Time Management Hacks That Actually Work: The 3 Smartest Shifts You Can Make Today

Arne Bialas
Apr 16
3 min read

Updated: Apr 24

Analog alarm clock next to a lightbox sign displaying the words 'Effective Time Management' on a teal background

Have you ever ended a workday feeling like you were busy all day, but didn’t get anything important done? You’re not alone and you’re not unproductive, either. The truth is, we’re all operating within the same limit: 1,440 minutes per day. The key isn’t doing more, it’s doing what matters.

Here’s where a fresh, evidence-backed approach to time management comes in. If you’ve tried to-do lists, productivity apps, or waking up at 5 AM (only to hit snooze), it might be time to rethink your strategy from the ground up.

Let’s dive into three powerful shifts that have helped professionals across industries reclaim up to 8 hours a week. These insights are adapted from a popular free mini-course on time management by edureer, created by Arne Bialas.

1. Start Thinking in Minutes, Not Hours

Your Life is 1,440 Minutes a Day. Spend it Wisely.

The average day is often described in hours, but what if you zoomed in closer? One of the most transformative ideas in time management is the shift from thinking in vague blocks of time ("I'll do this in the morning") to clearly identifying where each of your 1,440 minutes is going.

This isn’t about becoming robotic. It’s about clarity. When you start seeing time like money in your bank account, you naturally become more intentional. Suddenly, that 10-minute scroll through Instagram or extra-long email response feels like a real investment.

What to Do Instead:

Start your day by identifying the "one thing" that would make today feel successful.
Use your most alert hours, typically the first two in the morning, for deep work. edureer calls this the "Two Awesome Hours" principle.
Practice a 1440-minute check-in. Ask: “Did today reflect what really matters to me?”

Takeaway: Minutes are your most valuable asset. Treat them that way and you’ll stop feeling like time slips through your fingers.

2. Stop Making To-Do Lists. Seriously.

To-Do Lists are a Lie. Here’s Why.

The irony? To-do lists often make you less productive. That endless collection of bullet points creates a false sense of control, but more often, it leads to overwhelm and avoidance. According to behavioral psychology, your brain naturally skips tasks that feel vague, difficult, or undefined.

The Better Way: Live From Your Calendar

High-performing professionals, including CEOs, don’t work from lists. They work from calendars.

The idea is to time-block your schedule instead of relying on a chaotic to-do list. That means:

Allocating blocks of time for specific tasks.
Reserving space for thinking, breaks, and recovery (yes, these are productive too).
Pre-designing your "ideal week" so priorities don’t get buried.

This approach creates rhythm, focus, and momentum. edureer walks through how to build your own time-blocked week in their second mini-course lesson and it’s easier than it sounds.

Takeaway: Don’t write it down, schedule it. Your calendar is your new boss, and it’s here to reduce stress, not add to it.

3. How to Save 8 Hours Every Week (No Overtime Required)

Time Management Isn’t Just Planning - It’s Process Design

Here’s a bold claim backed by thousands of real-world professionals: you can reclaim an entire workday every week by redesigning how you work. No gimmicks, no hustle culture required.

In the third free lesson of the course, edureer focuses on systemic optimization, think workflow hacks, outsourcing, and automation.

Key Hacks from the Course:

Email Triage: Use the 3D method - Delete, Delegate, or Do (briefly).
Meeting Hygiene: Decline more often. Default to 15 minutes. Require agendas.
Outsource Smarter: Whether it’s Fiverr, an assistant, or automated software, learn what only you can do and delegate the rest.

One of the most powerful exercises? The Drop, Delegate, Redesign audit. It’s a brutally honest look at how much of your time is spent doing things that don’t move the needle.

Takeaway: You don’t need more hours in your week, you need fewer time-wasters. Reclaim your time with smarter processes.

Want to Go Deeper?

All of these strategies come straight from a free mini-course by edureer, which takes just 30 minutes to complete, but can pay off for the rest of your career. It’s taught by Arne Bialas, a certified expert in Agile, Digital Transformation, and Time Optimization.

You’ll get: