Introduction
During more than 25 years as a coach, consultant and trainer in time management, I have met many people who start their working day by reading and responding to emails or chat messages. After that, the day’s tasks are governed by what comes up – and every day they hope that tomorrow will be calmer. Do you recognize yourself in this?
The good news is that there’s a lot you can change to make your days both smoother and more efficient.
In this article, I’ll share concrete tips on how to set limited email management times, avoid multitasking, and create your own monthly goals. I end with a personal story that shows how small changes in the way of working can lead to big results – such as 38% fewer working hours per week and a better work-life balance.
Identify common time traps in today's working life
To understand why the workdays often feel stressful and pressured, we need to start by identifying the most common time traps. A working day can easily become a race against the clock, where you are constantly running to catch up on everything, hoping that the next day will be calmer. The dilemma is that it never gets calmer. Do you recognize yourself?
The problem with being in a state of stress is that it impairs our ability to think clearly. We get stuck in tunnel vision, where we only focus on the most urgent. Result? You tick off tasks on your to-do list without having time to reflect on whether it is the right things you are spending your time on. This is a classic step 22: the more you stress, the less efficient you become – and the harder it is to break the squirrel wheel.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to create a less stressful everyday life. By identifying and reducing your time traps, you gain better control over your workdays. It helps you to prioritize correctly, create an overview and build routines that provide both structure and foresight.
If you recognize yourself in this pattern, it is important to take a step back and think: What time traps do you most often fall into? And why? Once you’ve identified these, you can start working in a more structured and systematic way to avoid them.
During my years as a coach and trainer in Time Management, I have seen that three time traps are particularly common – and I have experience of falling into them myself. These are: the email addiction, multitasking, and the operational trap. Let’s explore these in more detail.
An interruption, no matter how small, can ruin hours of productive work.
Carl Newport, author of Deep Work.
Email addiction – a modern time trap
E-mail and digital communication are a natural part of working life, but for many it becomes one of the biggest time traps. How often does it happen that you just have to “check quickly”, and then discover that time has run away without you even having time to start your most important task? Email addiction takes many forms, and there are several reasons why it can quickly consume large parts of the working day.
- The speed: It’s so easy to send and respond to messages that we fill our days with digital communication. The result is an ever-growing flood of cases that interrupt our focus.
- The power of habit: The constant connection means that we get stuck in a pattern where we reflexively open the inbox as soon as a new notification appears. Emails and chats become almost like a compulsive habit, and work time is spent dealing with a stream of new requests – many that maybe you shouldn’t even be involved in.
- The illusion of productivity: Quick answers feel satisfying, as they allow us to tick off small tasks. But in the meantime, larger and more important tasks are being postponed. It’s no wonder that what would be ready today is constantly being moved to the future.
- Lack of reflection: In the pursuit of being fast and available, we often forget to stop and ask ourselves the important question: “Am I spending my time on what is really most important right now?”
Book e-mail appointments in the calendar
An effective way to take back control of your time is to limit e-communication by scheduling fixed times in your calendar. Think of these as “meetings with yourself” where you handle incoming communication – and nothing else. If it feels overwhelming to start with a longer period, you can start with two to three shorter sessions per day, for example 30 minutes at a time.
Try it out and adjust how much time you need as you go.
Email – one of the biggest time traps
E-mail and digital communication are a natural part of working life, but for many it becomes one of the biggest time traps. How often does it happen that you just have to “check quickly”, and then discover that time has run away without you even having time to start your most important task? Email addiction takes many forms, and there are several reasons why it can quickly consume large parts of the working day.
Four benefits of booking email meetings on the calendar:
- More structure and less multitasking: By setting aside time for email, you won’t be interrupted when you focus on other tasks. Studies show that multitasking makes us less efficient, even though it often feels the opposite.
- Limited time: If you don’t have a start and end time for email, there’s a great risk that communication will take over your entire day at the expense of other important tasks.
- Smarter prioritization: When you manage email/chat under a self-imposed time pressure, you’ll be more likely to focus on what’s most important and avoid getting bogged down in small issues.
- Better discipline: Pre-booked email meetings help you spend time on more demanding tasks at other times of the day, when you’re most alert.
Similar to email addiction, multitasking can create major problems. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at this trap in the next section.
Multitasking: The Myth and Its Consequences
In our connected work environment, we are constantly exposed to impressions and interruptions. The possibilities for communication and work tasks are limitless, but this is both a blessing and a burden.
How often do you jump between tasks and interrupt yourself every time a notification rings?
Maybe you click to quickly check what it’s all about, only to discover that the hours have passed and lunch is here – without knowing what you’ve actually accomplished.
The big myth about multitasking is that it makes us efficient. But research shows time and time again that multitasking is instead counterproductive. Every time we are interrupted and shift our focus from one task to another, it takes an average of 25 minutes to get back to full concentration.
This constant switching between tasks drains us of energy and makes us less productive over time.
Multitasking is like trying to juggle knives – you might be able to do it for a while, but it’s only a matter of time before you hurt yourself.
Gary Keller, author of The ONE Thing.
The consequences of multitasking are far-reaching:
- Lost efficiency: Tasks take longer when you’re constantly shifting focus.
- Unnecessary fatigue: The working day feels longer and heavier because the brain is working at full speed without proper recovery.
- Missed priorities: Small and less important interruptions steal time from what really needs your attention.
