management position…”.
Does it align with my other goals or values? – “…to advance my career and possibly increase my income …”.

T – Time-bound
A goal needs a deadline to provide urgency and focus.

Example: “I will submit the job application today if possible, and by June 30 at the absolute latest” sets a clear time frame.

Ask yourself:
When will I accomplish this? – “…by June 30…”.
Set and stick to start and finish dates. – “…today if possible and by June 30 at the absolute latest”.

Summary Example of a SMART Goal:
“I will improve my public speaking experience and abilities starting next Monday by participating in a weekly Toastmasters meeting and giving at least 5 speeches by December 1st.  This will help my personal and career development”.

Specific – “…improve my public speaking experience and abilities…”.
Measurable – “…giving 5 speeches by December 1st…”.
Achievable – “…participating in weekly Toastmasters meetings and giving at
                        least 5 speeches…”.
Relevant – “…This will help my personal and career development…”.
Time-bound – “…starting next Monday…by December 1^st …”.

📱 Digital Tools & Apps

Use technology to stay organized and on track.  Here are a few examples:

🗓️ Scheduling & Calendar Tools
Google Calendar – Great for time blocking and setting recurring tasks.

Outlook Calendar – Especially good for professionals or if you’re in a Microsoft ecosystem.

✅ Task & Project Management
Todoist – Simple, powerful to-do list with labels, filters, and priorities.

Trello – Visual kanban board style (what is this?) for managing projects and workflow.

Asana – More structured, great for team and solo project planning.

Notion – All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, databases, and more.

⏱️ Time Tracking
RescueTime – Tracks how you spend time on your devices and gives reports.

Toggl Track – Great for freelancers or anyone who wants to see where their hours go.

Clockify – Free and powerful time tracking with reporting and dashboard features.

📚 Books That Teach Time Management
“Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy – Focuses on prioritization and getting the hardest thing done first.

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear – Not time management per se, but amazing for building routines that support good time use.

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey – Time management through values-based living.

📝 Manual Tools
Sometimes old-school is best:

Paper Planners (like Passion Planner or Panda Planner)

Bullet Journals – Fully customizable manual system for managing tasks, habits, and events.

👨‍🏫 Online Courses & Learning Platforms
LinkedIn Learning – LinkedIn has short courses like Time Management Fundamentals by Dave Crenshaw.

Coursera – Coursera offers courses like Work Smarter, Not Harder.

Skillshare – Skillshare has practical, bite-sized classes with visuals.

If you’re looking for automated tools, platforms, or programs that actively teach you time management, not just help you track time, here are some smart, interactive options that do more of the heavy lifting:

🧠 AI-Powered Time Management Coaches & Systems
1. Reclaim.ai
What it does: Automatically schedules time for your tasks, habits, breaks, and meetings by syncing with Google Calendar.

Why it’s great: Teaches you balance in real-time by protecting focus time and avoiding burnout.

Best for: Professionals and remote workers.

2. Motion
What it does: Uses AI to build your daily schedule automatically based on task urgency and time constraints.

Why it’s smart: It learns your work patterns and optimizes your day to boost productivity.

Best for: Busy individuals juggling multiple deadlines.

3. SkedPal
What it does: Combines time blocking and AI scheduling to teach you how to prioritize and focus.

Why it’s useful: Learns your work rhythms and helps create realistic schedules based on priorities.

Best for: People overwhelmed by too many tasks and shifting deadlines.

📈 Gamified Learning Platforms

4. Habitica
What it does: Turns habit-building and time management into a role-playing game (RPG).

Why it’s fun: You “level up” by completing tasks and building daily routines.

Best for: Those who learn better through gamification and visual tracking.

5. Forest App
What it does: Uses a virtual tree-growing system that rewards you for staying focused.

Why it helps: Builds discipline by discouraging phone use and rewarding deep work.

Best for: Students and those struggling with digital distractions.

6. Focusm
What it does: Pairs you with a real person for virtual co-working sessions.

Why it works: Adds accountability and builds routine through peer motivation.

Best for: People who procrastinate or work better with external structure.

🎓 Structured Learning Platforms with Automation

7. Brilliant Time Management by Mindvalley
What it does: Offers structured courses with automated reminders, daily challenges, and progress tracking.

Why it’s different: Blends self-development with time management.

Best for: Personal growth seekers who want to learn while transforming habits.

8. Coursera/edX (with automation features)
Courses like: Work Smarter, Not Harder or The Science of Well-Being.

Automation: Scheduled deadlines, reminders, and tracking.

Best for: Learners who want science-backed time management with structure.

9. RescueTime Premium
What it does: Tracks your behavior and gives automated insights and coaching suggestions.

Why it’s smart: Sends real-time alerts like “You’ve been distracted for 30 mins.” and nudges you to refocus.

Best for: Data-driven people who need constant awareness and improvement suggestions.

10. Clockwise
What it does: Automatically moves meetings and blocks focus time for deep work.

Why it’s helpful: It trains you by example, reshaping your calendar to match best time use practices.

Best for: Teams and individuals in fast-paced environments.

Summing it Up
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to learn how to manage your time effectively and be more efficient at what you do.  Which one to choose?  Well, check them out and see what may work for you.  There are so many options that you can tailor to best suit your needs and tackle your time management issues.  But give it time!  It’s a learning process and doesn’t happen overnight.  Either way, by practicing some of these methods, you’ll find you’re better able to get things done and make life easier. 

So, what tips and tricks do you use to manage your time and accomplish what you need and want to do?  We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments below and subscribe to our blog (guaranteed – spam free!).