Time Management Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

If you’ve ever felt confused by conflicting productivity strategies or wondered why “best practices” in time management don’t always work as promised, you’re not alone. Here’s the thing: I’ve been coaching freelancers and small business owners for 10 years, and the number one frustration I hear is that productivity advice feels absolute and rigid, with no consideration for where someone actually is right now or what their brain actually needs.

Turns out, the science backs this up.

A comprehensive systematic review, recently published in Frontiers in Education, analyzed over 100 studies and uncovered some surprising truths about how we understand, measure, and improve time management in both business and higher education contexts. And honestly? Some of these findings explain SO much about why generic productivity advice keeps failing us.

There’s No Universal, Scientific Definition of “Time Management”—And That’s a Problem

One of the most striking findings is that despite decades of research, there is still no universally accepted definition of time management.

Let that sink in for a second.

The review analyzed 107 studies published between 2006 and 2021. Almost half of the 86 peer-reviewed papers in the sample (21 were dissertations) did not clearly define what “time management” meant before measuring or intervening. That means many time management tips, training programs, and even scientific articles might be talking about completely different things.

This drives me absolutely nuts about the productivity industry. Everyone’s selling you THE system without even defining what problem they’re solving. When I was younger, I tried Getting Things Done because everyone raved about it. It lasted about a week. There was WAY too much friction because all the tricks were new to me—I was trying to implement everything at once. Then I tried time blocking every little thing, and I threw the whole thing away almost immediately.

Why? Because no one stopped to define what “effective time management” meant for ME, in MY context, with MY brain.

The two most commonly used research scales—TMBS (Time Management Behavior Scale) and TMQ (Time Management Questionnaire)—showed reliability and consistency, but 22 different one-off surveys also cropped up, some with outdated or awkward questions (think “managing postal correspondence”).

Without a clear definition, it’s easy for “time management” to mean different things depending on context. The authors propose this definition for clarity: “Time management is the allocation of time toward goal achievement through organization and adaptation.” This emphasizes not just planning and scheduling, but also metacognitive monitoring—routinely evaluating and updating your approach as you work towards your goals.

Action Item: Redefine time management for yourself or your business by including three key components: intentional time allocation, alignment with specific goals, and regular adaptation based on results or as needs and priorities shift. Review your schedule and task list in light of these elements each week to ensure your efforts remain focused, flexible, and purposeful. Or, get help from a coach like me to do this (yeah shameless plug 🙃).

Where Researchers (Finally) Agree: Core Strategies & Outcomes

Here’s where the review offers clear ground: Common core strategies emerge across the studies. There’s solid agreement that planning, goal-setting, prioritization, and task organization, especially when combined with regular self-monitoring, underpin effective time management. The most effective time management integrates these and self-assessment, which together offer greater benefits than focusing on just one behavior.

This is exactly what I mean when I talk about self-awareness being our greatest productivity tool. It’s not just about making lists—it’s about paying attention to what’s working and adapting when it’s not.

Empirical data (both quantitative and qualitative) show these strategies consistently:

• Reduce stress, burnout, and anxiety
• Improve job and academic performance
• Boost engagement and self-efficacy
• Decrease procrastination
• Enhance both cognitive and metacognitive learning skills (self-monitoring, self-regulation, planning, evaluating and adapting)

Action Item: The most effective strategies go beyond a daily to-do list. Combine planning, goal-setting, prioritization, focused task blocks, and periodic self-review. These core strategies give us the framework that has consistently been shown to improve performance and reduce stress.

Personality and Demographics: Your Traits Affect How Well Strategies Work

With over 30,000 participants in the 107 studies analyzed, researchers found some interesting correlations between certain inherent traits and the effectiveness of specific time management strategies.

Conscientiousness is linked to better time management and control: Personality matters. Highly conscientious personalities are positively associated with time control, goal setting and task-setting, while those high in neuroticism correlate negatively.

Extraverts and open individuals diversify their strategies: Contrary to stereotypes about introverts being better planners, extraverted and open personalities were shown to be more likely to use planning and scheduling strategies.

Minimal gender effects: Across nine studies, researchers found no significant gender differences in time management skills or behaviors—men and women generally performed about the same. There is ongoing disagreement in the literature about whether either gender is consistently better at planning, scheduling, or adopting specific strategies. Notably, research does suggest that women tend to report feeling more adaptable and in control of their time.

Age differences: Older professionals are better at long-term goals; younger ones are sharper at short-term planning.

This is where ignoring our traits and natural tendencies becomes the fastest way to stay exactly where we are. I see this with clients all the time. Rigid time blocking? It flies in the face of people who really enjoy creativity. These people benefit more from flexible time blocking (which is why I wrote about theme blocking). Other people need more rigid structure to keep them going.

But here’s what the productivity gurus don’t tell you: both approaches can work. You just need to pick the one that aligns with how your brain actually operates.

Action Item: Tailor your approach to fit your personality. Lean into strengths (e.g., scheduling for the organized and conscientious, possibly a more goal-focused approach and flexibility for the open and creative personality type). Revisit what works as your personality type and maturity changes over time.

Context & Task Structure Matter—A Lot

We can set goals, plan, and schedule every hour of our workday, but real life loves to throw curveballs. Being your own boss often means facing unexpected fires: a last-minute client crisis, tech meltdowns, new deliverables dropped into your lap out of nowhere. These surprises can derail even the best-laid productivity plans.