Micro-breaks for increased energy
To nurture your energy during the workday, it’s important to give your brain a chance to recover.
Regular micro-breaks not only make you more productive, but also more alert and alert at the end of the workday.
Here are some key guidelines for getting the most out of your breaks:
- Plan your breaks: Set a timer and take a break at least every 90 minutes for 10–15 minutes. Customize according to what works best for you.
- Rest time for the brain: In order for the breaks to have the maximum effect, you need to let go of all work thoughts. Avoid scrolling on social media or talking about work with colleagues.
- Try different activities: A break can be a short walk, some simple yoga exercises, a moment of meditation, or enjoying your favorite music. Find what works best for you!
With regular breaks, you can work more efficiently while protecting yourself from burnout.
Once you’ve taken control of the daily time traps, like multitasking, you can start thinking more long-term and working strategically for a better balance.
Read about 10 tips you can do when taking a micro-break. Regular breaks make you more productive
One hour of planning can save ten hours of work.
Dale Carnegie
Set your own monthly goals for better work structure
Do you often feel overwhelmed by all the tasks on your to-do list? When every day is filled with tasks to tick off, it’s easy to lose overview and focus. The risk is that you forget about the really important tasks and instead spend too much time on less important tasks. This way of working often leads to unnecessary stress, overtime and additional work.
A major problem in our digital work environment is that many documents and tasks are “invisible.” Without a clear overview, it can feel like you’re constantly trying to catch up, just because new tasks come up. Therefore, it is crucial to visualize and structure your tasks in a way that makes it easier to prioritize and stay focused.
If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take.”
Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.
Monthly goals – a solution for complex tasks
Setting monthly goals is an effective way to create structure and overview, especially for tasks that are not quick fixes, but require several steps to complete. Without clear goals, it’s easy for complex tasks to be postponed day after day – until time is short and stress strikes.
By breaking down larger tasks into smaller activities and planning the work over a month, you create both focus and foresight. Imagine that each monthly goal becomes a map that guides you through your most important priorities.
How to get started with monthly goals
To structure your monthly goals, you can use the following approach:
- Set goals: Identify the complex tasks you need to complete over the next four weeks. Set a specific and clear goal for each task.
- Plan activities: Write down the activities required to reach each goal. Remember to break down larger tasks into manageable steps.
- Set deadlines: Set realistic deadlines for each activity and each goal.
- Book work meetings: Set aside time in your calendar each week to work focused on each monthly goal. Use the activity list as a guide and checklist, and avoid distractions like emails and chats during these meetings.
- Book monthly meetings: Plan recurring monthly meetings with yourself. Use these opportunities to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, adjust goals if necessary, and plan for the next month.
Four benefits of setting monthly goals
- Clearer focus: You get a clear and structured overview of your priorities.
- More effective prioritization: You learn to spend time and energy on what really matters and minimize less important tasks.
- Reduced stress: With better control and overview, the feeling of being overwhelmed decreases.
- Better planning: By working with foresight, it becomes easier to meet deadlines and avoid last-minute solutions.
Theories and tips are all well and good, but now let’s look at a concrete example that shows how these strategies can yield results.
In the next part, you’ll read an inspiring story about how a manager turned stress into balance – and increased productivity at the same time.
Example: The manager who minimized his time traps and saved 20 hours per week
As the new regional manager in sout of Sweden, I worked intensively to achieve financial goals. As the company grew and the number of employees increased, so did my working hours. My new “normal” became 65 hours per week, and I constantly experienced low energy and lack of motivation. Eventually, I realized that a change was necessary.
With the help of a leadership coach, I learned the difference between working ad hoc and goal-oriented, as well as the insight that there is a difference between being a manager and a leader. This was the start of a revolutionary change in my way of working.
My normal work week was 65 hours, and I constantly experienced low energy and lack of motivation.
Ulla Lilliehöök
Here are some of the key adjustments I made:
- Reduced my availability and became clearer about when I was available to my co-workers.
- Worked more structured by setting clear goals and sub-goals.
- Planned times for tasks directly in the calendar to get better focus and prioritization.
- Focused on the most crucial tasks and delegated others.
- Encouraged employees to be more empowered, which increased team accountability and efficiency.
- Conducted more structured development talks with regular follow-ups.
Result?
I went from working 65 hours a week to 45. Work became fun again, and I found a healthy work-life balance. In addition, the company’s turnover increased, we opened a new branch and I was named the best leader in the company.
Summary
This article highlights three common time traps that affect the efficiency of the workday, as well as offers practical solutions to deal with them.
The email addiction trap: Many people spend too much time on digital communication, which steals focus from more important tasks. Solutions include setting fixed times for email management, booking these as “meetings” in the calendar and consciously prioritizing what needs to be answered.
The Multitasking Trap: The Myth of Multitasking Is Debunked. Studies show that multitasking reduces productivity and increases energy consumption. The solution is to minimize multitasking by working focused in blocks of time and taking regular micro-breaks.
Operational trap: Working without a goal structure leads to feelings of overwhelm and stress. By setting monthly goals, breaking down larger tasks, and scheduling work meetings, you can get a better overview and prioritize what’s really important.
The article concludes with an inspiring example that shows that small but goal-oriented changes in the way of working can yield big results. By reducing their time traps, a manager was able to reduce their working hours by 20 hours per week, while increasing the company’s turnover and finding work-life balance.
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