How do I manage my time when I am doing everything?

Updated 23 July 2026 by Chanelle Segerius-Bruce

As a parent, a partner and a business owner, managing your time is the thing that never quite gets solved. You are answering emails, running a project and sourcing something for show and tell at seven on a Friday morning. A 25-hour day is not coming. This guide covers the methods I actually use: time blocking, working in short bursts, outsourcing what is not yours to do, setting your phone up properly, and dealing with the guilt that follows you between the two. A caveat first: I am not perfect at this and I do not get it right every week.

Master your schedule with time blocking

If you are anything like me, there is a list of things that must be done by the end of the week, and as Friday creeps closer the anxiety builds. Most tasks are underway. None are finished. "I still have the weekend," you tell yourself, while envying everyone who will be spending theirs with their family.

A to-do list is fine. Finishing things needs time blocking, where you give each task an actual slot.

A calendar is the tool for this. I use Google Calendar because it works across every device. Set up separate colour-coded calendars for the important parts of your life, so client calls, marketing and accounting each have their own colour and you can see the shape of your week at a glance.

Then take your to-do list and build blocks with padding between them. It forces you to prove your priorities with actions rather than intentions, and it protects the deep work where things actually get finished.

Do not be unrealistic with the blocks or you will simply feel worse. It takes a while to get right, and the first attempt will take a couple of hours.

Here is the part most people skip. Screenshot your blocked week, then adjust it as you go. If something takes longer, extend it. If it goes quicker, shrink it. And if you procrastinate or scroll for half an hour, put that in the calendar too, in big bold red. You need to see honestly how long things take and how productive you really are, so you can check whether your actions match the goals you say you have.

Work in short bursts

Your calendar is blocked, your intentions are excellent, and then you open your laptop and immediately wonder whether there is anything in for dinner, or whether you booked the holiday club.

That is procrastination wearing a sensible hat. The Pomodoro Technique deals with it by telling your brain it only has to focus for a short while and can play afterwards. Set a timer for 25 minutes, give one task your full attention, then take five minutes off. Repeat until the thing is done.

Do what only you can do, outsource the rest

However well you schedule, the day is a fixed length and you cannot do everything yourself. At some point the answer is help.

The usual objection is that you are too busy to train and manage anyone, which is an excuse rather than a reason. Richard Branson hires people cleverer than he is to run his companies, and the principle scales down perfectly well.

I use virtual assistants for a range of things, managed through Asana so I can hand out tasks from my phone. Start by listing everything somebody else could do, then give one of those away. The time you get back goes to your children and to growing the business.

Make your phone work for you

Everyone can reach you instantly, which means other people's urgent problems become yours and your day gets rearranged by whoever messaged last.

Your phone is still a good tool. It needs setting up to work for you rather than against you. Make three lists: productivity tools, time drainers and aspirations. Keep the productivity tools and the aspirations on your home screen, and bury the time drainers on another one. Sometimes the right answer is deleting the app entirely.

I turn off all notifications on all apps, permanently, and put my phone on aeroplane mode for anything that needs real concentration.

The guilty feeling, and why you have to ignore it

You sit down with your child and think about the proposal you should be sending. Later you sit at your desk and think you should have stayed with the children a bit longer.

Beyond making you miserable, guilt strips the enjoyment out of whichever thing you are actually doing.

You need breaks in the same way you need work. Do the things that make you feel guilty, because they are not optional for your wellbeing. Once that lands, you appreciate your time more and get more done with less of the churn.

Key takeaways

• A to-do list tells you what. A time-blocked calendar tells you when, which is what actually gets things finished.
• Colour-code by area of life so you can see the shape of your week at a glance.
• Log the procrastination in the calendar too, in red. You need the honest picture.
• The Pomodoro Technique, 25 minutes on and five off, is enough structure to beat drift.
• You cannot do it all. List what somebody else could do and hand one of those over.
• Notifications off, time drainers off the home screen, aeroplane mode for deep work.
• Breaks are not a reward for finishing. Guilt just removes the good from both sides.

Frequently asked questions

What is time blocking?

Giving each task an actual slot in your calendar rather than leaving it on a list. It forces you to prove your priorities with action, and it protects the uninterrupted stretches where work genuinely gets finished.

How do I stop procrastinating?

Shrink the commitment. The Pomodoro Technique sets a timer for 25 minutes on a single task, then gives you five minutes off. Telling your brain it only has to focus briefly gets you past the starting problem.

When should I start outsourcing?

Sooner than you think, and the usual objection, that you are too busy to train anyone, is the reason it never happens. Start by listing everything that does not have to be you, then hand over one thing.

How do I stop my phone running my day?

Turn notifications off across every app, keep productivity tools and aspirations on the home screen, and move the time drainers to another screen or delete them. Aeroplane mode for anything needing real concentration.

How do I deal with the guilt of not doing enough?

By accepting that breaks are a requirement rather than an indulgence. Guilt does not get the proposal written, it just takes the pleasure out of the time you spend with your family.

Should I plan my whole week or just the day?

The week, then adjust daily. Set aside a couple of hours the first time you do it, because the first attempt is always the slowest.