Time & Productivity Management Cheat Sheet
Getting more done without sacrificing your sanity

1
Time Management Systems

  • Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focus + 5 minute break. Named after a tomato timer, not the sauce (though both can get messy).
  • Time Blocking: Schedule specific tasks in calendar. The digital equivalent of barricading your door.
  • Eat That Frog: Do the worst task first. Based on the idea that your day can only get better from there.
  • 2-Minute Rule: If it takes <2 minutes, do it now. Unless you can find 30 two-minute tasks to avoid the big one.

2
Priority Management Tricks

  • Eisenhower Matrix: Important/Urgent grid. Quadrant 1: Do, 2: Schedule, 3: Delegate, 4: Delete (or 'accidentally lose').
  • MoSCoW Method: Must, Should, Could, Won't. Separate critical from 'would be nice if we had unlimited resources'.
  • ABCDE Method: A: vital, B: important, C: nice, D: delegate, E: eliminate. E should be your favorite letter.
  • The 3 P's: Postpone, Pass on or Process now. When in doubt, Pass on (delegate) whenever possible.

3
Focus Killers & Their Antidotes

  • Digital Notifications: Antidote: Set phone to Do Not Disturb, disable email pop-ups, check messages at scheduled times.
  • Multitasking Myth: Antidote: Single-task with full focus for designated periods. Your brain will thank you later.
  • Meeting Overload: Antidote: Question meeting necessity, request agendas, decline optional meetings, suggest email instead.
  • Decision Fatigue: Antidote: Make important decisions early in day, create standard procedures for repeated choices.

4
Productivity Multipliers

  • Effective Delegation: Clear outcomes, right authority level, check-in schedule. Then resist the urge to take it back.
  • Batching Similar Tasks: Group emails, calls, meetings, creative work. Your brain works better without constant context switching.
  • Strategic Procrastination: Not all procrastination is bad. Some problems solve themselves if you wait long enough.
  • Energy Management: Schedule high-focus work during your peak hours. Don't waste prime brain time on low-value tasks.

The Last Word

Time management is the art of making time for all the things you claimed were important while scrolling through social media for three hours.

Life's too short for boring management. Make it count.
Management Master™

Pro tip: Pin these cheat sheets to your office wall or slip them into your notebook for emergency management situations.