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Time Management Tips

Some people say starting is the hardest part, others only work well when the deadline is tomorrow. Whatever struggles you have with time management, hopefully some of the information compiled here will help you. These tips were shared during the spring 2026 WIT Q&A on Time Management skills with Meagan Hennessey. Based on pre-submitted questions, Meagan was able to break down the struggles people were facing into four categories.

Also included are tried-and-true tips used by attendees, as well as ideas that came up during brainstorming. It can be daunting to invest time in setting up and learning something new. Give yourself grace when trying to implement something new, and give it enough time to know if the solution works for you before jumping to something else.

Tips if you do your best work when there’s an imminent deadline:

First figure out what factors have led to this behavior—then think about how you can retrain the behavior.

  • Perfectionism?
  • Friction that prevents you from starting sooner?
  • Past positive reinforcement?
  • The work seems bigger or scarier than it needs to be?


Tips if there’s too much on your plate and you don’t know where to begin:

  • Write down everything on your list. Just trying to keep it all in your head is a major cognitive burden.
  • Visually group or organize like work to realistically see what’s on your plate.
  • Identify the items that are legitimately time-sensitive and note when they are due.
  • Narrow your focus to fewer things on a weekly basis
  • If possible, look at what you can postpone (this might help focus attention on the things that truly need attention now)
  • Does everything on your list need to be done, or done by you?
  • Who can help provide clarity on what to prioritize?


Tips if you struggle with boring work:

  • Can you connect it to something bigger that brings value to you, your team, or your organization?
  • Schedule and complete it in small increments—10 or 15 minutes—and then stop. But leave a breadcrumb (if part of a bigger whole) so you know where you left off.
  • Schedule in a reward when you get to your breaking point.
  • Try to make it more fun by pairing it with something you do enjoy.
  • Make sure you’ve done the prep work needed to get it completed as fast as possible.
  • Gamify it if you can.
  • Find a mirroring/accountability partner
  • If you can’t find an accountability buddy, there are websites that can help (account required): Focusmate and Focus Friend were recommended in the Q&A’s chat

Tips if you can’t control your time due to interruptions:

  • Are there steps you can take to minimize disruptions?
  • Prepare and get comfortable using standard messaging that you can use to set boundaries with clients and colleagues
  • Block time on your calendar manually or use Microsoft’s built in Viva Insights to block time on your calendar
  • Use Do Not Disturb mode in Teams

Other odds and ends:

  • Do it for just 5 minutes and give yourself permission to stop.
  • Make it (more) fun. Can you combine what you’re putting off with something that makes it a little more enjoyable—music or a beverage you enjoy, gear that you enjoy using, or in an environment that makes you happy?
  • Build in breaks and rewards, such as 25 minutes on followed by 5 minutes.
  • Try a change of environment.
  • Track your progress via a habit tracker to help see momentum.
  • If you have distracting apps on your phone, consider hiding them so that they’re hard to get to, or use system settings to limit the amount of time you can spend on them.
  • See if Power Automate could help you with some of your recurring tasks. (Spring 2025 IT Pro Forum session on Power Automate by Ginger Hundgen, Sarah Follmer, and Joytika Sirohi)
  • Add an easily accessible to do list app to your phone to jot down ideas as they occur to you.
  • Talk to peers in professional communities/communities of practice who are dealing with the same issues.
  • Seek out a coach or mentor.
  • Don’t forget that your manager is also a resource. They might have helpful insights that will support your efforts.
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