The systematic review touches on this: It’s not just busyness that undermines time management, but the unpredictable nature of your actual day. The research found that people in high-autonomy roles (those with lots of freedom and responsibility, but little structure), or those frequently interrupted, report feeling less in control of their time. Productivity only held steady for these groups when they adopted explicit, active contingency planning and flexible, adaptive strategies for their workflow.

Let me give you a real example. I once had my garage flood with sewage water. If you’ve ever had any kind of sewage water leak or flood, you know that ‘water’ is the least important part of that term. I work from home, so I’m trying to manage this literal crap situation while also working.

Was I able to accomplish everything I wanted that day? Absolutely not. But that’s exactly why it’s so important to have systems that adjust to you and your situation—systems built for reality, not just our best days. I was able to easily reprioritize and move things around to clear my day to the extent possible and handle the flood.

Just recently, one of my clients had an acute personal situation. Same thing—she was able to reprioritize successfully. While not everything got done, she didn’t waste additional time stressing or losing important things. She just adjusted and recalibrated.

People really underestimate how freeing it feels to be in a position to do this when faced with an emergency versus being totally derailed and feeling like you’re back at zero.

This ties directly into how the pandemic upended time management everywhere. The review’s authors specifically note that their analysis was limited to pre-pandemic settings, and candidly acknowledge that lockdowns and global uncertainty disrupted so many of the routines, external schedules, and structures that people once relied on to self-regulate their work and learning. When the known rules changed overnight, even the most effective time management systems fell apart.

Action Item: Your time management system needs to be realistic about unpredictability. You can block out “deep focus” time slots and keep backup plans ready for when things go sideways. Don’t just rely on strict daily calendars—instead, regularly build in review points and “backup” blocks for handling the surprises. Backup time blocks are chunks of open time you intentionally leave in your schedule to handle unexpected events, interruptions, or tasks that run longer than planned. If nothing comes up, you can use the time for less urgent tasks or proactive work. Make adaptation, not rigidity, the cornerstone of your approach.

Major disruptions like medical or family emergencies may throw you off for longer periods of time. Aside from emergency backup blocks, be sure to communicate with clients or colleagues about your availability in advance, and have a prioritized “minimum viable” task list so you know what can pause without major consequences. The goal is to reduce stress and decision fatigue during emergencies, allowing you to step away quickly and return to work smoothly when things stabilize.

Time Management Training: Yes, It Works (But Not Universally)

The silver lining: Most people can get better at time management when they’re taught evidence-based strategies. Training programs show measurable improvement in planning, goal setting, and prioritization, and participants report less stress and higher task completion rates. Formats ranged from classic workshops and mentoring to simulations, on the job learning and even cognitive-behavioral therapy for those with ADHD.

However, there’s a big caveat: Training methods and results vary widely, and most studies didn’t measure long-term changes. Real, lasting improvement likely requires regular practice and ongoing adaptation.

This is what I call Build the Bucket—my framework for making changes that actually stick. Instead of throwing someone into the deep end with a complete system overhaul, we take their baseline into consideration and make changes very easily. Each adjustment is just a little move from where they currently are, making it feel manageable instead of overwhelming. When we ignore where someone is starting from, they succeed for about a week (sound familiar?) and then abandon the whole thing.

The key insight from the research (at least for me): Training isn’t “set it and forget it.” You need to keep iterating, experimenting, and adapting as you learn what works for your unique context.

Action Item: Don’t treat time management training as a “set it and forget it” fix. Build quarterly or biannual check-ins and keep learning and experimenting—test new methods, reflect on what sticks, and adapt as you learn. Be open to dropping what doesn’t work for your unique context.

Limitations of the Study

Transparency matters. Here’s what to keep in mind when interpreting these results:

• Most studies were in English and pre-pandemic—how people manage time in other cultures or under post-pandemic conditions may differ.
• Results mostly come from higher education or professional settings, where at least some time flexibility exists—there’s less clarity for shift/field workers or rigid, on-call jobs.
• Self-reporting and short-term follow-up dominate—these findings are about what people say they do, not always what happens in real time, and few studies checked back after training programs ended.

The Takeaway: Evidence-Driven, Context-Smart Time Management

The real breakthrough here isn’t a new life-hack or app. It’s the understanding that “time management” only works when it’s clearly defined, adjusted to your unique strengths and environment, and continually reviewed in light of your goals and challenges.

If you want real impact, stop searching for the universal system—and start iterating your own strategy, making decisions based on evidence, adaptability, and a clear view of what effective time use means for you.

Not someone else. You.

So let’s hear it: What time management advice have you tried that completely bombed? And what’s actually working for you right now? Drop a comment below—I’d love to know what resonates (or what you’re still struggling with).

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References

Aeon, B., Faber, A., & Panaccio, A. (2021). Does time management work? A meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0245066. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245066

Claessens, B. J. C., Van Eerde, W., Rutte, C. G., & Roe, R. A. (2007). A review of the time management literature. Personnel Review, 36(2), 255-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710726136

Häfner, A., & Stock, A. (2010). Time management training and perceived control of time at work. The Journal of Psychology, 144(5), 429-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2010.496647

Razali, S. N. A. M., Rusiman, M. S., Gan, W. S., & Arbin, N. (2018). The impact of time management on students’ academic achievement. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 995, 012042. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/995/1/012042

Note: The systematic review referenced throughout this article compiled findings from 107 studies examining time management across business and educational contexts between 2006-2021, published in Frontiers in Education.