Starting and running your own business comes with an undeniable perk — the freedom to set your schedule. Yet, this flexibility often creates a paradox for entrepreneurs. With so much to juggle — client calls, emails, marketing and operations — time management can feel like a losing battle. 

But here’s the good news — you can take back control of your time and strike a balance between building your dream business and living your life. 

Let’s explore proven time management techniques, tools that simplify your day and strategies to overcome common challenges. Whether you’re just starting a small business from home or running a growing enterprise, these tips will set you on the path to efficiency and freedom. 

What You’ll Learn in This Guide

• Time management techniques that work in the real world (even when transitioning from a 9-to-5)
• The exact tools I use to run my consulting business and digital courses
• How to create a schedule that supports your business growth
• Solutions to the time management challenges that plague new entrepreneurs

Why Time Management Makes or Breaks Entrepreneurs

Here’s a story that might sound familiar: When I first launched my consulting business, I thought my corporate background meant I had time management figured out. I couldn’t have been more wrong! The freedom of entrepreneurship threw me for a loop, and I found myself procrastinating on crucial tasks while busying myself with low-impact activities.

The wake-up call came when I realized I’d spent three weeks tweaking my website colors instead of launching my first digital course. That’s when I learned that poor time management isn’t just about lost time — it’s about lost revenue and impact.

Poor time management really costs:

• Revenue opportunities (like the $20K I left on the table by delaying my course launch)
• The chance to impact more clients’ lives
• Your confidence as a business owner
• The work-life balance you left corporate to achieve

5 Time Management Techniques That Actually Work

1. The “Eat That Frog” Method (My Morning Game-Changer)

After years of procrastinating on high-impact tasks, I discovered this technique and it transformed my business. Here’s how I use it: Every morning, I tackle my “frog” — the most challenging, revenue-generating task — first thing. For me, that’s usually content creation for my courses or high-level strategy work for my consulting clients.

Real talk: Once I started “eating my frog” first thing, my course completion rate increased by 60% because I was consistently delivering better, more focused content.

2. Time Blocking for Course Creators and Consultants

I’ve adapted time blocking specifically for the consulting business model:

• Mondays: Course content creation and updates
• Tuesdays: Client consulting sessions
• Wednesdays: Marketing and community engagement
• Thursdays and Fridays: Business development and planning

This structure helped me scale from 1-on-1 consulting to launching successful digital courses while maintaining quality across both offerings.

3. The ROI Priority Matrix (My Secret Weapon)

As someone who struggled with prioritization, I developed this system to focus on maximum business impact:

• Revenue Generating: Client work, course creation, sales activities
• Optimization: System improvements, client experience enhancement
• Investment: Learning, networking, long-term planning

I evaluate every task through this lens, and it’s helped me double my business revenue.

The Tools That Power My Business

For Keeping Projects on Track

• ClickUp: This is my business’s command center. The customizable views are a game-changer — I use the board view for course development, list view for client projects and calendar view for content planning. The ability to switch between views helps me stay flexible while keeping everything organized. The UX is so intuitive that I’ve even started teaching my clients to use it in their businesses.
• Trello: Its simplicity makes it perfect for entrepreneurs just starting their journey.
• Asana: Great for larger teams, though I find ClickUp more suitable for solopreneurs and small businesses.

For Understanding Where Your Time Goes

• Toggl: This tool helped me discover I was spending 40% of my time on low-impact tasks. Now I use it to ensure I’m investing at least 60% of my time in revenue-generating activities.
• RescueTime: Perfect for identifying those sneaky time-wasters. It helped me realize I was spending too much time in my email inbox instead of creating course content.

Creating Your Own Time Management System (Lessons from My Journey)

1. Start With Honest Analysis: When I first tracked my time, I was shocked to find I was spending only 2 hours per day on actual business development. The rest? Lost to “productive procrastination” — like endlessly tweaking my website or reorganizing my files.
2. Build Around Your Peak Performance Times: Through trial and error, I discovered I’m most creative in the morning and better at consulting calls in the afternoon. This insight helped me restructure my entire business schedule.

Overcoming Time Management Challenges

Beating Procrastination (My Personal Strategy)

After struggling with procrastination myself, here’s what works:

• I use a “15-minute rule” — start any dreaded task for just 15 minutes
• I keep a “wins journal” to track daily accomplishments
• I schedule my most impactful tasks during my peak energy hours (8 – 11 a.m. for me)

Your Next Steps

Ready to transform your time management? Start here:

1. Block out your calendar for next week using my ROI Priority Matrix
2. Choose your “frog” for tomorrow morning

Remember: I help corporate professionals transition to successful entrepreneurship, and I can tell you that mastering time management is crucial to that journey.